Nathan Bryon’s dream opportunity came his way as the recipient of the 21st German Australian Opera Grant.
This promising young opera singer was given a (junior) 12-month employment contract with the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden (HSW) plus an intensive language course at the Goethe-Institut in Germany.
He is also given one month’s work experience at the A- Grade Opera House to get accustomed to the procedures before commencing his contract and $5000 to help prepare him for his time overseas.
This is no mere competition but an exhaustive audition and interview process leading to him joining an elite company of solo singers in a fully-fledged German A-Graded opera house.
“Being selected for the German-Australian Opera Grant this year is a huge honour. It is recognised as one of the most prestigious competitions in Australia, and I have always admired previous winners and their remarkable achievements in Wiesbaden and beyond.
“This award marks a significant milestone for me in my path as an emerging artist and I’m extremely grateful, “ said Nathan Bryon, a tenor from NSW who recently graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with an Artist’s Diploma.
He is also a proud alumnus of Melba Opera Trust and holds a Bachelor of Music (performance) from The Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
With many prestigious awards under his belt, he has already covered and performed many operatic roles and looks forward to leaving in December for Vienna to undertake the Michael Byrne Vienna State Opera Award with the Opera Foundation for Young Australians before commencing the GAOG position in Wiesbaden.
Director and benefactor, Hans Henkell supports opera because he has a lifelong passion for this art form and finds great satisfaction in helping Australian opera singers travel to Germany, the mecca of operatic singing.
“Already, with a thorough education and overseas experience, Nathan was ‘most stage-ready’ to take advantage of this amazing opportunity,” said Dr David Kram, Artistic Director of the MTO-German Australian Opera Grant.

• Lucy Nicolson