Grace

Soprano Greta Bradman’s iPod reveals a diverse taste in music, as does her new album Grace, the follow up to her ARIA-nominated debut Forest of Dreams.“While pure classical repertoire is my core passion and career, when I’m out for a run and plugged into my iPod, I can be equally inspired by Handel or Coldplay,” says the singer. “It was important to me in recording Grace to honour my musical roots and experience, as well as explore songs from other genres that I believe would touch or inspire the listener.”

In compiling a track list, the concept of ‘hope’ was foremost in Greta’s mind. For a some years Greta balanced duals professions as musician and psychologist, which has given her some insights into the power of hope and of music. “I experienced first-hand through

my work how people in all sorts of challenging circumstances can rise from the ashes and change their own lives when they hold onto a sense a hope. This for me is the ultimate expression of grace.“Music is powerful and can reach deep inside our soul,” adds Greta. “Grace is a tribute to how music connects us with our passions, dreams, desires and hopes for the future, particularly in a world that for many people is full of trouble and difficulty. These great arias and songs all carry strong messages of hope from their writers and I feel that as a singer I am a vessel to enable these messages to be heard.”

Having auditioned with no formal singing training at all, Greta went on to graduate with distinction from the Elder Conservatorium in her hometown of Adelaide. She has emerged as one of the leading young sopranos in her generation and the magazine Limelight declared her the singer for the shortlist of 2010 Best Newcomers in the industry. Since turning to a full-time music career, she has found herself in high demand, regularly performing as a soloist with major orchestras and classical ensembles, and signing a major recording deal with Sony Music Australia. She is now based in Melbourne where she lives with her husband and two small sons. Family is important to Greta and she owes a great debt for her current success to her grandparents, for their inspiration and their genes. Greta’s maternal grandfather Horace Young was an opera singer: “Papa had a beautiful baritone voice – a gorgeous honey timbre and always perfectly in tune. Due to circumstances of the time and with four kids unfortunately he ended up performing mainly for friends and family.” Greta's paternal grandmother, ‘Lulla’, also came from a very musical family with each member playing an instrument at local soirees “everyone played something, and Lulla sang. And like me, Lulla also sang in a vocal trio, with her sisters”. Greta’s paternal grandfather was the iconic Australian cricketer Sir Donald Bradman, though Greta remembers him most fondly for his passion and talent for music – something that he shared with her as a child: “Grandpa was responsible for fostering my love of classical music –

he was a musician and composer himself and as a boy he was boy soprano soloist in his church choir. When I was a little girl we would sit together for hours and he’d play for me records of the great opera stars. It was a very special bonding time for us and I think he’d be very proud that I’ve made a life and career in singing classical music.”

One of the very special moments on Grace is the poignant Pie Jesu from Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Requiem, which Greta sang at Sir Donald’s memorial service in 2001. Other tracks include Handel’s breat­htaking Lascia chi’io pianga, from the opera Rinaldo and

the shimmering Song to the Moon from Dvořák’s Rusalka. Another stand out is the ethereal Ave Maria once attributed to the baroque composer Caccini, but now believed to have been penned in Russia in 1970. Songs with great heart from the world of musicals and film also been included, such as Music of the Night from Phantom of the Opera, When You Believe from The Prince of Egypt and the haunting Gortoz a Ran from the film Black Hawk Down. For Grace Greta teamed with John Foreman and Chong Lim, two of the most respected musical directors, producers and arrangers in the country. “I’m so fortunate to be collaborating with such talented artists as John and Chong in realizing my dreams for this album. They bring such wisdom and insight to the recording studio and I’m a huge fan of them both. ”John’s reinvention of a Coldplay classic is a good example of their mastery: “Taking Fix You into the classical realm sheds a very different light on it. I’ve always loved it and John’s inspired arrangement is a fine tribute to Coldplay’s in­credible song writing ability.” Grace closes with the title track, a intimate song for voice and piano that Greta wrote with Chong Lim. “It is about keeping hope and love alive, and living your life with love, courage and joy. It is what I hope for myself and for everyone that listens to the album.”

Grace is the work of an exceptional vocalist who sings from the heart and without doubt, many people will listen.