After studying piano, violin from an early age, Australian bass Damian Whiteley gained a degree in music & languages at the University of Sydney, later studying at Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester & on the young artist programme (IOS) at Opernhaus Zürich. Damian speaks English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

 

Damian was a member of l'Académie Européenne de Musique, and appeared in Peter Brook’s production of Don Giovanni conducted by Claudio Abbado/Daniel Harding at Festival d'Aix-en-Provence & subsequent world tour.

Damian has performed regularly with William Christie & Les Arts Florissants: (Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea), and the Opera Comique in Paris (Dido & Aeneas), both productions on DVD.

He has appeared with Pinchgut Opera as Caronte/Plutone in Monteverdi’s Orfeo and Ismenor in Rameau’s Dardanus (both released on ABC Classics).

 

Other highlights include the title role in Salieri's Falstaff, Phanuel in Massenet’s Herodiade, Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra at the Wildbad Rossini Festspiel, Musica Speranza at the Salzburg Landestheater, Achilla in Cesare e Cleopatra at Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg, Pasquariello in Don Giovanni and Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, both at Kammeroper Konstanz. Damian also toured Switzerland as bass soloist in the Mozart Requiem with Ad Fontes followed by an extensive tour of Stefano Landi's Il Sant Alessio with William Christie & Les Arts Florissants (Paris, London, New York, Caen, Nancy, Luxembourg - DVD Virgin Classics).

 

Damian recently appeared as Plutone and Corista in Hadyn’s  Orfeo ed Euridice with Maestro Bonynge, Bartolo in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with Lyric Opera Dublin, Grande Inquisitore in Verdi’s Don Carlo in Valladolid, the world premiere of Somtow’s Dan No Ura and Sarastro in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte for Opera Siam in Bangkok, he covered the role of Osmin in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail for Garsington Opera in the UK.

 

He has recorded a solo CD Bass Instinct with pianist Tamara-Anna Cislowska and toured Australia, New Zealand, Germany & Switzerland in mozart & ME, a one-man show by Melvyn Morrow, based on the life of Lorenzo Da Ponte.

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In 2017, Damian debuts with Lyric Opera of Melbourne performing Seneca in their L'incoronazione di Poppea.