Britten and Handel do the trick as the 25-year-old countertenor from NSW carries off The Mathy for 2016.

Nicholas Tolputt has won the prestigious 2016 IFAC Australian Singing Competition. The 25-year-old countertenor from New South Wales defeated four rival singers to carry off a number of substantial prizes in the annual event held at The Concourse in Chatswood. The finalists were accompanied by the Australian Opera & Ballet Orchestra, conducted by Benjamin Northey, and the evening was compered by ABC Classic FM’s Damien Beaumont.

“The overall standard was certainly very high,” Northey told Limelight. “All five singers brought something unique and engaging to their performances. Nicholas demonstrated wonderful technical control but also a great sense of dramatic connection with the text. His Britten in particular was outstanding. He has a big future ahead as do all the finalists.”

The Australian Singing Competition is one of Australia’s most important and valuable competitions for classical and opera singers, and this year there were nearl 100 entrants. Among a substantial $200,000 in prizes and opportunities, the Marianne Mathy Scholarship (known as ‘The Mathy’) is valued at $30,000. The starry panel of adjudicators was made up of Opera Australia’s Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini, OA veteran...