Hannah Fraser, a talented mezzo-soprano, joined the ranks of the company after it conducted an extensive 18-month search, here and abroad, to find the perfect candidate.

A recent Sydney Conservatorium of Music graduate and the granddaughter of former prime minister Malcolm Fraser, Ms Fraser grew up on a property just outside of Armidale where her parents Jane and Hugh still live.

The 23-year-old, whose love for singing flourished at age 12, said she felt very fortunate to have landed the sought-after role straight out of university.

“I feel really lucky to have a job in singing,” she said.

“I never wanted to pursue anything else. I was very excited (when I heard I had been selected) because I’d looked into theatre but hadn’t quite known what I wanted to do.”

While singing comes naturally to the country beauty, the trait does not run in her immediate family, although her older sister Hester writes music and her great-aunt and second cousin have both dabbled in “a bit of opera”, Ms Fraser said.

The Song Company, which was formed in 1984, features six full- time  professional singers who tour Australia and the world giving approximately 130 performances each year.

Ms Fraser will make her debut for the company at a concert in Sydney’s Blue Mountains on February 22.