Taryn Fiebig

Taryn Fiebig (1 February 1972 – 20 March 2021) was an Australian soprano, a principal soprano of Opera Australia who also performed internationally. She appeared in many Mozart roles such as Susanna and Zerlina. The versatile singer also performed in Baroque opera, Italian repertoire, contemporary opera, operetta and musical theatre.
Early life.
Born in Perth, Fiebig initially graduated as a cellist from the School of Music at the University of Western Australia, before commencing vocal training, occasionally marrying the two on stage, with her cello accompanying her own singing.
Career.
She joined Opera Australia in 2005 as a principal soprano. Her roles for that company include Mozart's Servilia in "La clemenza di Tito", Susanna in "The Marriage of Figaro" (televised and recorded), Zerlina in "Don Giovanni", both Papagena and Pamina in "The Magic Flute". She appeared in Baroque opera such as Belinda in Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas" and Galatea in Handel's "Acis and Galatea", and in Italian opera including Lisa in Bellini's "La sonnambula", Clorinda in Rossini's "La Cenerentola", and Musetta in Puccini's "La bohème". She performed the roles of The Plaintiff in "Trial by Jury", Rose in "Lakmé" by Delibes, Karolka in Janáček's "Jenůfa", and Aphrodite in Richard Mills' "The Love of the Nightingale". In musical theatre and operetta, she appeared as Gianetta in "The Gondoliers", as The Plaintiff in "Trial by Jury", and Adele in "Die Fledermaus" by Johann Strauss.
In 2006/07, she was Mabel in "The Pirates of Penzance", alongside Anthony Warlow as the Pirate King and David Hobson as Frederic. In 2008 and 2009, she performed as Eliza Doolittle in a national tour of "My Fair Lady" opposite UK actor Richard E. Grant. Fiebig sang the role of Sicle in Pinchgut Opera's 2009 production of Francesco Cavalli's 1644 opera "Ormindo". In 2010, Fiebig was nominated for the Helpmann Awards' Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera for Brett Dean's "Bliss" and "La sonnambula"; she won the award for her creation of the role of Lucy in "Bliss".
In 2011, she sang Yum-Yum in Opera Australia's production of "The Mikado" which was televised on ABC Television. In 2012, Fiebig added the role of Pamina in Julie Taymor's English-language production of "The Magic Flute" to her repertoire. In 2013, she sang Oscar in Verdi's "Un ballo in maschera" directed by La Fura dels Baus.
More roles include Nannetta in Verdi's "Falstaff" (2014), Despina in Mozart's "Così fan tutte" (2016), Gutrune in Wagner's "Götterdämmerung" (2016) and Mother in "Metamorphosis" by the Australian composer Brian Howard (2018). For latter role she won her second Helpmann Award in 2019 for Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera. In 2019, for Pinchgut Opera, she performed as Selinda in Handel's "Farnace".
Personal life.
Fiebig was married to Australian composer Iain Grandage; she married New Zealand-born baritone Jud Arthur in 2015. Actress Melissa George is her cousin.
Fiebig died from ovarian cancer in Sydney on 20 March 2021, aged 49.