Biography

The Australian tenor, Michael Smallwood, commenced vocal training while completing a law degree at the University of Melbourne. After studies at the Victorian College of the Arts, the Australian National Academy of Music, and New York’s Juilliard School, he entered the prestigious Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera in 2001, later becoming a member of the ensemble. From 2013 until 2016, Michael Smallwood was a member of the ensemble at Essen’s renowned Aalto Theater, focusing on the works of Handel, Mozart, and Richard Strauss.

His broad repertoire spans from Monteverdi, Handel, Gluck and Mozart through Flotow, Wagner and Verdi to Richard Strauss, Janacek, Britten and Berg. Furthermore, he has sung numerous contemporary works.

Guest engagements led him to renownedhouses and festivals worldwide, including Milan's La Scala, the National de Paris, Opéra de Lyon, Vlaamse Opera and Dutch National Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Teatro Real de Madrid, Theater an der Wien, Komische Oper Berlin, Leipzig Opera, Santa Fe Opera, as well as the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Glyndebourne Festival, Lincoln Center Festival, Ruhrtriennale, and Handel Festivals in Halle and Karlsruhe. In addition, he is carrying a close connection to the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, where he already performed roles, such as, Mercure in Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie, Monostatos/Die Zauberflöte, Goro/Madama Butterfly, Spoletta/Tosca, 2nd Jew/Salome, and 1st Grail Knight/Parsifal.

In opera and concert, he has worked with renowned conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Philippe Jordan, Simon Rattle, Marek Janowski, René Jacobs, Vladimir Jurowski, Ingo Metzmacher, Ulf Schirmer, Stefan Soltesz, Karl-Heinz Steffens, Michael Boder, and Tomas Netopil. Michael Smallwood is also a sought-after performer of baroque music and frequently works with specialists like William Christie, Alessandro de Marchi, Hermann Max, Michael Hofstetter, Jane Glover, Thomas Hengelbrock, Andreas Spering, and Konrad Junghaenel. 

Recent engagements include Dido and Aeneas, Salome and Hippolyte et Aricie at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin as well as Spoletta/Tosca with Daniele Callegari at the Semperoper Dresden and at the Opéra de Lyon with Daniele Rustioni on the podium. Furthermore, he sung the Knusperhexe/Hänsel und Gretel at the Nederlandse Reisopera and Tamino/Zauberflöte at Sydney Opera House and Theater Essen.

Michael Smallwood’s recording catalogue includes Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Volkov/London Philharmonic Orchestra/Glyndebourne Festival), and Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Janowski/Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester and Rundfunkchor Berlin/PentaTone Classics).

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Artist Website

www.michael-smallwood.com 

Management

Europe

Artist Manager

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Photo: Mark Schulze          Steinen

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Photo: Mark Schulze Steinen

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Photo: Mark Schulze Steinen

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Video"Il mio tesoro" aus Don Giovanni (Don Ottavio)

YouTube"Frisch zum Kampfe" aus Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Pedrillo)

YouTube"The Diary of One Who Disappeared" (Janik)

YouTube"O gehorsamer Diener!" aus Die Soldaten (Erster junger Offizier)

YouTube"Aus Rosenwolken" aus Die Schöpfung

YouTube"Mit Würd' und Hoheit angetan" aus Die Schöpfung

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Audio
Händel: Almira
Ob dein Mund wie Plutons Rachen
Audio ExcerptHändel: Almira
Was ist des Hofes Gunst
Audio ExcerptBach: Weihnachtsoratorium
Frohe Hirten
Audio Excerpt

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