Anna-Louise Cole

Soprano

Australian soprano Anna-Louise Cole has built a distinguished career on both operatic and concert stages and is acclaimed for her rich, expressive voice. She is particularly recognised for performing some of the most demanding roles in the dramatic soprano repertoire, especially in the works of Wagner and Puccini.

At Opera Australia, her repertoire has included the title roles in Turandot and Aida, Venus in Tannhäuser, and Gerhilde in Die Walküre and Third Norn in Götterdämmerung in the 2016 Melbourne Ring cycle, receiving Green Room Award nominations for both performances. In the company’s 2023 new production of Der Ring des Nibelungen in Brisbane, she sang Sieglinde in the first two cycles and made her debut as Brünnhilde in the third, consolidating her reputation as a leading Wagnerian soprano. She also appeared as Crobyle in Thaïs and will reprise Turandot in Opera Australia’s new production in 2026.

Elsewhere in Australia and abroad, Anna-Louise has sung Chrysothemis in Elektra for Victorian Opera, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth for Opera Queensland, and Elsa in Lohengrin at Teatro Comunale di Bologna. Other credits include the title role in Tosca, First Lady in Die Zauberflöte and Der Friedensbote in Rienzi. As a member of the Wiener Staatsoper Principal Ensemble, she performed Melanie in the children’s opera Patchwork and covered major roles including Tosca, Amelia in Un ballo in maschera, and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni. On the concert platform, Anna-Louise has appeared as soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Zelman Symphony, and Symphony No. 8 with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs at the Sydney Opera House. In recital she has presented Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder, Berg’s Seven Early Songs, and works by Richard Strauss and Josef Marx. In 2026, she returns to the West Australian Symphony Orchestra as Senta in The Flying Dutchman.

Born in Melbourne, Anna-Louise holds Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and Bachelor of Music (Hons) degrees from the University of Melbourne, majoring in German and Voice Performance. She undertook further study at the Kunst Universität Graz and the University of Freiburg through scholarships from Melbourne Abroad and the Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst (DAAD). Her distinctions include the Opera Foundation for Young Australians Vienna State Opera Award, the AIMS Sundell Study Award, and the Dame Heather Begg Memorial Award with the Melba Opera Trust. She has also been a finalist in the Herald Sun Aria and the Elizabeth Connell International Singing Competition for Dramatic Sopranos.