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Aussie opera never looked so grand

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Aussie opera never looked so grand
(Photo courtesy Bill McAuley | billmcauleyphotographer.com)

Coloratura soprano Dame Joan Sutherland, aptly known as"La Stupenda", claimed the Sydney Opera House like no other. (Photo, 1974.)

I've focused my telephoto lens on many famous people over the years, but none gave me goosebumps quite like Dame Joan in full voice.

Sutherland had amazing charisma and stage presence, but magic took hold when she began to sing. Legendary Three Tenors virtuoso Luciano Pavarotti once pronounced her "the voice of the century".

**This photograph is part of an IA series that looks at Australia through the lens of award-winning photojournalist, Bill McAuley.**

Bill McAuley's 40-plus-year news career began in 1969 as a cadet photographer at 'The Age' in Melbourne.

He has several published collections, including 'Portraits of the Soul: A lifetime of images with Bill McAuley'. To see more from Bill, click here.

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