Australian/British baritone Byron Watson completed an Honours Music degree at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama (GSMD), studying with Rudolf Piernay and Janice Chapman.
He received scholarships from the Australian Opera Auditions Committee Inc., the GSMD Trust and the Ian Potter Foundation.
In 2012 Byron’s engagements include performing the role of Ray Clark in Gordon Kerry’s new opera Midnight Son for Victorian Opera.
In 2011 Byron sang in the ensemble of the French premiere of Sweeney Todd at Le Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and performed the roles of Stubb in Moby Dick and Moralès in Carmen for the State Opera of South Australia.
Other recent engagements include the roles of Mr Lindquist and Frid and covering Anthony Warlow as Fredrik Egerman in Opera Australia’s A Little Night Music and appearing as Harry and understudying Richard E Grant as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady with Opera Australia, which toured to Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney and New Zealand. He also sang the role of Alessio, and one performance as Rodolfo, in La Sonnambula for Pacific Opera, as well as the role of Walter Burley Griffin in Capitol with the Street Theatre, Canberra.
In the United Kingdom Byron sang the title role in the world premiere of Jonathan Dove’s opera, The Enchanted Pig, for the Young Vic Theatre Company, which toured nationally, and a concert with Thomas Adès and Northern Sinfonia. He also appeared on BBC Radio 3 In Tune with Jonathan Dove and as both the Wolf and Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods, for ROH2 at Linbury Studio Theatre for the Royal Opera House.
In 2010, he returned to London to sing in Carmen (also covering the role of Dancairo) at the O2 Arena.
Byron sang in the Domain on Australia Day as part of the 2010 National Holiday celebrations, was a prize winner in the 2010 Australian-German Opera Grant, Melbourne, sang in the Highlights of Opera Concert for the Australian Opera Auditions Committee at the Sydney Opera House and in solo and joint concerts in Sydney and Orange, with Simon Kenway at the piano, which were featured on ABC Classic FM, and continues as a popular guest artist for High Tea at Sydney Opera House.
Byron has also been a guest of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Barony Hall in Glasgow, a baritone soloist in the Matthäus-Passion with the Northern Sinfonia under the direction of Sir Roger Norrington and similarly with the Glasgow Symphony Orchestra.
He also sang the role of Peter in Elgar’s The Kingdom with the Buxton Symphony Orchestra.
He has given solo and joint recitals in the UK, Norway, Portugal and Australia, where he was broadcasted on ABC Television.
Byron also sang Prince Yamadori/Imperial Commissioner for Clonter Opera’s production of Madam Butterfly, and covered Sharpless, and sang Sciarrone in Tosca for English Touring Opera.
While studying at GSMD, Byron understudied Anthony in Sweeney Todd (directed by David McVicar) for Opera North, was a prize-winner of the Great Elm Vocal Awards, and was a finalist of the Kathleen Ferrier Bursary.
In 2002, Byron made his film and television debut as Dick in Tomorrow La Scala (based on Sweeney Todd), a BBC feature film, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.
Following this, Byron joined the Opera School of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, receiving the RSAMD Endowment Trust International Scholarships on two occasions, two bursaries from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust and an award from the Tait Memorial Trust. Roles there included Count Almaviva (Edinburgh Festival Theatre), Demetrius, Don Inigo Gomez and Melisso.
Other roles performed in part include Onegin, Pandolfe (Cendrillon), Lescaut, Marcello, Papageno, Bottom, Guglielmo and Don Giovanni.
Byron also received a full scholarship to attend the inaugural “Song in Collaboration” Summer School at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada, where he gave recitals and participated in masterclasses with Ian Burnside and Edith Wiens.
He has participated in other masterclasses including Sir Thomas Allen and the Samling Foundation, Donald Maxwell in association with the Friends of Scottish Opera, Martin Katz, Graham Johnson, Francois le Roux and Rosalind Plowright.
