Graham Pushee (born 1954) is an Australiancountertenor.[1][2] Together with theAustralian Brandenburg Orchestra, conducted byPaul Dyer, Pushee was nominated for the 1995ARIA Award forBest Classical Album for the albumHandel: Arias.
Graham Pushee was born on April 25, 1954 inSydney, Australia. His first musical experiences were performing in a children's choir as a boy. He originally intended to pursue a career as a lawyer before deciding to pursue a career as a vocalist.[3] He studied singing in his native city with Welsh tenor David Parker.[4]
In 1973 Pushee made his opera debut performing the role of Oberon in the Australian premiere ofBenjamin Britten'sA Midsummer Night's Dream which was staged in a professional production at theUniversity of New South Wales. He returned there in 1976 to perform the title role inGeorge Frideric Handel'sOrlando. During this period he also performed in several programs ofearly music withWinsome Evans'sRenaissance Players.[4] He also performed in severaloratorios and other works from the classical music vocal literature in Australia from 1973-1977.[3]
After this period, Pushee relocated to Europe in 1977 after being awarded aWinston Churchill Fellowship which enabled him to study voice with countertenorPaul Esswood in London and pursue training at theSchola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland withKurt Widmer andRene Jacobs.[3] He lived in Switzerland for several years, during which time he worked as a concert and opera singer in Europe. He was particularly active at theHändel-Festspiele Karlsruhe where he performed title roles in many Handel operas, includingPoro,Orlando,Admeto,Scipione,Il pastor fido, andGiulio Cesare.[4] He was notably the first countertenor to ever perform the latter role; first tackling that part in 1987 at theParis Opera.[3]
In 1994 Pushee returned to Australia to portray the title role inOpera Australia's production ofGiulio Cesare; a role he also performed with theHouston Grand Opera.[4] That same year he portrayed Andronicus in Handel'sTamerlano withOpera North. In 1995 he sang Giulio Cesare again in Melbourne.[3]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Handel: Arias -Alcina,Giulio Cesare,Rinaldo (withAustralian Brandenburg Orchestra,Paul Dyer) |
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| Handel: Highlights from Julius Caesar (withYvonne Kenny,Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra,Richard Hickox) |
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| Vivaldi (with Aurora Musicale) |
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| Handel:Tamerlano |
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TheARIA Music Awards are presented annually since 1987 by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Handel: Opera Arias | Best Classical Album | Nominated |
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as theMo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016.[6]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Graham Pushee | Operatic Performance of the Year | Won |
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