The Shell Aria, originally Shell Open Aria, contest was an Australian vocal competition for young classical opera singers, held annually in
Canberra
Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
from 1955 to 1986, named for and sponsored by,
Shell Australia
Shell Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Shell. Shell has operated in Australia since 1901, initially delivering bulk fuel into Australia, then establishing storage and distribution terminals, oil refineries, and a network of service sta ...
in conjunction with the Australian National Eisteddfod Society (founded 1938).
The prize was particularly valuable — £1,000 cash, a year's wages for most workers. It was later redefined as a scholarship, which must be used in training overseas — a condition of eligibility. In 1966 the prize was translated to $2,000, an exact conversion, but thanks to inflation and devaluation, a fraction of the prize's original value. In 1970 it was increased to $3,000 then $4,000 in 1976. and from 1982 the winner could substitute a six-month contract with the Australian Opera for overseas travel depending on voice type.
Among successful finalists who went on to international careers were
Jennifer Eddy,
Robert Bickerstaff,
Yvonne Minton
Yvonne Fay Minton CBE (born 4 December 1938) is an Australian-born but mostly British-resident opera singer. She is variously billed as a soprano, mezzo-soprano or contralto.
A native of Sydney, she studied voice while on a scholarship at the Ne ...
,
Raymond Myers,
Richard Greager,
Gillian Sullivan,
Jonathan Summers,
Sandra Hahn and
Thomas Edmonds.
[
At first, all heats and judging were held in Canberra, but from 1983, with the involvement of ]Australian Opera
Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, New South Wales, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with ...
, Queensland Lyric Opera, Victorian State Opera
Victorian Opera is an opera company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The company was founded in 2005 by the Victorian Government as a replacement for the Victoria State Opera. It commenced operations in January 2006 with Richard Gill as ...
, State Opera of South Australia
State Opera South Australia (SOSA) is a professional opera company in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1976.
History
State Opera South Australia was established in 1976 as a statutory corporation under the ''State Opera of South Au ...
, and Western Australian Opera, preliminary heats took place in each State capital, with the finalists being flown to Canberra for the Finals.
Prizewinners
There was no 1987 contest. Shell Australia
Shell Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Shell. Shell has operated in Australia since 1901, initially delivering bulk fuel into Australia, then establishing storage and distribution terminals, oil refineries, and a network of service sta ...
withdrew from sponsorship and distanced itself from the Australian National Eisteddfod Society. Instead, it became a partner with Opera Foundation Australia, as sponsor of The Shell Royal Opera House Covent Garden Scholarship, the first competition to be held in Adelaide on 10 May 1987.
See also
*Melbourne Sun Aria
The Herald Sun Aria, formerly known as The Sun Aria (because it was sponsored by '' The Sun News-Pictorial'') is a vocal competition for emerging opera singers held in Victoria, Australia, each year. The competition offers nearly $60,000 in ca ...
, a similar contest
*Mobil Quest The Mobil Quest was an Australian competition for operatic vocalists which ran from 1949 to 1957, sponsored by the Vacuum Oil Company and broadcast by Melbourne radio station 3DB and relayed to affiliates throughout Australia. It is remembered with ...
*South Street Society
The South Street Society was an organisation based in Ballarat, Victoria, which conducted a series of performing arts contests and concerts originally styled the "South Street Competitions", which developed into the "Grand National Eisteddfod", l ...
References
Most of these ''Canberra Times'' reviews were written by William Laurence Hoffmann, a Canberra resident from 1946 and music journalist from 1962 to 1995. He was awarded an AOM in January 1985.