Draft:Gerard Schneider (tenor)

Gerard Schneider (born April 8th, 1988) is an Austrian-Australian operatic tenor. He has performed leading roles at major opera houses and festivals around the world, including the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, Teatro Real, Wexford Festival Opera, and the Salzburger Festspiele. Schneider is particularly known for his interpretations of works by Dvořák, Massenet, and Tchaikovsky.

Life and career
Schneider was born in East Melbourne, Australia. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London (2012–2014), Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg, and National Opera Studio in London (2015). Schneider also attended the Young Singers Project at the Salzburger Festspiele and was a resident artist at the Manchester Music Festival in Vermont, USA. While in residency at Juilliard under Edith Wiens from 2015 to 2017, Schneider appeared as Boris Grigoryevich in Janáček's Katya Kabanova, Harlekin in Ullmann's Der Kaiser von Atlantis, and tenor soloist in the Juilliard Songfest at Alice Tully Hall.

In his early career, Schneider has graced the stages of prestigious venues, including The German Forum at Lincoln Center, the New York Festival of Song with Steven Blier, as well as the Bavarian Radio, Steingraeber Hall in Bayreuth, and with the Salzburg Camerata.

Since 2018, Schneider has appeared in leading roles at Oper Frankfurt, including the title role in Werther, Lensky in Eugene Onegin, the Prince in Rusalka, Vaudémont in Iolanta, Lyonel in Martha, the Duke in Rigoletto, the Shepherd in Szymanowski's King Roger, and Narraboth in Salome. Schneider has achieved great success in his signature role of the Prince in Dvořák's Rusalka.

In the 2023–2024 season, Schneider led a production of Offenbach's Les brigands at Oper Frankfurt, starring as the bandit chief Falsacappa in a new production directed by Katharina Thoma. He is also set to appear as Leopold in a new production of Halévy's La Juive at Oper Frankfurt, alongside Ambur Braid in the title role and John Osborn as Eleazar. In the 2024–2025 season, Schneider will sing Prince Juri in the first revival of Tchaikovsky's The Sorceress at Oper Frankfurt.

In addition to his opera performance, Schneider's concert engagements have seen him perform with renowned orchestras. During the lockdown, he collaborated with Takeshi Moriuchi to present a series of highly successful recitals for American Express clients worldwide.

Critical reception
Gerard Schneider has garnered widespread acclaim for his captivating performances in a variety of operatic roles. Reviews have praised Schneider's "imposing stage presence and a vivid range of colour and warmth of tone that compels attention." Schneider's portrayals of the Shepherd in King Roger and the Prince in Rusalka have been particularly lauded. As the Shepherd, he has been hailed as "the embodiment of the seducer," with a "highly lyrical and seductive tenor" and a "stunning and engaging personality." His acting prowess has also been commended, with critics highlighting his ability to draw the audience to his side and embody liberty and sensual pleasure. In the role of the Prince in Rusalka, The Telegraph praised his "clean-toned, ringing heft" in the challenging role, while The Guardian highlighted his "equally passionate" performance in the final scene with the title character, creating "a torrent of sound and emotion that is overwhelming." The Times noted his "vibrantly sung Prince," and The Spectator declared his singing "as good as opera gets, on a par with anything you'd experience in a major international house."

Awards
Schneider's awards include the Phoebe Patrick Award, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Prize, the David Harper Prize, the Australian Opera Auditions Committee Prize at the Australian Singing Competition (2011), and the Royal Over-Seas League Competition Tait Memorial Trust Prize (2014).