Career
She was also a noted arts and music patron, and a song competition is named in her honour. O'Donnell's grandparents were Italian migrants, Teresa and Mario Vigano, who arrived in Melbourne from Milan in 1928 to establish 'Mario's' restaurant in Exhibition Street, Melbourne, which they ran for over thirty years. 'Mietta's' moved in 1985 to Alfred Place in central Melbourne, eventually closing in 1995.
She was killed in a car accident in Tasmania while travelling to speak at a food and wine seminar. Her funeral was attended by over 1,000 people from the arts, politics, and the culinary world. 'Mietta's' restaurant had also become a salon of the arts, including music.
In 1996 it was named the City of Melbourne Song Recital Award. After her death in 2001, the competition was revived in 2003, as the Mietta Song Recital Award. Since 2004 it has been held every two years.
It is now known as the.
