It’s been a dazzling year in music and the performing arts and, as 2025 draws to a close, Limelight is gearing up to present its Artists of the Year.

Our trusty reviewers have seen, heard and reviewed hundreds of performances in every state and territory in 2025 and along with Limelight‘s subscribers they have distilled a shortlist of the composers, singers, musicians, conductors, directors and ensembles who have made the biggest impression on classical music and opera this year.

But we also want you to have your say. Who are the Australian and international artists who most thrilled and entertained you?

Need some reminders? Scroll down for a concise and in-no-particular-order reminder of this year’s contenders.

Australian Artist of the Year:

In 2023, Limelight named Erin Helyard its Artist of the Year, and in the seasons since he has only deepened his reputation as the leader of Pinchgut Opera. With a wonderful Goldberg Variations under his belt, to see him shortlisted again this year is no surprise.

Among Australia’s most beloved and regularly performed composers, Elena Kats-Chernin continues to craft music that is inventive, virtuosic and unfailingly uplifting. She remains one of the nation’s most recognisable compositional voices.

Pianist Andrea Lam has enjoyed an impressive year; earning an ARIA nomination for her album Piano Diary, she brought expressive depth and technical brilliance to her solo recitals and orchestral appearances. She’s up against Russian-born piano virtuoso Alexander Gavrylyuk, who showcased his speed, strength and versatility in a series of concerts with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Tasmanian and Queensland Symphony Orchestras and in solo recitals.

Erin Helyard conducts Pinchgut Opera’s Messiah. Photo © Anna Kucera

Also a pianist, Kathryn Selby, founder of the much-loved Selby & Friends, maintained her standing as a national treasure, delivering astutely programmed concerts and “dazzling” performances that continue to connect deeply with chamber music audiences across the country. Harpist Emily Granger wowed audiences in concerts with the QSO and Ensemble Q.

With an Emmy-winning career that spans classical, contemporary and musical theatre, soprano Danielle de Niese delivered a “ferocious” Carmen for Opera Australia and a “sublime” recital in 2025. Rrawun Maymuru left audiences spellbound after his performance with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, one in which he presented new possibilities for Indigenous storytelling within Australia’s classical spaces.

Soprano Siobhan Stagg further cemented her star status, her “sublime timbre and legato” drawing admiration on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, particularly in her luminous interpretations of Strauss’s Four Last Songs. Nicole Car dazzled in Sarah Giles’s five-star staging of Dvořák’s masterpiece – the best in decades.

Madeleine Easton.

Madeleine Easton earned three five-star reviews from Limelight this year, further burnishing her reputation as a soloist and as the director of Bach Akademe Australia, while percussionist and director Claire Edwardes represented the nation with Ensemble Offspring in New York this year. She remains on of our foremost champions of new Australian music. Meanwhile, the Australian Chamber Orchestra marked its 50th anniversary, Artistic Director Richard Tognetti stood at the forefront of celebrations, reaffirming his stature as one of Australia’s finest classical musicians. His leadership continues to shape the ensemble’s distinctive sound and ambitious programming.

The year also belonged to artists who boldly pushed boundaries. Composer and soprano Jane Sheldon earned acclaim for flowermuscle, an immersive new work that showcased her vocal flexibility, adventurous spirit and tremendous expressive range. Flautist Sally Walker, meanwhile, championed Australian music with remarkable vigour, delivering an impressive number of world premieres throughout 2025 and dazzling audiences both live and on disc. William Barton seemed almost ubiquitous in 2025 – and not just for his music.

Asher Fisch continued his stewardship of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in a series of triumphant concert culminating in a celebration of the works of Beethoven. Umberto Clerici led from the podium and cellist chair in Queensland, and rounding out a remarkable year, Simone Young continued to prove why she is one of the world’s most commanding musical figures.

Asher Fisch

International Artist of the Year

The inimitable British organist and director James O’Donnell earned a five-star review this year for a “nuanced showcase” that revealed both the power and the delicacy of the Sydney Opera House’s Grand Organ. His command of the instrument – and the hall – reminded audiences why he remains one of the most respected organists of his generation.

