Amelia Farrugia

Amelia Farrugia (often misspelled as "Ferrugia",^[1] born 28 July 1970)^[2] is an Australian soprano opera singer^[3] of Maltese descent.^[2] She won awards in the Sydney Eisteddfod and the 1996 Australian Singing Competition, and the 1995 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in New York^[4] where she covered leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera in 2012 and 2015. She was a finalist at the Neue Stimmen competition in Germany in 2001.

Born in Sydney, Farrugia, attended Loreto Kirribilli and then studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, graduating in 1992. After winning awards in such events as the Sydney Eisteddfod and the Australian Singing Competition, she started performing with Opera Australia,^[5] first performing lead roles in 1994.^[6] She earned a nomination for the 2006 ARIA Award for Aria Best Classical Album for her solo album Joie de vivre!.^[7]

Farrugia sang the title role in Opera Australia's 2010 staging of Giles Havergal's production of The Merry Widow opposite David Hobson's Danilo.^[8] She sang Cunegonde, again opposite Hobson, in Lindy Hume's production of Bernstein's Candide for Opera Queensland in 2015.^[9]

Farrugia is married to concert promoter Paul Chesher.^[10]

Discography[]

1997: Die Fledermaus as Adele, Opera Australia DVD
2001: The Saint of Bleecker Street (Menotti) as Maria Corona, conductor: Richard Hickox, Chandos
2005: Joie de vivre!, BBC Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Alexander Briger; Aria Best Classical Album nominated in 2006. DECCA^[11]
2006: Bravo Act 2, Sony BMG
2006: Encore!, ABC Classics
2007: Café Vienna, Deutsche Grammophon
2007: Receive the Power, Sony BMG
2008: World Youth Day 2008 – Final Mass, DVD
2008: Soundtrack Australia – "Cantero di te" by David Hirschfelder
2012:The Opera Show, ABC Classics
2013: The Six Days of Creation (George Palmer)
2014: The Chimney Sweep as Mrs Hawk, Pinchgut Opera, Australian premiere

^
^ ^a ^b Michael J. Schiavone; Louis J. Scerri, eds. (1997). Maltese Biographies of the Twentieth Century. Pubblikazzjonijiet Indipendenza. ISBN 9789990941364 – via MaltaMigration.com.
^ Lambert, Catherine (27 November 2005). "Fit for a dame". Sunday Herald Sun. Melbourne.
^ "Metropolitan Opera National Council Winners", p. 5, Metropolitan Opera
^ Dunne, Stephen (4 October 1996). "Opera Windfall". The Sydney Morning Herald.
^ Tang, Caroline (16 February 2018). "Opera singer Amelia Farrugia at International Women's Day event". Mosman Daily. Sydney – via The Daily Telegraph.
^ "And the ARIA nominees are ...". Gold Coast Bulletin. 14 September 2006.
^ "A love affair with The Merry Widow" by Stuart Maunder, State Opera of South Australia
^ Martin Buzacott (27 July 2015). "Lindy Hume's Candide relays Bernstein's genius, Voltaire's wit". The Australian. (subscription required)
^ "For a big sale, just add water" by Lucy Macken, Domain Group, 8 June 2013
^ Hoffmann, W. L. (23 December 2005), "Classical: Joie de vivre! – Amelia Farrugia (soprano) with the BBC Symphony conducted by Alexander Briger", The Canberra Times