Amy Sherwin Film and panel discussion

Come and watch the ABC Film Amy Sherwin: the Tasmanian Nightingale. 

Afterwards, well known Tasmanian actor Jane Longhurst will host a panel discussion with Gillian Unicomb and Iain Lang, two of the key actors involved in making the movie. 

Learn more about Amy Sherwin's fascinating life, how the film came about, and about the current plans to create a permanent tribute to this extraordinary Tasmanian. (Read on for more details...)

Who was Amy Sherwin?

If you haven’t heard of Amy Sherwin before today, you are definitely not alone. As her nickname “the Tasmanian Nightingale” suggests, Amy was a renowned opera singer of the late 1800’s, and was in fact the first Australian woman to achieve international success in the Arts. You may be further surprised to learn that she grew up in a modest earthen-floored home on the shores of the Huon River, near Judbury, in Tasmania’s south.

Amy’s story reads like a fairy tale. She made her professional debut in 1878, at the age of 23, with an Italian Opera company, the director of which had somehow come to hear of her extraordinary voice during their season in residence at the Theatre Royal in Hobart. With Amy’s participation, local crowds flocked to the opera performances, and she quickly rose to fame, going on to delight audiences across Australia and New Zealand, the UK, Europe, America and many other parts of the world over the following years.

It is clear that Tasmania remained dear to her, however successful she became in distant places, and also clear that she continued to be much beloved by her home audience. On one visit to Hobart, after many years touring abroad, she was greeted by an estimated four thousand locals who lined the streets cheering, accompanied by fireworks and the joyful pealing of church bells, as she made her way by carriage from the railway station to the Town Hall for her official welcome. Can you imagine it?

A lasting memorial – the Amy Sherwin Fund

Sadly, Amy’s extraordinary achievements have largely faded from view, overtaken by other great singers, and many tumultuous world events, since she retired early last century. However, her star is set to shine in the light of public awareness once again!

Since early 2024, a small committee of volunteers - headed by Dr Bob Brown, with patrons Emeritus Professor Kate Warner AC and Pulitzer Prize winning author Geraldine Brooks - has been working towards the creation of a life-sized statue, which is to be carved of Carrera marble by Melbourne sculptor, Peter Schipperheyn. The fundraising target is a hefty $250,000, which includes a portion being put aside for a Scholarship fund to assist a future aspiring young singer to undertake study overseas. 

Once completed, the statue will grace a prominent location in Hobart’s Arts precinct, providing a lasting tribute to the memory of Tasmania’s very first Prima Donna, Amy Sherwin, and inspiring all who dare, as she did, to dream big.

For more information on Amy Sherwin, and how you can help to support this unique project, visit amysherwinfund.au