On the orchestral podium, Vasily Petrenko brought his trademark clarity and drive to Australian stages. He deftly led both the West Australian and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras through stellar programs that highlighted his incisive musicianship and rapport with players.

Scottish conductor Donald Runnicles was equally warmly welcomed back; known for “always getting the best” from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, he delivered a series of exceptional symphonic readings that reinforced his long-standing connection with Australian audiences.

Abel Selaocoe and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Photo © Nic Walker

Early music icon Jordi Savall marked the 50th anniversary of Hespèrion XXI, a milestone that underscores his extraordinary influence on the field. A Spanish musical polyglot whose work has reshaped the way historical repertoire is understood and performed, Savall continues to inspire generations of musicians and listeners.

In a very different but equally electrifying vein, South African composer, singer and cellist Abel Selaocoe brought his highly inventive, charismatic presence to the Australian Chamber Orchestra, delivering a fiery performance that showcased his boundary-defying artistry.

Meanwhile, composer, vocalist and violinist Caroline Shaw secured her fifth Grammy Award this year, further cementing her position as one of contemporary classical music’s most powerful creative forces. Chamber music audiences also enjoyed exceptional artistry from the Takács Quartet, which earned a five-star review for its Canberra performance and took out Limelight’s 2025 Chamber Recording of the Year Award.

Vocal ensemble The Tallis Scholars impressed on their 11th Australian tour, winning another five-star Limelight review for their “unified sound and perfectly balanced harmonies”.

Cédric Tiberghien. Portrait supplied

Pianists provided some of the year’s most memorable moments. French virtuoso Cédric Tiberghien drew unexpected colour and luminescence from a prepared piano in Musica Viva Australia’s The Cage Project, revealing a percussive landscape rich in nuance. Russian superstar Daniil Trifonov – dubbed a “genius pianist” by collaborator Matthias Goerne – returned to dazzle audiences again, pairing a formidable program with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra with a string of compelling recital appearances nationwide, and Stephen Hough, one of the world’s biggest classical music luminaries, electrified Australian audiences this year with five different piano concertos – including one of his own.

Rounding out a distinguished cohort, British conductor John Wilson continued to demonstrate his extraordinary versatility. Equally assured in Broadway repertoire, opera and chamber music, Wilson and his Sinfonia of London brought unmistakable sophistication and superb sound to every score they tackled, reaffirming their status as one of the most exciting ensembles working today.

At 26, British cello star Sheku Kanneh-Mason continued to burnish his reputation in the recording and in the pages of his new book, The Power of Music.

In March, Scottish composer Anna Meredith brought her celebrated work Anno to Melbourne. Pairing her own music with Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, she reshaped one of classical music’s most beloved works through her striking electronic language, offering audiences a wholly different lens on a familiar favourite.

English conductor Edward Gardner has already made the Limelight front page, scooping up the pick for December’s Recording of the Month for The Dream of Gerontius with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2025, he joined both the Sydney and West Australian Symphony Orchestras onstage and showcased that same brilliance that has made him known as a world-renowned musical force.

Joyce DiDonato

Virtuosic British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor is also in the mix having taken home Limelight’s Instrumental Recording of the Year 2025 for an interpretation of Chopin that felt like “pearls draped over velvet.”

Turkiye’s Trio Isimsiz made its Australian debut in 2025 and did so auspiciously (“Trio Isimsiz embodies the essence of chamber music,” wrote our critic) and on the subject of debuts, the US soprano Joyce DiDonato thrilled audiences with her long-awaited presence on the Australian stage.

Voting for the 2025 Limelight Artists of the Year is open until Sunday 4 January, 2026, 11:59pm AEDT.

By participating in the public vote, you will have the chance to win one of four Gold Culture Vouchers from Giving Culture, valued at $250 each. Giving Culture is a gift voucher program that gives people the opportunity to choose from a broad range of artistic and cultural experiences, including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Australian Theatre for Young People and Sydney Film Festival. Once redeemed, 100% of the voucher’s value is passed on to the selected organisation.