Albury-born Thomas Strong wins the prestigious Lady Fairfax Scholarship.

Thomas Strong, a 31-year-old tenor from New South Wales, has become the 50th winner of the highly prized Opera Foundation Australia 2014 Lady Fairfax New York Scholarship. The Albury-born singer carried all before him at the Finals concert held at Sydney’s Eugene Goossens Hall after a knockout performance of Puccini’s anthemic Nessun Dorma saw the judges putting him firmly in first place.

Valued at $43,000, the scholarship, founded in 1963 by Lady Mary Fairfax AC OBE, offers the winner the opportunity to fly to New York for an intensive period of study with teachers, vocal coaches, language coaches and repetiteurs.

“I am ecstatic about this incredible opportunity from Opera Foundation Australia,” said Strong following his win. “I am so excited about the future of learning and the unique experiences that lie ahead of me in New York.  Thank you all for your support in this invaluable process.”

Offering her congratulations, Anna Cleary, Chair of Opera Foundation Australia (and Lady Fairfax’s daughter) praised Strong as a singer with prodigious talent. “Thomas’s performance with Nessun Dorma and Mamma quel vino e generoso [from Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana] in the Finals concert demonstrated his outstanding ability...