Anna-Louise Cole has just been announced as the 2024 Dame Heather Begg Memorial Award recipient.

“I’m still completely floored… genuinely,” said Cole. “I really can’t quite believe it,” said Cole in a recent interview with Melba Opera Trust.

Anna-Louise Cole. Photo

Dame Heather Begg DNZM OBE (1932–2009) was a much-loved New Zealand-born opera singer who built an internationally successful career while also appearing regularly in Australia and New Zealand. Established in 2013, the Award is an ongoing legacy from her will and currently provides $25,000 annually to support an emerging singer from Australia or New Zealand.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary last year, the Award has helped to launch the careers of artists including Samuel Dundas, Janet Szepei Todd, Amina Edris, Jeremy Kleeman, Emily Edmonds, Lauren Fagan, Nicholas Jones, Fleuranne Brockway, Filipe Manu and Nathan Bryon.

Anna-Louise Cole as Brünnhilde in Götterdämmerung, Ring Cycle, Brisbane, 2023. Photo © Wallis Media

“I’m very honoured to be on this list and also to have my name associated with the legacy of Dame Heather Begg,” said Cole, who is...