Young Artists, 2025
Amelia Bland, Mezzo-Soprano
Violet Fletcher Memorial Scholar
Amelia Bland, Mezzo Soprano, graduated with a Bachelor of Music (Classical Voice) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, having studied under the tutelage of Donna Balson. Originally from Orange NSW, she was honoured to be the recipient of several awards during her studies, including Opera Australia’s Regional Vocal Scholarship.
Amelia has performed the roles of Marcellina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Gertrude in Humperdink’s Hänsel and Gretel , Didymus in Handel’s Theodora and Iris in Handel’s Semele. Her repertoire as a soloist spans a variety of works, including Handel’s Messiah, Pegolosi’s Stabat Mater, Handel’s Gloria, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Bach’s Easter Oratorio BWV 249.
In 2025 Amelia is excited to return to Pacific Opera Studio as a Young Artist following a year of growth and opportunity in 2024.
Brea Holland, Soprano
The Savage Club Scholar
Brea is an Australian Lyric Soprano and a graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, holding a Bachelor of Music Performance under the guidance of Dr. Narelle Yeo. In 2022, Brea lived and studied opera and performance in Florence, Italy, where she performed multiple roles and showcases with the Accademia Europea di Firenze in partnership with Elon University.
Brea's passion for theatre and the stage has led her to perform across various genres in tours and productions, including Verdi’s La Traviata (2022), Mrs. Nordstrom in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music (2023 - Hayes Theatre), Guest Performer at the Hayes Theatre Anniversary (2024), BARBIE (2024), and Marvelous Parody (2024).
Christina Pilgrim, Soprano
Pam & Ian McGaw Scholar
Christina Pilgrim, originally from the NSW Central Coast, graduated from the Australian National University in 2024 with a Bachelor of European Studies/Bachelor of Music (Performance) in Classical Voice. During her studies, Christina was awarded the 2020 Dorothea Christel Larko Scholarship as well as the 2022 and 2024 Bill Hyslop Prize for Voice, studying with Rachel Thoms, Anke Hoeppner-Ryan, Peter Coleman-Wright AO, and Cheryl Barker AO, with whom she continues her studies.
Christina’s love of music began aged 8 with her first operatic performances in the Central Coast Conservatorium’s The Seeds of the Soul in 2011. She went on to perform in a variety of choirs and ensembles and, in 2018, was invited to sing with Canberra Opera as a soloist in their Recital Series no. 2.
Christina has performed numerous opera chorus roles, including Opera Australia’s Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Opera Australia) and Voices in the Forest, Puccini’s La Bohème (National Opera), Handel’s Alcina (National Opera), and Strauss’ Die Fledermaus (Pacific Opera Studio).
Galatea Kneath
Justice François Kunc & Felicity Rourke Scholar
Greek-Australian Soprano Galatea Kneath holds a Bachelor of Music (Classical Voice) and a Master of Music Studies (Opera Performance) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.In 2024, Galatea travelled to Germany to perform Die Königin der Nacht in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Lyric Opera Studio Weimar), and in 2023 she undertook a period of exchange with the Royal Northern College of Music, UK.
In her final year at the Conservatorium, Galatea premiered the roles of Angelina Crescnezi in Oliver John Cameron’s M.T.H.R and Scout in Jessica O’Donoghue’s Menarche. These productions were a part of Mother, a collaboration between the Conservatorium and NIDA to create new Australian works. Other stage roles have included Musetta in Pucinni’s La Bohème, Damigella in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Josephine in Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore, Mabel in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, Angelina in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury, Annina in Verdi’s La Traviata, and Attendant, Fairy 1 and Woman 1 in Purcell’s Fairy Queen.
Throughout her studies, Galatea has received the Greenburg-Gurney Jenson Fund Scholarship (2024), the George Henderson Scholarship (2023, 2024), the John Holt Todd and Florence Todd Scholarship (2023), Dean’s List of Excellence in Academic Performance (2022), the Quinquin Foundation Scholarship (2021), an AMus A in Classical Voice (2020), and the Opera Australia Regional Scholarship (2018).
James Pinneri, Baritone
Loz Copley Scholar
James Pinneri is a Classically trained Baritone from Perth, WA. He completed his Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice at WAAPA in 2022 under the tutelage of acclaimed Baritone Michael Lewis OAM. James’ Operatic roles include Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Freeze Frame Opera 2024), Ben in Menotti’s The Telephone (West Australian Opera 2024), The Usher in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury (Perth Symphonic Chorus 2024), Papageno in Mozart’s The Magic Kazoo (Freeze Frame Opera 2024), Belcore in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’Amore (Opus WA 2024).
James’ Concert Repertoire includes Bloomhouse Projects concert Homegrown as a soloist, Baritone Soloist for Morning Melodie and Mandurah Morning Melodies (West Australian Opera 2024), Baritone Soloist in Enchanted Encounters - Songs of the Supernatural (West Australian Opera 2024). James is a member of the West Australian Opera Chorus and has performed in Dvorak’s Rusalka (2024) and Puccini’s La Bohéme (2023).
