Soprano Sonia Anfiloff is the new artistic director of National Opera, replacing Peter Coleman-Wright, who left, disaffected, last year.

Anfiloff, a dramatic soprano and a masters graduate of the ANU School of Music who first burst on the opera scene as Dido in Caroline Stacey’s Dido and Aeneas at The Street Theatre back in 2010, is also head of choirs at Canberra Girls Grammar School and voice teacher and examiner at the School of Music.

After graduating and receiving the Kornfeld Scholarship, she spent nine years in Vienna, returning in 2020 to Canberra, where she was born and bred, with her daughter Odette.

“Canberra is not a linear city; audiences here crave more music and are eager to support quality productions, particularly when it highlights our local singers,” Anfiloff says, adding, “This is an open and liberal city for art and creativity.”

She says she plans to develop a season that celebrates traditional opera while exploring innovative productions for today’s audiences

“Sonia’s deep ties to our community, combined with her international performance experience and creative vision, make her an ideal leader for National Opera,” Andrew Barrow, president of the company says.

Auditions will be held for the 2025 National Opera season will be held on December 8.