Anna Fraser has gained a reputation as a multifaceted Sydney based soprano specialising in the colourful and expressive interpretation of early, classical and contemporary repertoire. Performing in a myriad of traditional and exploratory programming in Australia and abroad, Anna was a core ensemble member of the Song Company for over a decade and regularly performs with a number of Australia’s specialist ensembles: Pinchgut Opera and Cantillation, Sydney Chamber Opera, Bach Akademie Australia, Australian Haydn Ensemble, Australian Classical and Romantic Orchestra, Ironwood, Salut! Baroque, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, and Ensemble Offspring, to name a few. Anna has collaborated with international ensembles including The Wallfisch Band, Asko|Schönberg Ensemble and the New Zealand String Quartet.
Performing with Pinchgut Opera since 2004 Fraser’s credits include notable roles in L'Orfeo, Dardanus, L’Ormindo, Castor et Pollux and Médée. With Sydney Chamber Opera, performing with the Company since 2017 in staged works and solo recital programs, Anna most recently premiered Mary Finsterer’s acclaimed opera Antarctica for the Holland Festival (2022) and Sydney Festival (2023).
Equally at home as a dramatist on stage, Anna is a strong exponent of music education, expertly demonstrating the versatility and virtuosity of a cappella singing to inspire and guide the next generation of young vocal artists and composers.
Anna is currently a Sydney Conservatorium of Music Doctorate of Musical Arts candidate with the Historical Performance unit and is a research assistant with the Australian Research Council project Shock of the Old: Rediscovering the Sounds of Bel Canto 1700-1900. The collaborative research work aims to tap into emulative and cyclical investigative processes of historical vocal practices with the aim to ascertain how historical sound effects and colours were achieved in practical terms and how we can actively utilise them in modern creative practices.