Angus Wood

Angus Wood moved to London at an early age. He was awarded a singing scholarship by the Royal College of Music, after which he returned to Australia, completing a Bachelor of Music with Honours, at the University of Melbourne. In 1993 Angus was invited to the ‘National Vocal Symposium’, under the tutelage of Ms Malena Malas, Dame Joan Sutherland and Luigi Alva. He has been a member of both the Victorian State Opera and the Australian Opera’s Young Artists’ Programs. Angus was the recipient of the inaugural Silvia Fisher Award and the 2001 Sir Robert Askin Operatic Travelling Scholarship. He subsequently relocated to the United States where he completed his Master of Music at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His debut for Opera Australia was as Antonio in The Gondoliers and he then proceeded to sing many of the leading lyric baritone roles with the company, including Sid in Albert Herring and Pelleas in Pelleas et Melisande, before re-studying as a tenor at the University of Michigan. Since then his roles with Opera Australia have included Cassio in Harry Kupfer’s production of Otello, Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas and the Narrator in Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus and the Young Collector in A Streetcar named Desire. Angus has also sung Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd for State Opera of South Australia, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly for West Australian Opera, Jupiter in Pinchgut Opera’s Semele and the Armed Man and Priest in The Magic Flute for Michigan Opera, Detroit. For Canterbury Opera in New Zealand he performed Alfredo in La Traviata, Cavaradossi in Tosca and Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor.Equally comfortable on the concert stage, Angus’ concert engagements have included St. John Passion and Messiah for Sydney Philharmonia and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony for Sydney Philharmonia, New Year’s concerts with the Australian Pops and Australian Philharmonic Orchestras, Haydn’s Creation in Wiesbaden and a series of Händel concerts for the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. Angus also regularly performs in recital, including performances at Government House (Sydney Festival) and the Art Gallery of NSW, as well as a series of concerts for the Melbourne Federation Festival, Opera Under The Stars in Broome and Opera in the Vineyards. His portrayal of Boni in The Gypsy Princess for Opera Australia in 2001 and the Narrator in Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda were both recognised with nominations as Best Male Singer in a Principal Role Green Room Awards and Best Male Performer in an Opera at the Helpmann Awards. His performance as Jupiter in Pinchgut Opera’s Semele, was released on CD by ABC Classics in 2003. In 2006 Angus became a resident singer at the Hessisches Staatstheater in Wiesbaden where his roles included Alfredo in La Traviata, Arbace in Idomeneo, Sou Chong The Land of Smiles, Dr Siedler in Im weissen Rössl, August Kuhbrot in Der Vetter aus Dingsda, Erste Priester and Geharnischter Mann in Die Zauberflöte, Alfredo in Die Fledermaus, Maler in Lulu, Tamino in The Magic Flute and Melot in Tristan. Recent engagements include Steuerman in State Opera of South Australia’s production of Flying Dutchman, tenor soloist in Händel’s Messiah with West Australian Symphony Orchestra and the title role in Candide, Rodney Hatch in One Touch of Venus, Lorenzo in La Muette de Portici and Piquillo in La Périchole, Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera, the title role in The Protagonist, Golitzin in Chowantschina, Alfredo in Die Fledermaus, and Pang in Turandot all for the Anhaltisches Theatre, Dessau and Turridu in the West Australian Opera’s production of Cavalleria Rusticana.