The Herald Sun Aria Competition, formerly known as The Sun Aria (because it was sponsored by The Sun News-Pictorial) is a vocal competition held in Ballarat, Victoria and Melbourne, Australia, each year. [1]
The competition forms the aria section of the Royal South Street Eisteddfod, Australia's oldest and largest eisteddfod.
Two of the most famous past winners of the Aria competition are Dames Malvina Major (1965) and Kiri te Kanawa in 1966.
In its 83rd year, the heats (generally two) of the competition are held annually in Ballarat in September at Her Majesty's Theatre, and the final is held at Hamer Hall (formerly the Melbourne Concert Hall) in early November. Finalists are accompanied by Orchestra Victoria, conducted by Maestro Richard Divall.
The competition has a panel of three adjudicators, and Richard Divall has been a panel member since 2001. The other adjudicators in 2007 are Anson Austin OBE and Suzanne Johnston.
Contestants, who are aged 32 years or under, are required to submit 4 arias from grand opera prior to the competition, and choose one of these to sing in the heat.
Sixteen semi-finalists are selected from those singing in the heats to appear on the evening following the second heat, again at Her Majesty's in Ballarat, and sing another aria, this time chosen from their list by the panel of adjudicators.
Six finalists are then chosen to compete in the final at Hamer Hall.