Siobhan Stagg has been based in Berlin for some time now and travels the world for a living, but she still makes a point of coming back to Australia every season.

“It’s always a pleasure to come back. It’s such an important part of my origin story; where I grew up, where I studied music. I always want to keep that connection going and alive,” Stagg tells Limelight.

Siobhan Stagg. Portrait supplied

And for this visit, Stagg has plenty on: an Opera Gala for Hunters Hill Music; a duo recital at QPAC; a piano, strings and voice program at Melbourne Recital Centre; and UKARIA’s Chamberfest – all sandwiched between a tour of Germany and a string of appearances in China, with each leg featuring a different setlist. The sheer amount of repertoire seems intimidating, but Stagg takes it on breezily – all par for the course for an international operatic star.

The most unusual part of this trip, instead, is something else: Stagg is curator for Chamberfest this year, where she’s crafted five different interconnected programs. The invitation came from UKARIA CEO Alison Beare...