SCHOLARSHIPS & PROGRAMS

Michelle Pryor is an Australian-Indonesian soprano whose singing is celebrated for its warmth and dramatic presence. After completing a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Western Australia, she followed her passion for music to the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, where she is now in the final year of her Bachelor of Music, training with Megan Sutton. Winner of the 2024 Taryn Fiebig Award, Michelle travelled to Florence to study Italian and undertake operatic coaching. Her recent stage roles include Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi and Armelinde in Cendrillon (2025), Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro (2024), and covers for Old Woman and Mrs Northwind in The Enchanted Pig (2023). She has also appeared with Freeze Frame Opera in La fanciulla del West (2022), Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi (2021), and in several concerts, most recently Christmas at the Quarry (2024). In 2026, Michelle joins West Australian Opera as a Wesfarmers Arts Young Artist, where she looks forward to growing as a performer, collaborating with leading professionals, and sharing her love of opera with audiences.

WAAPA graduate Belinda Butler made her principal debut with West Australian Opera with the roles of Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas, Purcell) and Kate (The Pirates of Penzance, Gilbert and Sullivan). Other operatic roles performed include Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Britten), Dryade (Ariadne auf Naxos, Strauss), Pallas (The Judgement of Paris, Eccles), and Rosette (Manon, Massenet). During her time at WAAPA, Belinda worked closely with Geoffrey Lancaster in the titular roles of two of Benda’s melodramas; Medea, and Ariadne auf Naxos. She has also been a proud member of the West Australian Opera chorus since 2017 and is part of the Wesfarmers Arts Young Artist Program in 2026. Most recently, Belinda has been working her way through the Gilbert and Sullivan canon with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of WA. She has performed the roles of Lady Sophy (Utopia Limited), Julia Jellicoe (The Grand Duke), Mad Margaret (Ruddigore), Little Buttercup  (HMS Pinafore), Sparkeion (Thespis), Duchess of Plaza-Toro and Doña Alhambra (The Gondoliers), Lady Jane (Patience), Pitti-Sing and Katisha (The Mikado), Ruth (The Pirates of Penzance), Counsel (Trial By Jury), and Fairy Queen (Iolanthe).

Vin is an Australian operatic tenor with a unique origin story. Vin's musical journey commenced in 2010 when he joined Perth-based heavy metal band Tempest Rising, touring extensively across Europe, Asia, and Australia. While his roots are in metal, he has long harboured a passion for theatrical performance, which was realised in 2017 as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar and furthered in 2018 as Old Deuteronomy and Bustopher Jones in Cats. In 2022, Vin enrolled at WAAPA to deepen his operatic training, with graduation scheduled for 2025. Since 2023 Vin has performed in West Australia Opera productions such as Carmen, Otello, La bohème, Rusalka, The Pirates of Penzance, Madama Butterfly, and Il trovatore. Vin has appeared as a soloist in numerous gala concerts with multiple companies around Perth including, Perth Symphony Orchestra and Freeze Frame Opera. Vin's career so far exemplifies unwavering dedication and diverse artistic talent. This new role as a Wesfarmers Arts Young Artist represents an exciting and significant milestone in Vin's development as an operatic tenor.

Devon Lake is an emerging artist from Perth, Western Australia, currently completing a Bachelor of Music at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). At WAAPA, Devon has performed a range of leading operatic roles, including the title role in The Enchanted Pig (2023), Count Almaviva in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (2024), Baron de Pictordu in Viardot’s Cinderella (2025), and the title role in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi (2025). Devon was recently named the recipient of the Richard Gill Award, recognising him as the most outstanding graduating classical performance student at WAAPA. His concert highlights include appearances as a featured soloist in the prestigious Perth Rotary Vienna Pops New Year’s Eve Gala at the Perth Concert Hall (2020, 2021, 2023), Christmas in the Quarry, Melting Moment at the Quarry, bass soloist in Bach’s Mass in G major (2024) and bass soloist Mozart’s Requiem (2025). He regularly collaborates with a number of local companies, including Freeze Frame Opera, Perth Rotary, Opus WA, and UWA choral society. Devon joins West Australian Opera’s Wesfarmers Arts Young Artist Program in 2026.

Bayden Adams is currently studying a Bachelor of Music at the UWA Conservatorium of Music and is part of the 2026 West Australian Opera Wesfarmers Arts Young Artist Program as a conductor. In 2024, Bayden made his West Australian Opera conducting debut in their production of Dido and Aeneas. Bayden was the Musical Director for the 2025 productions of The Mikado, and Utopia Limited (Gilbert and Sullivan Society of WA). He was the 2024 WAYJO assistant musical director (supported by the Simon Lee Foundation) where he conducted GRAMMY award-winning bassist/composer Linda May Han Oh. Other conducting engagements include 2023/24 WA Brass Juniors musical director, 2023 ABODA WA conducting intern, 2021 Bunbury City Band assistant musical director.