Arts Global

New Zealand bass-baritone Hadleigh Adams was born in Palmerston North, and completed a Bachelor of Music degree in 2006 (with first class Honours) at the University of Auckland. He went on to study towards the degree of Master of Music, studying with Margaret Medlyn and Jenny Wollerman at the New Zealand School of Music. In January 2009 he relocated to Melbourne, Australia to take up his full scholarship as the Gertrude Johnson Scholar at Australia’s The Opera Studio. He currently resides in London where he is studying with Rudolf Piernay on a full scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

Throughout Australasia, Mr Adams has already forged an impressive operatic and concert career. He was a member of the NBR New Zealand Opera from 2004 to 2008, and during this time performed in all main stage productions with the company. Throughout 2007 and 2008 he was the PWC Dame Malvina Major Emerging artist with the NBR New Zealand Opera, during which time he was awarded the prestigious Circle100 Scholarship.

This year, Mr Adams has been named a finalist in the Royal Overseas League Vocal Competition. In 2010, he was the winner of the Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Scholarship, first runner-up in the Australian Liederfest, and the Australian Vocal & Arts Support Group Scholarship. He was a national finalist at the 2009 Australian Singing Competition, receiving the Guildhall School of Music & Drama Award, the Anselmo Colzani Prize, the Sheila Prior Australian Opera Auditions Committee Prize and the Phoebe Patrick Award. He was a national finalist in the 2009 Opera Australia Moffatt Oxenbould Young Artist Auditions, at which time he made his debut at the Sydney Opera House. The recipient of many other awards and scholarships, Mr Adams has also received scholarship offers for postgraduate study at the Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music.

In 2011 Mr Adams will make his debut at Wigmore Hall as part of the Voiceworks project, and make his European debut following a week of Masterclasses with June Anderson at the Teatro Consorziale di Budrio, Italy. In the past year Mr Adams has enjoyed a busy concert schedule, both in Australia and New Zealand. Opera roles include Papageno in The Magic Flute, Dappertutto in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas, Baritone in Four Note Opera, Yamadori in Madame Butterfly and Bob in The Old Maid and the Thief. Concert engagements include Purcell’s Come ye Sons of Art, Dvorak’s Stabat Mater (Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra), Bach’s St John Passion (The Orpheus Choir), David Hamilton’s Breaking the Quiet (Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra), and Handel’s Messiah (Royal Melbourne Philharmonic, Gloriana Chamber Choir, and Napier Civic Choir).