Biography
The Australian Aboriginal composer, soprano, and educator Deborah Cheetham focuses on the experiences of Australia's indigenous peoples in her work. She is the composer of the first opera written by an Aboriginal Australian. As a soprano, she has toured internationally, and she has founded several organizations devoted to the development of Aboriginal musicians. Cheetham is also an important educator who serves as Chair of Vocal Studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. In 2025, her work Earth appeared on an album by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra that also featured Gustav Holst's The Planets.