Petah Cavallaro

Petah Cavallaro is a professional opera singer with over fifteen years of study and experience in operatic and concert repertoire. She is currently a Principal Young Artist with Opera Australia. Originally from regional Queensland, she has performed in Australia, Italy, Denmark and China and is the recipient of a 2019 Churchill Fellowship. She holds a degree in Advanced Performance from the Queensland Conservatorium. In 2021 Petah made her debut performances as onstage at the Sydney Opera House, as soloist in Opera Australia’s Great Opera Hits concert series. For Opera Australia she has covered the title role in Verdi’s Aida, Puccini’s Turandot and Leonora in Verdi’s Il Trovatore.

Recently returned from studying in New York, London, Italy and Denmark, Petah has worked with coaches from Opera di Firenze, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, The Metropolitan Opera and Operaen. While in Italy she performed as a soloist at Villa Miani, overlooking Vatican City in Rome, and was chosen from thousands of applicants to perform in the finals of the Accademia del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. In 2021 her debut European album as soloist for Stradivarius Milano Dischi with Trio Cavallaro was released globally. The album features arrangements of arias and songs by Handel, Weber and Strauss. She made her European debut in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2019 with Trio Cavallaro. As a current Churchill Fellow, Petah will travel internationally in 2022, to pursue excellence in opera performance and develop relationships with cultures where opera thrives. Based at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Petah will travel throughout Europe and the USA to work with experts in other countries. Petah’s Churchill Fellowship also focuses on bringing opera and classical music knowledge to Australians in regional and remote areas.

In December 2018 Petah performed the role of Echo with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, conducted by Simone Young. As a soloist she has performed with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in the Music on Sundays concert series Mighty Imperial Russia and Music from Stage and Screen, and as soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem. She has performed with The 7 Sopranos, both in Australia and touring internationally to China.

Having grown up in a remote part of Australia, Petah has a strong commitment to providing high quality concerts and music education to young people growing up in regional areas. She frequently tours to regional Australia, giving concerts, lessons and master classes, focussed on providing fun, inclusive and educational experiences. Petah has studied at the Lisa Gasteen National Opera School and holds a Bachelor of Music from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. She is a recipient of the Margareta Elkins award (Dame Joan Sutherland Vocal Competition).