With extensive international careers under their belt, plus many a role for Opera Australia, soprano Cheryl Barker and baritone Peter Coleman-Wright are well placed to help develop the next generation of Australian opera singers – and as Co-Artistic Directors of Pacific Opera, they are working to do just that.

Based in Sydney, Pacific Opera has nurtured over 300 participants since 2009. This year, there are nine Young Artists, each of whom has received a $5,000 scholarship, thanks to philanthropists.

Peter Coleman-Wright and Cheryl Barker flip through a score, smiling.

Peter Coleman-Wright and Cheryl Barker. Photo supplied

Since joining the organisation, Barker and Coleman-Wright, together with Music Director Bradley Gilchrist, have re-evaluated the Young Artist Program and the way it is delivered.

“We are really trying to build an awareness of the company. We are calling it the Pacific Opera Studio because we want it to be known that it’s a stepping stone between university and the profession,” says Coleman-Wright. 

“So, we are trying to give the singers opportunities for not only opera, but oratorio and work with symphonies. We have people coming in to do [vocal] masterclasses, and also [teach] dancing and...