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Music and Opera Singers Trust

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Since 1982, Music & Opera Singers Trust Ltd (MOST®) has been creating and managing elite music and opera competitions, awards and scholarships in Australasia to promote excellence and invest in our cultural future.

In 1982 MOST® launched the Marianne Mathy Scholarship that later evolved into the Australian Singing Competition (aussing.org) for classical and opera singers under the age of 26 years. Now known as the IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition in recognition of patron Dr Haruhisa Handa and the International Foundation of Arts & Culture (IFAC), the IFAC Handa ASC still features the Marianne Mathy Scholarship (‘The Mathy’) as the ultimate award within what has become the most recognised competition for young opera singers in our region.

In 1986 MOST® created the Opera Awards (operawards.org) to acknowledge professional opera singers. Since 2007 the Opera Awards has featured the YMFA Award (sponsored by the Youth Music Foundation of Australia) and the Armstrong-Martin Scholarship (sponsored by the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust). Entries in the 2019 Opera Awards will open on 20 May.

In 2016 MOST® took carriage of the Young Performers Awards (youngperformersawards.org), the most prestigious multi-instrumental competition in Australia.

In addition to these various competitions, over the years MOST® has offered individual awards, scholarships and grants to support musicians, conductors and repetiteurs.

The 2021 ABC Young Performers Awards will be held entirely online; however, should circumstances permit and the Adjudicators determine that it would be preferable, the Semi Finals and/or Finals may revert to a live event with piano in Sydney. Any competitors affected will be informed well in advance.

2020-2021 YPA Schedule
  • Entries Open – Monday 16 November 2020
  • Entries Close – Wednesday 14 April 2021
  • Late Entries Close – Friday 16 April 2021
  • Round One Results – Early June 2021
  • Semi-Finals – Sunday 7 November 2021
  • Finals – Sunday 21 November 2021
If you have any further questions, please reach out to ypa@mostlyopera.org

If you have any technical questions, please visit the Acceptd Applicant Support Help Desk.