Lawrence Allen - Australian Tenor - Cielo e mar ( Performance from SHOWCASE 70 Hector Crawford )

AUSTRALIAN TENOR LAWRENCE ALLEN was born in Victoria and undertook his early education in Horsham. It was here that his talent as a violinist was brought to the attention of local music identity Mavis Muller. He first studied voice with Brian Hansford at the Melbourne University Conservatorium of Music, where he had won a scholarship. Lawrence later studied for many years with Bettine McCaughan. In 1970, he won the nationally televised talent quest "Showcase". During the 1970s, Lawrence performed with Opera Melbourne, singing leading roles in Cosi fan tutte, Marriage of Figaro, Barber of Seville and Don Pasquale. In 1980 he went to study in London with Eric Vietheer and Geoffrey Parsons, participating in a series of Master Classes given by Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and televised by the B.B.C. He returned to Australia competing in major competitions reaching finals at the Metropolitan Opera Auditions, Melbourne Sun Aria and State finals in the A.B.C. Vocal Concerto Competition. After that Lawrence enjoyed a wide and varied career performing with many opera companies, including The Australian Opera, West Australian Opera, Victoria State Opera and English National Opera. Lawrence performed the role of Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor for West Australian Opera, Cavaradossi in Tosca for Mercury Opera, Auckland and performed as soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Canberra, where he attracted the attention of the internationally renowned Australian tenor Ronald Dowd who became his mentor. Lawrence first sang as tenor soloist in the Verdi Requiem for West Australian Opera, a role he has performed often. In 1987 he covered Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola with The Australian Opera and appeared as Zorn in The Australian Opera’s Bicentenary production of Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg. Subsequently, he recorded a radio broadcast program of operatic arias, English Art Songs, Contemporary Australian songs, old Italian arias and Schubert Lied for the ABC. In London he studied with renowned vocal therapist Dr Margaret Lobo and worked with Mary Nash, repetiteur at Covent Garden and Victor Morris, Head of Auditions at the E.N.O. He was appointed Director of the Marylebone Opera Studio working with young professional singers, giving workshops on Der Rosenkavalier, La Cenerentola and Cosi fan tutte. The Opera Studio performed at a number of concerts in London in conjunction with Victor Morris Entertainments and the Marylebone Music Therapy Unit. Lawrence sang in recitals and concerts in and around London, performing with the London Philharmonia Society at Royal Festival Hall and Chelsea Opera Group at Queen Elizabeth Hall. He has performed throughout England and Scotland in the oratorios of Handel's Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Verdi’s Requiem. At the end of 1990 Lawrence flew to Sydney to assist at the Ronald Dowd School for Singers, Bathurst. He performed at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by Victor Morris for the Ronald Dowd Memorial Concert where he received a standing ovation for his rendition of the aria Pour mon ame from The Daughter of the Regiment by Donizetti with its nine top Cs. In March 1991, Lawrence returned to Britain to perform the role of Prunier in Puccini’s La Rondine with Chelsea Opera Group at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Lawrence then went on to rehearse with English National Opera in Don Carlos, performing as a Flemish Courtier. Since that time he has performed in roles including Don Jose in Carmen, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem and in the first performance ever in Australia of Strauss’s Die frau ohne Schatten, conducted by Simone Young.