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The Australian bass-baritone, Pelham Andrews, trained in Australia, the UK and Germany, and is a graduate of the Cardiff International Academy of Voice and the Adelaide University. He won and won several awards including the 2005 McDonalds Aria Competition.
Pelham Andrews' performances range from the core Italian, French, German and English operatic, sacred and symphonic repertoire, through to lesser-known classical works, contemporary compositions, and traditional Russian folk music. A former Young Artist of the State Opera of South Australia, he has performed extensively with that company in the roles of Padre Guardiano in La forza del Destino, Colline in La Bohème, Nourabad in Georges Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Lodovico in Otello, Zuniga in G. Bizet's Carmen, Friedrich Bhaer in the Australian premiere of Mark Adamo’s Little Women, Count Ribbing in Un Ballo in Maschera, Jake Wallace in La Fanciulla del West, Count Ceprano in Rigoletto, the Stationmaster in Blake's The Station, the Mandarin in Turandot, and the Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly.
Pelham Andrews has also sung Méphistophélès in La Damnation de Faust and the King of Bambaras in Angelique for Victorian Opera, and for Opera Australia he has appeared as Sparafucile and Monterone in Rigoletto (2014), Lodovico in Otello (2014) Zoroastro in Orlando, Baron Douphol in La Traviata (2015), Speaker in W.A. Mozart's The Magic Flute (2014), Second Mate in Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd, Flemish Deputy in Don Carlos (2015) and Timur in Turandot (2015), as well as covering King in Aida (2015), Figaro in W.A. Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro (2015) and Masetto in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni (2015). He has also performed throughout Australia, Malaysia and Singapore with touring company Co-Opera.
Recent engagements have included singing the role of Farfarello and covering The King of Clubs in The Love for Three Oranges for Opera Australia and the roles of Lester Lamb in the world premiere of George Palmer’s Cloudstreet and Sciarrone in Tosca for State Opera of South Australia. In 2017 he sang the roles of Betto di Signa in Gianni Schicchi and Tio Salvador in La Vida Breve for State Opera of South Australia and covered the roles of Colline in La bohème, Archbishop in King Roger and Zuniga in G. Bizet's Carmen for Opera Australia. He also performed the role of Geronte in Manon Lescaut for Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
Most recently Pelham Andrews has been heard as the Parson and Badger in The Cunning Little Vixen, Ben in Madeline Lee, The Bonze in Madama Butterfly the title role of The Mikado, Nourabad in G. Bizet's The Pearfishers and Pogner, (as well as covering Hans Sachs), in Act III of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg all for State Opera South Australia, as well as Count Capulet in Charles Gounod's Romeo and Juliet in concert for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the King in Aida and Commendatore in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni for Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and with the Adelaide Collective in Grandage’s Towards First Light.
In 2020 Pelham Andrews was again engaged by State Opera South Australia, to sing the roles of Basilio in The Barber of Seville and Banquo in Macbeth. Both of these productions were postponed and he performed these roles with State Opera in 2021. He also featured as Snug in B. Britten's A Midsummer Night’s Dream and as the bass soloist in Tipett's A Child of our Time at the 2021 Adelaide Festival, and as Judd/Mr Bonner in Richard Meale's Voss, also for State Opera South Australia.
As a concert soloist, Pelham Andrews has performed with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Sydney Philharmonia, Australian Intervarsity Choral Festival, Melbourne Bach Choir, Auckland Choral Society, Napier Civic Choir and Manukau Symphony, as well as many smaller ensembles. His repertoire includes the Requiems of W.A. Mozart, Gabriel Fauré and Verdi, Haydn Creation, George Frideric Handel's Messiah, L.v. Beethoven's Symphony No 9, W.A. Mozart and L.v. Beethoven Masses, and Cantatas by J.S. Bach. He is also an accomplished and passionate interpreter of song repertoire. |
