Arts Global

Baritone Laurence Meikle established himself as one of Australia’s sought after young opera performers before relocating to the UK in 2008. In Australia, he performed principal roles with Opera Australia, Victorian Opera and Melbourne Opera, as well as appearing regularly as a guest soloist with many of Australia’s best orchestras and ensembles.

Mr Meikle gained initial experience with Melbourne based opera companies, especially Melbourne Opera, with whom he sang many roles, including Guglielmo (Cosi fan tutte), Masetto (Don Giovanni), Schaunard (La Boheme), Angelotti (Tosca), Il Commissario (Madama Butterfly), Pinellino (Gianni Schicchi), and Carceriere (Tosca). During this time, he performed in the chamber operas The Obelisk (Easton) and Amahl and the Night Visitors (Menotti) at the Port Fairy Festival, and excited critics with his performances of Malatesta in Don Pasquale for the 2008 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Quickly gaining recognition for his stage charisma and mature baritone voice, he was invited to sing Littore/Consul in L’incoronazione di Poppea and cover Belcore in L’Elisir D'Amore for Victorian Opera, before making his Opera Australia debut at age 25, singing the role of Luiz in The Gondoliers at the Sydney Opera House.

In 2008, Mr Meikle relocated to the UK to pursue further training and career opportunities. Study on the opera course at London’s Royal Academy of Music has seen his voice develop under the guidance of tenor Ryland Davies. Recent opera roles have included Schaunard in the Cock Tavern Theatre’s acclaimed and long-running production of La Boheme, Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas with Laurence Cummings and the Aestas Ensemble, and Martino in Rossini’s L’occasione fa il Ladro for Royal Academy Opera, for which he was awarded the coveted Opera Rara Bel Canto Prize.

Recent concert highlights have included an opera gala tour to Hong Kong with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, the role of the Messenger in the London Handel Festival’s gala performance of Belshazzar, and a recital by Royal Command for her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Highness Prince Phillip. Laurence features on a recently released Elgar disk for SOMM recordings, The Fringes of the Fleet, which was named Classic FMs "CD of the Month" for December, and was included in Gramophone Magazine’s "Top Ten Recordings" for 2009.

Under Jane Glover, Mr Meikle recently sang the role of Hercules in Royal Academy Opera’s production of Cavalli’s Il Giasone, and under Laurence Cummings, the title role in Handel’s Saul for the Spitalfields Festival with the Royal Academy Baroque Orchestra. Upcoming appearances include the role of the Secret Police Agent in Menotti’s The Consul for the Shoreditch Festival, followed by a busy summer, with activities including study with Sir John Tomlinson at the London Master Classes, with Barbara Bonney at the Salzburg Mozarteum International Summer Academy, with Montserrat Caballe at her own master class sessions in Spain, as well as a busy concert schedule including appearances in France, Italy and the UK.

Please visit Mr Meikle's personal website, www.laurencemeikle.com.au, for further information.