He was the Bloomhouse Projects Emerging Artist for 2024 courtesy of the Diane & Dr Ken Collins AO Award. He is the inaugural recipient of the ‘Winifred Hurford Award for A Singer’ (Royal Schools of Music Club), a Young Artist (Perth Symphonic Chorus 2022-24), and was the recipient of the Men’s Vocal Championship Award and Most Outstanding Senior Vocalist Award (North of Perth Music Festival, 2023).
Jamie-Lee Xu, Repetiteur
Pacific Opera Growth Scholar
Jamie-Lee Xu recently completed her Master of Music Studies (Performance) degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, after completing her Bachelor of Music (Performance). She was awarded the Keith and Eileen Ong Prize for Piano on entry to her Master’s degree. Additionally, she has received the John and Dorothy Vimpani Pianoforte Fund scholarship on entry to the Conservatorium in 2018, as well as the Molly Neale Memorial Award in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, Jamie-Lee was awarded the George and Margaret Henderson Scholarship, allowing her to attend a summer school program at the Collaborative Piano Institute in the US.
Jamie-Lee has had successes in 2022, winning both the David Miller Award and the Sydney International Song Prize. She has studied with Dr Jeanell Carrigan during her post-graduate studies, specialising in a collaborative piano major. Formerly, she has studied with David Miller AM, Natalia Ricci and has had masterclass experience with Graham Johnson OBE, Christian Müller, Warren Jones and Rita Sloan.
Jamie-Lee has also worked and performed with Rockdale Opera Company in their Der Fledermaus Gala Concert in 2022, Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore and Puccini’s La Bohème in 2023, Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance and Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor in 2024. She has also worked as a vocal coach for the Cuskelly School of Music in Brisbane.
Currently, she works as a rehearsal pianist for Sydney Children’s Choir, and as a casual academic at the Sydney Conservatorium.
Lucy Vallely, Soprano
Philip Bacon AO Scholar
Lucy Vallely is an Australian lyric soprano and graduate from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, studying a Postgraduate Diploma (Opera Studies). Lucy joined the Pacific Opera Studio Young Artist Programme in 2024, where she performed the role of Marzelline in Beethoven’s Fidelio for the scenes concert and Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro pocket opera performance at the Bondi Pavillion.
During her postgraduate study, Lucy’s operatic role highlights included Perdita in Strozzi (Premier, 2022), Despina in Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte (2019) and Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (2019). Lucy continued her studies at Morley College Opera School in London where she performed the roles of Alice Ford in an opera extract from Verdi’s Falstaff, and Ghita in a scene from Zemlinsky’s Der Zwerg. Lucy performed the role of Giannetta in Rockdale Opera’s production of Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore.
In 2022, Lucy travelled to Montepulciano, Italy for an intensive program with OperUs and subsequently received a full scholarship for the Il fraseggio italiano workshop with Prof. Antonella Costantini at the Royal Academy of Music.
Lucy holds a Bachelor of Music (Honours) from the University of New South Wales where she performed leading roles in musical productions including April in Sondheim’s Company (2017), Cinderella in Sondheim’s Into The Woods (2016), Mrs Nordstrom in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music (2015) and Mimi in Loesser & Burrow’s Guys And Dolls (2014).
Lucy was a member of the Burgundian Consort where she featured as soloist and ensemble member in numerous concerts at the UNSW Sir John Clancy Concert Hall.
Michael Kaufmann, Tenor
Philip Bacon AO Scholar
Michael Kaufmann is an Australian tenor, currently based in Sydney. Originally from Canberra where he started singing in children’s choruses of touring opera productions. Michael completed a Masters degree in the Sydney Conservatorium Opera School in 2023. He has received multiple awards and scholarships, including the George Henderson Scholarship and the Kevin and Margaret Duffy Scholarship.
Michael’s stage credits cover opera, cabaret, and musical theatre; including Arnalta in Elena Kats-Chernin’s reimagining of Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea (NIDA), and Don Basilio Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (Prague Summer Night’s Festival) In 2025, Michael joins Pacific Opera as a young artist for their upcoming productions of Handel’s Samson and Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
Patricia Turner, Soprano
The Wagner Society in NSW Scholar
Australian-born Soprano, Patricia has been pursuing classical voice for 13 years. She recently understudied the role of Blanche de la Force in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, as well as appearing as Soeur Anne de la Croix. She performed in the Pacific Opera Studio Ensemble in 2024, performing in their pocket-opera production of Die Fledermaus.
Patricia has appeared at the Bastille Day celebrations for the French Consul General Embassy for successive years. A regular with Rockdale Opera Company, Patricia was featured in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Donizetti’s ll Campanello, Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers, and their 70th Anniversary concert.
Patricia was a scholarship recipient for three years at St Anne's Shrine Bondi, where she has performed as a soloist in works including Charpentier's Litanies de la Vierge H.83, and Schubert's Messe in Sol Major D. 167.
2025 Young Artist Photos by Keith Saunders