The Singer Betting Big on Artistic Freedom Over Ideology and Taxpayer-Backed Grants

Henry Pinder’s newly established Brisbane Lyric Opera (BLO) is a daring venture in a sector struggling to stay afloat.

A general view of the Concert Hall stage at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, on July 14, 2022. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images for Sydney Opera House

In a sector where most performers turn instinctively to government grants, one young opera singer is choosing the harder road, convinced that true artistic freedom can’t be underwritten by shifting political winds.

Henry Pinder’s newly established Brisbane Lyric Opera (BLO) is a daring venture in a sector struggling to stay afloat.