"As Cherubino Hannah Fraser showed an earthy vocal quality in her two arias especially in “Voi Che Sapete,” where voice relished in the long lines Mozart gives this character. She played the character with a timidity and it almost seemed as her Cherubino was always uncomfortable. Of course, there was a flirtatious nature as Fraser’s constantly gave winks toward the Countess and Susanna"
- OPERAWIRE, Prague
"The rocking bass and Hannah’s fluid, silky voice with flute doubling
an octave higher lent an ideal serenity to this aria..."
CLASSIKON -SYDNEY
"It was a powerhouse performance"
CITY NEWS, CANBERRA
"...revealing a voice that sounded a perfect fit with Brahms in a characteristic deeply emotional mood. It was mellow and gentle but of wonderful richness and probably one of the finest mezzos in Australasia"
- CLASSICAL MUSIC REVIEWS, WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND
Biography
Photo Credit: Noni Carroll
Mezzo Soprano Hannah Fraser known for her ‘great style and conviction’, has become a well known name on stages across Australia, performing regularly with reputable ensembles and musicians both as a soloist and a consort member. Her repertoire spans from 12th Century Europe to contemporary music of today. She completed her Bachelor of Music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2013. From 2013-2017 she was a core member of The Song Company under the direction of Roland Peelman and then Antony Pitts.
Some notable recent engagements include Spiritual Forest, Women of Pietà, Buxtehude's Membra Jesu Nostri and Charpentier's Pleasures of Versailles for Pinchgut Opera. With Bach Akademie she joined them for their Missa Brevis in F, A Child of Stars and Bach in the Castle of Heaven programs. She also sung under the direction of Simone Young with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Cantillation in A Midsummer Nights Dream.
Professional highlights include Berio's Cries of London for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Rossini's Cenerentola at the Festival della Valle d'Itria, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater at the Canberra International Music Festival and Vivaldi's Stabat Mater at the Grandezze e Meraviglie Festival, Italy.
2024 will see Hannah make her solo debut with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra performing Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, conducted by Stephen Layton. She will also appear with The Song Company for their 40th Anniversary Season and with Bach Akademie Australia for their seasonal programs.
Hannah's discography includes Handel's Theodora with Pinchgut Opera, Monteverdi's In Illo Tempore with The Song Company. Voices of Angels with Gondwana Voices and Hollis Taylor's Absolute Bird. She also appears on the soundtracks of films and video games some of which include Mortal Kombat and LEGO Movie: Batman.
In 2017 she moved to Italy and made her operatic debut in Austria and the Czech Republic, where she performed the role of Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. In 2018 she was one of fifteen candidates selected from around the world to join the Academy of Belcanto “Rodolfo Celletti” in collaboration with the reputable Festival della Valle d’Itria. It was here she performed Stravinsky’s Three Songs from William Shakespeare and the roles of Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini and Angelina in La Cenerentola, Rossini.
In 2019 Hannah performed Pergolesi's Stabat Mater & Vivaldi's Stabat Mater as a result of winning the 'ex-aequo prize of the XIII ancient Fatima Terzo' early music competition in Italy.
On the concert platform, Hannah has performed Hildegard's Ordo Virtutum, Orazio Vecchi's A Night in Siena, Demantius's St John Passion, Monteverdi's Missa in illo tempore, Handel's Messiah and Saul, Bach’s B Minor Mass, Magnificat & St John Passion, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, Vivaldi's Stabat Mater, Girolamo Abo’s Stabat Mater, Haydn's Seven Last Words, Mozart’s Requiem, Faure’s Requiem, Beethoven's Mass in C, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Schumann's Requiem für Mignon and Durufle’s Requiem. Her chorus works include; Purcell’s King Arthur, Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride and Handel’s Theodora.