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Margaret Schindler Vocal Scholarship
Supported through a generous donation by Carolyn Mason
Under the guidance of the Southern Cross Soloists and Margaret Schindler, the MSVS recipient is awarded to a young singer who has shown great aptitude in their craft. Recipients are given the opportunity to perform with Southern Cross Soloists and to receive mentoring from Margaret Schindler.
2026 MSVS Recipient
Tashana Hardy
Emerging Australian soprano Tashana Hardy is rapidly establishing herself as a vibrant and versatile artist. Originally from Newcastle, she graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium of Griffith University in 2025 with a Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice and a Postgraduate Certificate in Classical Performance.
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Tashana made her professional debut in 2024 as ‘Hansel’ in Opera Queensland and Shake & Stir’s regional touring production of Hansel and Gretel. That same year she appeared in Stuart Maunder’s The Pirates of Penzance at QPAC with Prospero Arts, and performed the role of ‘Pamina’ in the Queensland Conservatorium’s 2024 Val Machin Scenes production of The Magic Flute.
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Her 2025 season saw continued success. Tashana toured Queensland as ‘Rosina’ in Opera Queensland’s The Adventures of Figaro, an adaptation of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, and performed the role of ‘Iro’ in Elena Kats-Chernin’s Australian premiere of Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, directed by Constantine Costi. Tashana also featured in Voxalis Opera’s Studio Sessions The Golden Age, which was accompanied by an interview broadcast on 4MBS exploring her passion for the fusion of opera and musical theatre. Later in the year, she revisited ‘Pamina’ at the Tyalgum Music Festival for Voxalis Opera’s pocket opera of Die Zauberflöte, directed by Emma Nightingale.
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Tashana is also the 2025 recipient of the Pat McKerrow Memorial award, an award presented at the Murwillumbah Festival of Performing Arts.​
MARGARET SCHINDLER
Soprano
Margaret was a founding member of critically acclaimed chamber ensemble, Southern Cross Soloists with whom she performed for over twenty years, premiering approximately one hundred new Australian works and maintaining a diverse performance profile which included artistic residencies at the University of Tasmania Conservatorium, Arkansas University USA, the Australian National Academy of Music as well as Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, Singapore, the annual Bangalow Music Festival and concert tours to China, New Zealand, Canada, the United States and throughout Australia.
Photo by Ronan King Rose
Alumni
2025 - Aylish Ryan, mezzo soprano
2024 - Jack Bolton, bass
2023 - Nina Korbe, soprano
2022 - Sara Donnelly, soprano​
Support
The Southern Cross Soloists Education Programs is a vital stepping stone for music graduates, provide the next generation of talented young artists with invaluable training and performance opportunities.
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Supporting the education programs allows Southern Cross Soloists to help our young musicians reach their dreams of a professional career in music performance.
Photo by Stephen Henry