Celeste Haworth-Dias (class of 2003) - how a passion for performance led to an international operatic career 

I attended Pittwater House from kindergarten all the way to year 12, it was all I knew. To be honest, I recall it as blur of activities: extra-curricular and project involvement beyond the classroom that I credit with shaping much of who I am today.

Tell us about your time at Pittwater House

I was School Captain of both the Junior and High School, Dux, Debating Captain and Captain of Sutherland House. I was very involved in extracurricular activities at Pittwater House, including debating, singing in all the choirs, playing the tuba and taking the lead roles in the school musical productions: Katie in Calamity Jane and Josephine in The Pirates of Penzance. This training meant I actually enjoy public speaking, and it is has served me well in my career (and personally - I married a wonderful lawyer, and so I need to be able to correctly form an argument).

While at Pittwater House, I was also involved in charity work with the Salvos Door Knock Appeal, sang at various community functions and was involved with the local council. As a result of these opportunities, I was awarded the Young Citizen of the Year Award from Warringah Council in 2002 and the Order of Australia Certificate of Commendation in 2003 for service to the community. 

What have you done since finishing at Pittwater House?

When I left school, I was so excited for the next chapter: something new! 

I attended the Sydney Conservatorium, training to be an opera singer. I auditioned in Europe and received 3 offers from various countries - I accepted the Vienna Conservatorium in Austria, a hub of classical music where I worked with orchestras, sang in the chorus at the Vienna Opera House (Staatsoper) and My Masters Thesis, Rossini Heroines was published. 

I then won a competition in Melbourne: The German Australia Opera Grant, which gave me a position singing lead roles at the State Theatre of Wiesbaden in Germany, the capital city of Hessen. I loved my years singing at that theatre, it was a dream come true. I am now a permanent member of Opera Australia and feel very honoured and privileged to be able to call the Sydney Opera House home. 

I have sung in various roles for Opera Australia including the Monitor in Suor Angelica, Flora in several adaptions of La Traviata, First Norn in Götterdammerung, and covering Erda in Siegfried and Das Rheingold, and La Ciseca in Gianni Schicci, as well as the role of the ugly stepsister Dorothee in Cinderella. The Opera House stage is very much home!

I have also had engagements with numerous community musical institutions, created and produced a Podcast mini-series for Opera Australia’s production of Madame Butterfly, “Behind the Scenes” of Handa Opera on the Harbour and hosted the flagship program, Fine Music Drive on 102.5FM.

In 2023, I was very honoured to receive recognition in the form of two awards: the George and Nerissa Johnson Memorial Scholarship and the Australian Opera Awards Committee Silver Award. 

In the same year, I travelled to Europe once more, which was a joy: I had not been back since my treasured time in Wiesbaden. Along with coaching upcoming roles, I was signed by the agency Vienna Music Connection. I had every intention of returning to capitalise on this success, and I hope to do so again but my personal life took a joyous turn: I was married in August 2024 to an incredible man and then realised another life-long dream, the birth of our daughter in June of this year. Motherhood has been my most beloved role that I have performed, but I very much look forward to returning to the opera stage in the near future.

Pittwater House was such a foundation for the grit, confidence and skill sets I needed to forge my way through life. Everything worth having is hard work and perseverance, and I thank the countless hours and opportunities of everything “extra” that I was involved with on top of my studies to teach me that.