The Sydney Conservatorium of Music at the University of Sydney has announced First Nations soprano, musician, composer and educator Deborah Cheetham Fraillon as the inaugural Elizabeth Todd Chair of Vocal Studies.

Relocating from Melbourne, Cheetham Fraillon will commence as Professor of Practice (Vocal Studies) immediately, lecturing and mentoring students in vocal and opera studies and composition. She will also conduct research delivered as performance practice.

A smoking ceremony welcomes Deborah Cheetham Fraillon to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Photo © The University of Sydney/Stefanie Zingsheim

Describing herself “as 21st century urban woman who is Yorta Yorta by birth, stolen generation by government policy, soprano by diligence, composer by necessity and lesbian by practice,” Cheetham Fraillon has championed the voice and visibility of classically trained First Nations musicians throughout her career, particularly as the artistic director of Short Black Opera and Ensemble Dutala.

As a composer, Cheetham Fraillon’s recent major commissions include works for The Australian Ballet (The Hum, 2023), Sydney Symphony Orchestra (Ghost Light, 2022), the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (Baparripna, 2022), Victorian Opera (Parrwang Lifts the Sky, 2021) and Short Black Opera (Woven Song, 2018).

“We celebrate our connection to this land through music,”...