معرفی
Emma Matthews AM is a Senior Lecturer and Head of Classical Voice and Opera Studies at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Edith Cowan University. Australia's most highly awarded soprano, she has earned seven Helpmann Awards, nine Green Room Awards, and the 2023 Order of Australia (AM) for her contributions to the arts.
Education:
- Bachelor of Music Performance, Edith Cowan University, 1993
Matthews' research centers on opera performance and vocal pedagogy, with expertise spanning classical repertoire (including title roles in Lakmé, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Partenope) and contemporary works. Her practice integrates academic scholarship with professional performance, emphasizing Australian artistic development and international collaboration.
Her creative research output, exemplified by the 2018 interdisciplinary work The Space Between, explores innovative intersections of voice, theatre, and cultural narrative. This aligns with her broader career trajectory of advancing performing arts through both scholarly and artistic channels.
Awards and Honors:
- Helpmann Award for Best Female Lead in an Opera (2004-2012, six roles)
- Helpmann Award for Best Female in a Supporting Role (2008)
- Limelight Awards: Music Personality of the Year (2010), Best Performance in an Opera (2012), Australian Artist of the Year (2016)
- Mo Award
- Remy Martin Opera Award (1996)
- Order of Australia (AM) (2023)
- ABC Young Performing Awards Vocal finalist (1993)
- Green Room Award (9 times)
Matthews mentors emerging artists through the Artists Development Programme for MOST and serves on the Australian Singing Competition (ASC) Board. She adjudicates for the ASC and Sydney Eisteddfod, and secured a 2021 $14,995 grant for 'The Big Sea Creative Development' from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries. Her leadership bridges academic training and professional opera practice.
Based at ECU's Mount Lawley campus, she continues performing, recording (including the 2016 album Agony and Ecstasy), and shaping Australia's vocal arts landscape.
