Mezzo-soprano Xenia Puskarz Thomas has been announced as the recipient of the 2026 Dame Heather Begg Memorial Award. Brisbane-born Xenia, a fast-rising star on the international stage, will receive AUD $25,000 in funding to support the next stage of her artistic development.
Established in 2013, the Award honours the legacy of Dame Heather Begg DNZM OBE (1932 2009), the much-loved New Zealand opera singer who enjoyed an acclaimed international career. Each year, it provides significant support to an emerging opera singer from Australia or New Zealand to help with their professional growth.
A graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and The Juilliard School, as well as a Melba Artist in 2019, Xenia was a Young Artist in the Bayerische Staatsoper Opera Studio in Munich for the 2023–2024 seasons. Now based in New York, she is establishing herself as a freelance artist and cementing her place on the world stage.
Recent high-profile engagements include The Woman in Picture a Day Like This at Teatro di San Carlo, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Calgary Opera, the mezzo-soprano soloist in the Michael Haydn’s Requiem in C minor with the Munich Philharmonic conducted by Riccardo Minasi, the mezzo-soprano soloist in Bach’s Mass in B minor with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Raphaël Pichon and Rossi’s Orfeo at the Adelaide Festival, again under the baton of Raphaël Pichon, with his acclaimed Ensemble Pygmalion.
Xenia’s upcoming performances include Speranza and La messaggera in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo at the Glyndebourne Festival, Cecilio in Mozart’s Lucio Silla at the Salzburg Festival, Persada in Mozart’s Zaïde for Opéra Comique and Siegrune in Die Walküre at the 2027 Salzburg Easter Festival.
Dame Heather Begg’s remarkable operatic career saw her perform alongside many of the world’s leading conductors, directors, coaches and singers. Inspired by her enduring legacy, the trustees of her estate established the Award to reflect her values and provide meaningful support to emerging opera artists.
The Award has helped advance the careers of twelve outstanding artists: Samuel Dundas, Janet Szepei Todd, Amina Edris, Jeremy Kleeman, Emily Edmonds, Lauren Fagan, Nicholas Jones, Fleuranne Brockway, Filipe Manu, Nathan Bryon, Anna-Louise Cole and Madison Nonoa.
Administered by Melba Opera Trust on behalf of the trustees, the Dame Heather Begg Memorial Award continues to honour Dame Heather’s legacy while empowering exceptional next generation artists to pursue excellence in their own careers.
