Julien Van Mellaerts and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa at Opera Holland Park (Picture: Chris Christodoulou)

Congratulations to baritone Julien Van Mellaerts who was offered with The Kiri Te Kanawa Basis Laureate by the Basis’s Founder and Chair, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, at a gala live performance to have a good time Dame Kiri’s eightieth birthday at Opera Holland Park. 

The Kiri Te Kanawa Basis was created by Dame Kiri in 2003 and is dedicated to helping excellent younger New Zealand singers who’ve full dedication to their artwork, with even handed mentoring, monetary help and profession help. In 2022 the trustees of the Basis established The Kiri Te Kanawa Basis Laureate to honour a New Zealand singer whom the Basis has nurtured, has achieved sustained excellence and who will proceed their profession into the long run. The Kiri Te Kanawa Basis Laureate carries a worth of $60,000.

Julien Van Mellaerts received first prize in each the Wigmore Corridor Worldwide Tune Competitors and the Kathleen Ferrier Awards, and represented New Zealand at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World in 2019. He has had nice success in latest position and home debuts on the Verbier Pageant, Salzburg Mozartwoche, Opéra Nationwide de Lorraine, Opera Holland Park and New Zealand Opera.

With Chelsea Opera Group, we caught him as Frédéric in Delibes’ Lakmé [see my review], and the Duke of Nottingham in Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux [see my review]. At Opera Holland Park in 2021, he was a memorable Depend in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro [see my review].

His disc, Songs of the Evening, with soprano Rowan Pierce and pianist Lucy Colquhoun was launched on Champs Hill Data in Autumn 2023 [see my review], and his debut recital on the identical label, Songs of Journey and Residence, with pianist James Baillieu, explored his personal numerous origins and the which means of residence [see my review]. At Opera Holland Park, Julien Van Mellaerts, with pianist Dylan Perez, is co-curator and co-producer of the Opera in Tune collection and we caught him with pianist James Baillieu in Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin as a part of the collection in 2022 [see my review]