Her voice travels across continents, styles and stages. Soon she will return to Melbourne, where everything began, but as part of a different world: that of musical theatre.
Born in Victoria’s cultural capital to a father from Catania and a mother from the Aeolian Islands, Gulinello grew up in a family where music was never far away.
“I used to go with my father to church choir rehearsals,” recalls the soprano. Perhaps it was there that her relationship with sound was born, an intimacy that came before stages and spotlights.
There were early piano lessons as a child, followed by the discovery of a voice capable of being trained and refined. At 17, she began studying seriously and taking part in school productions and extracurricular performances, as the classroom alone could never contain her expressive drive.
Her formal studies continued at the Melbourne Conservatorium, where she graduated with distinction in a Bachelor of Music Performance. It was there she received the Amelia Joscelyne Scholarship from the Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust, her first concrete glimpse of a professional future. In 2014 she left for Italy, supported by grants from the Acclaim Awards and Rotary Clubs of Melbourne and Cheltenham.
It was more than just a geographical journey: it was a return to the roots of opera itself. Back in Australia, opportunities followed quickly. She performed with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
She stood out in competitions including the Herald Sun Aria Awards and the IFAC Australian Singing Competition.
But it was in Philadelphia that her trajectory shifted. An encounter with a teacher there led her to audition for the Academy of Vocal Arts, one of America’s most prestigious vocal schools. She was accepted, moved to the United States and began her Graduate Artist Diploma.
“I was 24 when I arrived in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, just as I was about to graduate and perform my final recital, the pandemic broke out and many things were cancelled,” she recalls. “It was a very difficult time emotionally, because everything seemed to be moving forward, and suddenly it all stopped.”
Her last role before the enforced pause was Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera. At AVA she also took on demanding characters such as Tamara in The Demon (in Russian), Papagena in The Magic Flute and the role of Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte. At the same time, she felt the pull of social responsibility: in 2020 she created, produced and sang in a benefit concert for victims of Australia’s bushfires, raising more than $10,000.
Her official debut on the country’s biggest stages came in 2022 and 2023 at the Sydney Opera House, where she sang Mimì in La Bohème. As a Young Artist with Opera Australia, she also appeared in the Great Opera Hits concerts.
International recognition followed: she won the Giargiari Bel Canto Competition at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, was a finalist in the Mario Lanza and Loren L. Zachary Competitions (though restrictions prevented her from participating), and won the Metropolitan Opera National Council District.
Rebecca Gulinello performing at the Melbourne Italian Festa
In 2023, she triumphed at the Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award, and also took home the audience prize. The following year, she was admitted to the George Solti Academy in Italy with a new scholarship, and chose to relocate to her parents’ homeland, launching her European career from there.
In 2025 she returned to Melbourne, performing at the Casa D’Abruzzo Club for the Festa della Repubblica Italiana, an experience that she says “touched her heart”.
While symphonic singing remains her foundation, another passion has emerged: musical theatre. “Back in Australia, I met an agent who is also a friend, and he told me he thought my voice was suited to musicals as well,” she explains.
“I’ve always loved musicals: I often went to Broadway and came out of the theatre in tears from the emotion. It was a dream I never thought possible, because I come from the world of opera, which is very different. But now, I can finally make it happen.”
Her leap into the art form comes with Pretty Woman, the musical based on the iconic 1990s film. Gulinello is part of the touring cast that opens on October 9 in Brisbane before heading to Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and finally Melbourne.
This new venture is proof that a voice can evolve, adapt and reinvent itself, while passion remains constant. “For me, music paints life: it expresses all the emotions that cannot be put into words. It overwhelms you completely and communicates what you cannot say,” she says.
Between Melbourne and Italy, between Verdi and Broadway, Rebecca Gulinello refuses to settle for a single tone, preferring to live them all.
She does not hide the challenges either. “I’m still facing them, to be honest. It’s important to have great confidence in yourself, and to know exactly who the people around you are; the ones you can truly trust, who protect and support you.”
Talent alone, she says, is never enough. “You also need great passion and a lot of discipline,” she explains, “You must train your voice constantly, especially if you work in theatre, where the sound must be powerful and resilient.”
And finally, the inevitable question: which is her favourite musical?
“Definitely Wicked,” she reveals, “I’ve always loved it, and now that the second film is coming out, I can’t wait to see it.”
