Xenia Hanusiak is a composer, performer, music reviewer and soprano singer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature and drama from the University of Adelaide. Following graduation from the Elder Conservatorium at the University of Adelaide, where she obtained a degree in Percussion and Voice, she was invited to perform with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Youth Orchestra and the State Opera Orchestra.
Hanusiak has since performed as a singer, actor, musician and director, and her diverse talents have led to engagements with the Melbourne and Queensland Symphony orchestras, the Victoria State Opera, Lyric Opera of Queensland, State Theatre Company of South Australia and the Playbox Theatre Company among others. She wrote and performed a monologue, 'A Thousand Doors, a Thousand Windows', with music by Constantine Koukias, which was performed in February 2004 at the Music Theatre Festival in Sydney. Hanusiak also starred in a 'reality' opera, 'The Diary of Anne Frank', which was adapted by Gregory Frid in 1969 from the original diary, and opened in Melbourne on November 8th 2006 at the Malthouse theatre in Southbank.
In 1998 Hanusiak was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to pursue her interests in contemporary opera, and was also a recipient of a major Rio-Tinto Explorations Award, as well as a State Library of Victoria Creative Fellowship. During her participation in the 2007 Asialink residency program, she worked on a new music theatre work based on the story of 19th century Chinese miner Jong Ah Siug who worked on the Bendigo goldfields in Central Victoria.
