Success on Stage - Singing and Stagecraft

  • Somatic Voicework - the LoVetri Method Levels I II and III
  • Graduate Certificate of Music Studies (Vocal Pedagogy)
  • Graduate Diploma of Music (Performance)
  • Graduate Diploma of Music (Vocal)
  • Diploma of Operatic Art

Whether you want to improve your voice or your performance, Leslie has the experience and knowledge to set you on the right path in a fun and supportive learning environment.

A winner of numerous awards, scholarships and competitions Leslie Martin-Nightingale loves singing and is enthusiastic about sharing her love of opera and the stage through her own performances, by creating new and interesting ways of staging classical music and by sharing her extensive knowledge with aspiring Brisbane singers.

Leslie has taught at Summer Schools as a characterisation and stagecraft practitioner and has also worked with schools and individuals to help students prepare for singing exams and competitions.

After studying at the Sydney Conservatorium (Diploma of Operatic Art), Leslie learnt her craft with Opera Australia. Bigger things beckoned and soon Leslie left Australia to pursue a freelance performance career in Europe, where she performed various lead roles including Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro and Oscar in Un Ballo in Maschera. On returning to Australia, she performed The Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, receiving rave reviews.

In 2000, Leslie joined Opera Queensland where she worked with Gale Edwards in her production of Sweeney Todd. She also played the role of Annabel, a twelve-year old girl, in Sean O’Boyle’s children’s opera, The Song Bird, which toured to primary schools throughout Queensland. In 2010, she was called upon to perform the principal role of Norina in Donizetti’s opera, Don Pasquale in Switzerland.

Leslie completed further study at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University in 2002 (Grad Dip Music (Voice), Grad Dip Music (Performance)) and 2013 (Grad Cert Music (Vocal Pedagogy)). She has been National Councillor for ANATS (Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing) as well as Secretary and Vice President for the ANATS Qld Chapter. For the Brisbane Eisteddfod Inc, Leslie was the Vocal Convenor from 2014-2017 and also filled the positions of Secretary and Vice President during that time.

Leslie puts her vast performance experience and vocal expertise to use by sharing her knowledge with singers of all levels. As well as her own private studio, Leslie currently teaches singing at Canterbury College, Waterford and has taught at Fairholme Anglican Girls School Toowoomba and Songbirds Music Education Centre, Samford.

She has provided masterclasses in Brisbane, Toowoomba and Ipswich and adjudicated the Maryborough Eisteddfod, Clayfield College Festival of Music and Stuartholme Vocalist.

As a creative director, Leslie has produced iconic events such as Opera on the Beach as well as The Supreme Dreams, Australia’s Motown Sensation.

Details last updated: February 13, 2024