Biography

Leah Phillips is an accomplished soprano passionate about bringing diverse vocal works to modern audiences. She won the 2021 Opera Scholar of the Year Aria competition and the Boroondara Eisteddfod Vocal Championship and has since built a reputation for her dynamic performances and entrepreneurial approach to opera. 

Most recently, Leah performed the English National Anthem at the Women’s Ashes Test match at the MCG and was an Apprentice in Melbourne Opera’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by Wagner at the iconic Royal Exhibition Building. She also self-produced the sell-out event Opera at the Brewery, part of her mission to bring opera to unexpected places and make the artform more accessible. 

In 2024, she performed Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro at the prestigious Trentino Music Festival in Italy and undertook a study tour to London and Germany, supported by an Ian Potter Cultural Trust Emerging Artist grant. Her debut with Victorian Opera as Lucy in Shostakovich’s Melbourne, Cheremushki was hailed as a “vocal standout” by Limelight and Arts Hub. She also recently performed Suor Dolcina in Suor Angelica with Melbourne Opera. 

Leah’s cover roles include Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro (Melbourne Opera), Dot and Mrs North Wind in The Enchanted Pig (ACOCo), Olive Hargrave in Fly (Lyric Opera of Melbourne), Euridice in Orfeo (Melbourne Conservatorium of Music), Sister Bernadette in The Sound of Music (Babirra Music Theatre), and Yum Yum in The Mikado (Savoy Opera). 

As an ensemble member, she has performed in Il Mago di Oz (Victorian Opera), The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Melbourne Opera), Der Fliegende Holländer (Melbourne Opera), Lohengrin (Melbourne Opera), L'Orfeo (Melbourne Conservatorium of Music), The Wizard of Oz (Nova Musical Theatre), Un ballo in maschera, and Dido and Aeneas (XL Arts). 

Leah holds a Bachelor of Music (Honours) from the University of Melbourne and Monash University. She has been a member of Opera Scholars Australia, the Gertrude Johnson Studio Young Artist Program with Australian Contemporary Opera Co. (ACOCo), and the Richard Divall Developing Artists Programme at Melbourne Opera. 

Beyond performance, Leah contributes to the opera community as a board member of Lyric Opera of Melbourne, where she shares her marketing expertise and perspective as a young artist with the company’s pro-bono team.