Sydney mezzo-soprano wins a place on prestigious Jette Parker Young Artists Programme.

Last year London’s Royal Opera House recruited no less than three Australian singers to be a part of it’s high profile training scheme, the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme. This year mezzo-soprano Emily Edmonds, a rising star at home who has received excellent notices in recent years, becomes the latest opera hopefull to receive the Covent Garden call up.

From September, Edmonds will join Russian soprano Vlada Borovko, Irish soprano Jennifer Davis, Korean tenor David Junghoon Kim, British bass David Shipley and British stage director Richard Gerard Jones for two years intensive training in London. She should feel at home at the Royal Opera House as the new Young Artists will join the seven who continue on the Programme into their second year next Season – a lineup that includes Australian soprano Lauren Fagan, Australian tenor Samuel Sakker and Australian baritone Samuel Dale Johnson. At the same time, two other Aussies, soprano Kiandra Howarth and director Greg Eldridge will complete their time at Covent Garden.

The five singers and one director were selected from more than 370 applicants from 59 countries following a gruelling audition process that started...