Soprano, producer and director Linda Thompson has been inducted into the 2022 Victorian Honour Roll of Women, a prestigious state acknowledgement of the achievements of Victorian women, at the Arts Centre Melbourne. She was one of 23 women acknowledged.

“It is wonderful that initiatives like the Honour Roll exist to highlight the importance of women’s leadership and recognise lasting contributions to this state. We’ve got a long way to go, especially in the arts sector to change the status quo. We need more female artistic leadership, deciding whose stories are told and who gets to tell them on stage,” said Thompson.

Linda Thompson. Photo © Matt Nash.

Thompson is the Artistic Director of the Australian Contemporary Opera Company (ACOCo), where she has facilitated the production of more than 40 new operas and 12 Australian premieres after founding the company in 2009. She has also performed with various leading Australian companies, including working on two world premieres with Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House. She also served as the Head of Classical Voice at Monash University between 2001 and 2007.

Chair...