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- Tasmania’s Forgotten Opera Star Returns: Amy Sherwin Statue Unveiling and Festival
In a remarkable story of redemption nearly 90 years in the making, Tasmania’s first international opera star is finally receiving the recognition she deserves.
The full-size marble statue of Amy Sherwin, Australia’s pioneering soprano who sang for royalty yet died in poverty, will be unveiled at Hobart’s historic Hadley’s Orient Hotel on Sunday, February 15, 2026, as the centrepiece of the three-day Aria in the Air: Amy Sherwin Festival.
From Huon Valley to the World’s Greatest Stages
Born in 1855 in a humble earthen-floor cottage at Forest Home near Huonville, Frances Amy Lillian Sherwin seemed destined for obscurity. Yet her extraordinary soprano voice, described by critics as possessing “great range and power, and almost perfect purity of tone”, would carry her from the banks of the Huon River to the stages of London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and concert halls across five continents.
Amy Sherwin achieved what many thought impossible: she became Australia’s first internationally acclaimed opera singer, predating the more famous Dame Nellie Melba by several years. “Most people think Melba was the first, but it wasn’t so. Amy Sherwin was before Melba,” notes Bel Canto Young Opera, which has championed her legacy.
Her fairy-tale career began in May 1878 when, at just 23, she made her professional debut at Hobart’s Theatre Royal in Don Pasquale. Within weeks, she was thrilling Melbourne audiences in Lucia di Lammermoor, with crowds erupting in cries of “Bravo Tasmania!”. Over the following three decades, she toured Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the United States, Germany, South Africa, India, and China, performing with prestigious companies including the Carl Rosa Opera Company and appearing at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
When she returned to Hobart in triumph in 1887, enthusiastic admirers unharnessed the horses from her carriage and hauled it through the streets themselves, a testament to the pride Tasmanians felt in their homegrown star.
A Tragic End and a Long-Overdue Restoration
Despite earning substantial fees and singing for King Edward VII (then Prince of Wales), Sherwin’s story took a heartbreaking turn. After retiring in 1907 to care for her invalid daughter and teach singing in London, financial mismanagement and misfortune left her destitute. In 1934, she was admitted to a charity ward at Charing Cross Hospital. Even there, doctors and nurses marvelled at the beauty of the voice that still emerged from the 79-year-old patient.
When news of her plight reached Tasmania, the Lord Mayor of Hobart urged residents to contribute, declaring “she had made Tasmania known all over the world”. Despite £200 being raised and sent to London, Amy Sherwin died on September 20, 1935, and was buried in a pauper’s grave at Bromley Hill cemetery.
For nearly nine decades, her extraordinary achievements faded from public memory. Now, a determined group of volunteers is changing that narrative.
A $250,000 Marble Masterpiece
The Amy Sherwin Fund, led by former Greens leader Dr. Bob Brown and supported by patrons including Emeritus Professor Kate Warner AC (former Governor of Tasmania) and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks, has commissioned renowned Melbourne sculptor Peter Schipperheyn to create a life-sized statue in Carrara marble.
Schipperheyn, whose acclaimed figurative works include sculptures of Dame Joan Sutherland (Sydney Town Hall, 1988) and the Eternal Flame at Melbourne’s Holocaust Museum, traveled to Italy in 2025 to personally select the marble block for this significant commission. His works in Carrara marble have earned international recognition for their technical mastery and emotional resonance.
The $250,000 fundraising campaign, which includes a $20,000 grant from Events Tasmania, will also establish a scholarship fund to assist aspiring young singers in pursuing overseas study, ensuring Amy’s legacy continues to inspire future generations of Tasmanian performers
Three Days of Celebration: The Aria in the Air Festival
Amy Sherwin Reception at Hobart Town Hall
Date: Friday, February 13, 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Details: Join Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds for an evening reception celebrating Amy Sherwin’s life and legacy.
Location: Hobart Town Hall, 50 Macquarie Street, Hobart
Ticket Price: $50
Bus Tour of the Huon Valley with Dr. Bob Brown
Date: Saturday, February 14, 10:00am – 3:00pm
Details: Explore the birthplace of Tasmania’s opera star on a guided tour of historic Amy Sherwin sites in the Huon Valley. Travel in comfort with Dr. Bob Brown, patron of the Amy Sherwin Fund.
Ticket Price: $50
Amy Sherwin Film Screening
Date: Saturday, February 14, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Details: Discover the remarkable story of “The Tasmanian Nightingale” through this engaging ABC documentary film about Amy Sherwin’s extraordinary life and career.
Location: Hadley’s Orient Hotel, 34 Murray Street, Hobart
Ticket Price: $50
Amy Sherwin Statue Unveiling Celebration
Date: Sunday, February 15, 11:30am – 1:00pm
Details: Join the community for the official unveiling of the full-size marble statue of Amy Sherwin. Enjoy live music performances in Murray Street and celebrate the restoration of Tasmania’s forgotten opera star to her rightful place in history.
Location: Hadley’s Orient Hotel, 34 Murray Street, Hobart
Admission: FREE
Why Hadley’s Orient Hotel?
The choice of Hadley’s Orient Hotel as the statue’s permanent home carries deep historical significance. Built by convict labor in 1834 and opening as the Golden Anchor Inn, Hadley’s is Tasmania’s oldest continuously operating boutique hotel and is classified by the National Trust.
During Amy Sherwin’s performing years in the late 19th century, Hadley’s stood at the heart of Hobart’s cultural life, hosting distinguished guests including Antarctic explorers Roald Amundsen (1912) and Douglas Mawson (1911), as well as opera legend Dame Nellie Melba (1909). The heritage-listed hotel, located at 34 Murray Street in Hobart’s arts precinct, remains within a short walk of the Theatre Royal where Amy made her debut and Salamanca Place, making it an ideal location for a statue that will serve as both artistic tribute and cultural tourism drawcard.
An Uplifting Story of Recognition
The Amy Sherwin story resonates because it speaks to universal themes: extraordinary talent emerging from humble origins, the fleeting nature of fame, and the power of a community to right historical wrongs. As Dr. Bob Brown notes in his advocacy for the project, Amy Sherwin deserves restoration to “her rightful place as an ongoing inspiration for Tasmanians and visitors alike”.
On February 15, when the marble statue is unveiled before an “everyone-welcome” crowd, it will mark not just the commemoration of a forgotten artist, but a commitment to ensuring that Tasmania’s cultural pioneers are never again allowed to fade into obscurity.
The girl from the bush who sang her way into the hearts of international audiences will finally have the permanent recognition her remarkable life deserves—watching over the city that first launched her to stardom, an enduring symbol of Tasmanian talent, perseverance, and pride.