Julian Gavin (born 1965) is an Australian-born British operatictenor who has sung leading roles both in the United Kingdom and internationally.[1] His full-length opera recordings include Don José inCarmen and the title roles inErnani andDon Carlos forChandos Records.
Julian Gavin was born inMelbourne to a musical family. His mother Val was a concert pianist and composer and his father Paul Gavin had been a professional singer before becoming a teacher.[2] He received his Bachelor's degree in music from theUniversity of Melbourne and then studied conducting at theVictorian College of the Arts in Melbourne before training as an opera singer, at first with his father, and then at theNational Opera Studio in London. He initiallycovered roles forOpera North before making his UK debut as Alvaro inLa forza del destino forEnglish National Opera. He went on to sing for the company as its resident Principal Tenor in roles that included Alfredo inLa traviata, The Duke of Mantua inRigoletto, Rodolfo inLa bohème, Cavaradossi inTosca, and the title roles inThe Tales of Hoffmann,Ernani andIl trovatore. He has since sung these roles in the opera houses of Europe, Australia, and North America.
Gavin has appeared in over ten productions forOpera Australia, including Romeo in Gounod'sRoméo et Juliette for which he won the 2006Green Room Award for Best Male Principal in an opera performance.[3] His North American appearances have included Hoffmann inThe Tales of Hoffmann (Washington National Opera 2001),[4] Gustavo inUn ballo in maschera (Boston Lyric Opera 2007),[5] and Dick Johnson inLa fanciulla del West (Opéra de Montréal 2008).[6] In October 2010, he made his role debut as Radames in Verdi'sAida forOpera Queensland.[7]
The title role in Verdi'sDon Carlos has been an important one in Gavin's career. He made hisRoyal Opera House debut in the role in 1996 when he took over fromRoberto Alagna inLuc Bondy's production and sang it at theEdinburgh International Festival in 1998 as well as in productions at theNew Israeli Opera, Opera North, andMinnesota Opera. In 2009 he recorded the role for theChandosOpera in English series. Another key role (also recorded for Chandos) has been Don José inCarmen in which he made his debut at theVienna State Opera and which he has also sung for the English National Opera,Zurich Opera, Opera Australia,Lausanne Opera,Royal Swedish Opera, and theTeatro Real in Madrid.
Gavin has sung the role of Riccardo/Gustavo in Verdi'sUn ballo in maschera several times in his career, most recently for theOpéra National de Bordeaux in 2008, but in 2002 he made the news for not singing it. Before rehearsals began, he withdrew from the English National Opera's notorious production byCalixto Bieito which included a chorus of men seated on toilets, a mass Nazi salute and a homosexual rape scene. He was widely quoted as calling the production "a travesty" and "an act of artistic vandalism".[8]
Although Gavin's principal repertoire is 19th-centuryItalian andFrench opera, he has sung in several works by Czech and German composers, notably Laca inJenůfa (Opera North); Jenik inThe Bartered Bride (Glyndebourne Festival Opera); Florestan inFidelio (Opera Australia) and The Prince inRusalka (Opera Australia). He has also appeared in two rarities: Bizet's unfinished operaIvan IV at theThéâtre des Champs-Élysées in 2002 andCésar Franck'sHulda for the 1994 world premiere of the complete opera.[9] His performances in 20th-century works include John Stephen Beaumont inNicholas Maw'sThe Rising of the Moon, broadcast by theBBC in 1995 and Arvito inItalo Montemezzi'sL'amore dei tre re which he sang forOpera Holland Park in 2007.[10]
Gavin is now a British citizen and resides in London with his wife and five children.[11] In addition to his opera performances he teaches in the Department of Vocal Studies at theGuildhall School of Music and Drama.[12]
In 2015 Gavin was invited to become a Patron of the Australian performing arts charity, theTait Memorial Trust;[13] he has since joined their music board.
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