The Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Foundation is an Australian organisation based in Sydney, founded by the Australian soprano Joan Sutherland and her husband, conductor and promoter Richard Bonynge. Its purpose is to assist young opera artists study bel canto opera, chiefly in the form of annual awards established in 2011, principal of which is the Bel Canto Award, ranging between $30,000 and $50,000.
One of the Foundation's income streams is from sale of a coffee-table book devoted to "Chalet Monet", the couple's residence in Switzerland, overlooking Lake Geneva, which they purchased through their friendship with Noël Coward.
The Foundation also administers the Elizabeth Connell Prize for aspiring young dramatic sopranos. The prize is funded by an endowment bequeathed by, and named for, the South African soprano Elizabeth Connell.
Bel Canto Award winners
2011: John Longmuir, tenor 2012: Pene Pati, tenor 2013: Naomi Johns, soprano 2014: Marlena Devoe, soprano 2015: Isabella Moore, soprano 2016: Alasdair Kent, tenor 2017: Bronwyn Douglass, mezzo-soprano 2018: Benson Wilson, baritone 2019: Kiandra Howarth, soprano 2020: grants awarded to multiple singers, including Samantha Clarke, Kiandra Howarth, Sam Sakker, Alexandra Flood & Ashlyn Tymms 2021: grants awarded to multiple singers, including Fleuranne Brockway, James Young, Damian Arnold, Amelia Wawrzon & Melissa Gregory 2022: Fleuranne Brockway, mezzo-soprano 2023: Rebecca Gulinello, soprano 2024: Eliza Boom, soprano
References
External links JSRB Foundation home page