Deborah Cheetham

This episode features award winning Yorta Yorta soprano, artistic director, broadcaster, composer and educator Deborah Cheetham. For more than 25 years Deborah Cheetham has been a leader and pioneer in the Australian arts sector, creating change in the music industry landscape and advocating for First Nations representation. A graduate of the NSW Conservatorium of Music with an international career as a soprano vocalist, she established her own organization Short Black Opera in 2009, a national not-for-profit opera company devoted to the development of Indigenous singers. The following year she produced the premiere of her first opera Pecan Summer. This landmark work was Australia’s first Indigenous opera and has been a vehicle for the development of a new generation of Indigenous opera singers. In 2019 Deborah Cheetham established the One Day in January project designed to develop and nurture Indigenous orchestral musicians. As a composer she has been commissioned to write for major Australian ensembles including the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Australia String Quartet, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Flinders Quartet. Appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia, for “distinguished service to the performing arts” she was also inducted to the Honour Roll of Women in Victoria and received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of South Australia. She has also received the Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award for service to music in Australia, the Merlyn Myer Prize for Composition, was inducted to the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll and more recently was presented with the Lifetime achievement award at the Women in Music Awards. . In 2020 she was Composer-in-residence for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and commenced her appointment at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music, Monash University as Professor of Music practice. In this conversation we ask Deborah about establishing her own organization, her journey from classica flautist to lead vocalist, the one day in january project and her composition series ‘woven song’ which will be performed on November 2nd at Melbourne Recital Centre. https://www.melbournerecital.com.au/ https://www.melbournerecital.com.au/events/2022/woven-song/ https://www.shortblackopera.org.au/