photograph by Clive Barda

One of Australia’s most distinguished sopranos. After graduating with honours from the University of Adelaide, she continued her studies in England and Italy.

Ms Illing has performed with the Royal Opera House Covent Garden (as Musetta in La Boheme with Placido Domingo as Rodolfo), English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Glyndebourne Touring Opera and at the Wexford Festival. In Australia, Rosamund Illing has performed with all the state opera companies and Opera Australia.

Ms Illing’s operatic repertoire embraces almost the entire spectrum of great soprano roles from baroque to verismo: Alcina, Donna Anna, Elettra, Vitellia, Gilda, Norina, Marguerite, Amelia, Cio Cio San, Liu, Mimi, Nedda and many more.

Equally at home on the concert platform, Ms Illing has performed with Sir Roger Norrington, Sir Charles Mackerass, Sir Neville Marriner, Sir George Solti, Gustav Kuhn and Richard Bonynge in association with many of the great orchestras. 

Rosamund Illing has an impressive discography including Beethoven’s Missa solemnis under Sir Charles Mackerras, Mahler’s Symphony No 2 under Stuart Challender, Verdi’s Requiem under Simone Young, a recital disc of Poulence and Duparc and Amoureuse, a selection of arias from operas of Jules Massenet, conducted by Richard Bonynge. Ms Illing also appears as Musetta on the Emmy Award-winning video of La Boheme and as Despina in Cosi fan tutte for ABC Video.