Deborah Cheetham

Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO is a Yorta Yorta woman, born in 1964 and adopted as part of the Stolen Generations, she grew up in foster care in New South Wales and Victoria. In her 20s she located her birth family and returned to Country, a turning point she has described as “coming home to the part of myself I was missing.”

She is a soprano, composer, academic and cultural leader whose work has reshaped the sound and ethics of Australian music. An artist of international standing, she has premiered operas, oratorios and orchestral works across major stages, always centering First Nations presence. “I compose,” she has said, “because story is too important to be left unsung.”

Cheetham founded Short Black Opera in 2009 to develop First Nations singers, composers and conductors and has guided landmark productions including Pecan Summer, the first Aboriginal opera. Her commitment extends to advocacy for structural change in the arts, she has insisted that “equity in music will not arrive by invitation, we must build it in policy, in practice and in repertoire.”

She has held senior academic roles, including at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, shaping how institutions engage with Aboriginal knowledge and authorship. Colleagues describe her as uncompromising and generative; one conductor noted, “Deborah does not just argue for change, she composes the infrastructure for it.” A recipient of the Order of Australia and multiple national honours, she continues to compose major works for leading orchestras and choirs while mentoring the next generation.