Australian Tenor Damian Arnold is a former member of the Opera Studio at L’Opéra National du Rhin, which he joined in 2020. He is also a graduate from the Opera School at Guildhall School of Music and Drama (GSMD) in 2020 where he was the recipient of the Ewen Balfour Award.
Damian’s two seasons in Strasbourg included singing a variety of roles both in concert, on the main stage and in touring productions. Some of these roles included; Goethe in Lehar’s Friederike, Ramiro in the French adaptation of Rossini’s La Cenerentola, The Peacock in Howard Moody’s World Premiere of Lunar Lake, as well as performing multiple roles in Britten’s Death in Venice, Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges and Saint- Säen’s Samson et Dalila.
During his time in London he has had the opportunity to sing with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle and to cover the role of Eurymachus in the Royal Opera’s production of The Return of Ulysses.
Damian was an award winning finalist in the 2019 Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Foundation Bel Canto award, as well as being a finalist in the 2015 and 2017 Australian Singing Competition. In 2015 he debuted with the Opera Australia Schools Company in their adaptation of La Cenerentola by Rossini, which toured around Australia.
In 2017 he traveled to Israel where he participated in the Israeli Young Artist program, including performing scenes from Pelléas et Mélisande. He spent 2017 as a scholar in the Melba Opera Trust, highlights included performing alongside Peter Coleman-Wright and Cheryl Barker, as well as participating in masterclasses with Yvonne Kenny and Stuart Skelton.
In 2018 he travelled to Auckland where he sang the role of Tebaldo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi by Bellini and performed in concert with the Auckland Opera Studio.
Since transferring into the Opera School at GSMD Damian performed scenes from L’elisir d’amore, I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Written on Skin, La Finta Giardiniera, Fidelio and Les Mamelles des Tirésias. In 2019 he portrayed the roles of Snout in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Shepherd in Venus and Adonis and Lindoro in La Fedeltà Premiata at GSMD, and Henry Crawford in Waterperry Festival’s production of Mansfield Park .
He finished his time at GSMD by creating the roles of Ismael and the Pentecostal Leader in the world premiere of Lliam Paterson’s The Angel Esmeralda and The Prince in Respighi’s La bella dormente nel Bosco.
Before transferring to Strasbourg, Damian sang Ferrando in Waterperrry Opera Festival’s concert version of Così fan tutte.
Damian is currently based in Strasbourg where he has been invited back to Opéra National du Rhin in their 2022/23 season to sing The Chancellor in Der Schatzgräber as well as the title role in Bernstein’s Candide.
Damian Arnold 