Donna Balson

Donna Balson is a highly experienced voice teacher and vocal coach, specializing in opera and musical theatre. She offers lessons and coaching to singers of all levels, from beginners looking to explore their voices for pure enjoyment, to the highest level of professionals.

Recently returned to Australia after over 25 years living, performing and teaching first in Frankfurt, Germany and then in New York, Donna currently manages Opera Australia’s prestigious Young Artist Program.

Donna’s career has featured parallel paths of performance and coaching. As a singer, she performed as a soloist with major Australian, US and European opera companies, symphony orchestras and ensembles, with an impressive list of conductors and stage directors. She prepared her work with eminent European and American teachers and coaches. Drawing on this extensive experience, and being an accomplished pianist, Donna has long been in demand as a teacher, coach and accompanist for her professional colleagues as well as for students.

Donna has had successful teaching studios in Frankfurt, Germany; New York, and Sydney. She has prepared singers for successful auditions for the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and the Lindemann Young Artist Program at the Metropolitan Opera; for graduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music and San Francisco Conservatory, u.a; and for performances of leading roles at opera companies including Opera Australia, Oper Frankfurt, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, La Scala, the Wiener Staatsoper and the Metropolitan Opera.

Before returning to Australia, Donna was a senior adjunct professor of voice at Hofstra University in New York, where she taught private voice lessons as well as diction and vocal pedagogy classes. She was also the musical director of the Hofstra Opera Scenes program, and Musical Theatre workshops and productions.