Anna Dowsley

Mezzo Soprano

Anna Dowsley is a principal artist with Opera Australia and often performs as guest artist with leading orchestras, choirs and festivals around Australia. Her operatic roles include Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Rosina (The Barber of Seville), Cherubino (The Marriage of Figaro), Siebel (Faust), Mark Smeton (Anna Bolena), Flora Bervoix (La Traviata), Tebaldo (Don Carlos) and Zaida (Il turco in Italia). She was nominated for a Helpmann Award for her performance of Dorabella and Green Room Awards for Tebaldo and Zaida. In 2019, Anna was awarded third prize in the International Singing Competition in Toulouse and was the chosen recipient of the Australian Opera Award (MOST Opera).

In 2017, Anna made her United Kingdom debut performing the role of Meg Page, alongside Sir Bryn Terfel in the title role (Falstaff, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic). Also in 2017, she sang Lucretia in Sydney Chamber Opera’s production of Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia and debuted with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in their concert performances of Pelléas et Mélisande.

Recent engagements include Beethoven’s Mass in C (Sydney Symphony Orchestra), Verdi’s Requiem (Melbourne Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (Adelaide Symphony Orchestra) and Mozart’s Requiem (Canberra Choral Society). Other concert repertoire includes Handel’s Messiah, Rossini’s Petite Messe solennelle, Mendelsohn’s Elijah and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater.

During the Opera Australia 2019 season, Anna reprised some of her favourite roles (Cherubino, Dorabella, Siebel), performed alongside Jonas Kaufmann in a concert version of Andrea Chénier and debuted the role of Smeton in a new production of Donizetti’s Anna Bolena. She was also a soloist with Van Diemen’s Band as part of the 2019 Ten Days on the Island Festival in Tasmania, performed with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for their Easter concert of Bach’s Magnificat and Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor and made her debut with Pinchgut Opera in their 2019 Bach and Telemann concert series.

For 2020, Anna is relocating to Germany to pursue her career in Europe but returns to Australia regularly to continue performing around the country. She makes her Zerlina role debut (Don Giovanni) in the Opera Australia Summer season, reprises the role of Rosina for State Opera of South Australia and performs again with Pinchgut Opera and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Also in 2020, Anna will perform for the first time with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

Anna Dowsley is supported by Martin Dickson AM and Susie Dickson