Colla has mixed feelings about returning to the stage after such a long hiatus.

“Resuming performances after the long lockdowns is a strange feeling,” she says.

“All my fear of success and public opinion disappears when I remember how performing makes me feel.

“When I think of the joy it brings me to be on stage, I forget all my worries.”

Colla’s father, born in Verona, and her mother, who is English, imparted their love of both cultures, languages and music to their daughter.

The soprano fondly remembers listening to Ella Fitzgerald and Andrea Bocelli, watching Julie Andrews films and listening to the Cinema Paradiso soundtrack.

Colla spent her childhood between Sydney, Torri del Benaco – which is near Lake Garda – and Verona, where her paternal grandparents lived.

She, along with her parents, moved to Sydney, and in the late 1990s, her grandparents followed suit.

“Music has always been an important element of my life,” Colla says.

“But the day I fell in love with it was the day my maternal grandmother took me to see my first show.

“She had always had a passion for the world of music, as she, herself, was an actress in the theatre during her youth.

“She was the one who gave me my first singing lesson and taught me all the English classics.

“Then, at home, I would enter my paternal grandmother’s kitchen and listen to the hits on the Italian radio.”

Colla with her maternal grandmother, Alba, after one of her shows

Colla with her maternal grandmother, Alba, after one of her shows

After finishing her studies at the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney, Colla was involved in productions of Wicked, Les Misérables and My Fair Lady, which was directed by the iconic Julie Andrews.

During one of these shows, Colla met her husband, Zoy Frangos, in 2014.

The couple moved to London as Colla had been offered a part in Roman Holiday.

“It was a dream come true for me,” she says.

“I got to act in a musical that was set in Italy.

“Just three weeks after our arrival, the world shut down because of COVID-19, and the show was cancelled.

“Though it was difficult, we decided to go back and live in Sydney.”

The pair changed tack, opening an Instagram account called An Italian and a Greek, dedicated to sharing their grandmothers’ recipes with people all over the world.

“The new project pushed us to become creative in different ways,” Colla explains.

Colla with her husband, Frangos

On July 18, the couple will have the chance to share the stage for the first time since the pandemic began.

The show, Zoy Frangos: Variations, was born through Frangos’ desire to tell his own story, showing audiences the difficulties and adventures he has faced throughout his life.

The performance highlights the influences of the different cultures Frangos experienced: Greek and Aboriginal.

As Colla also forms a part of his story, she will bring an Italian flavour to the show.

“Before now, I’ve never had the opportunity to sing to the public in Italian,” she says.

“It’s amazing how languages and music unite diverse cultures and people.

“It’s always been an important aspect of our lives and we’re thrilled to be able to bring it to the stage.”

For more information or to buy tickets, visit the website.