Sam Roberts-Smith

Sam Roberts-Smith (born 30 December 1985) is an Australian operatic baritone who has performed with the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opera Australia, West Australian Opera, the Ten Tenors, Sydney Philharmonia, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and various other opera companies in Australia and overseas. Roberts-Smith was born in Perth, Western Australia, to Sue and Len Roberts-Smith. He attended Hale School, as did his older brother, Ben Roberts-Smith. He graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2008 where he sang in an alternating cast the role of John Proctor in the Australian premiere of Robert Ward's opera The Crucible. He joined Opera Australia in 2009 where he made his principal debut as Moralès in Carmen in 2011. That same year Roberts-Smith joined the Opera Australia Young Artist Program and subsequently the principal artist ensemble. Performed Opera Australia repertoire includes Macbeth, The Mikado, A Midsummer Nights Dream, La bohème, Lakmé, Eugene Onegin, Tosca, Manon, La traviata, Carmen, Der Rosenkavalier, La sonnambula, Les pêcheurs de perles, Madama Butterfly, La fanciulla del West, Il trovatore, The Magic Flute, Bliss, Rigoletto, and Don Giovanni. He has won numerous Australian and international awards, including the Joan Sutherland Vocal Scholarship, first place in the 2009 Australian Singing Competition, Symphony Australia Young Vocalist Award, Best Performance Award at the 2014 Paris Opera Awards, and the inaugural Deutsche Oper Berlin Award in 2016. He joined The Ten Tenors from 2015 to 2017, and toured Australia, the US and Argentina with them. Recorded DVD performances include Remendado in Carmen for Opera Australia in their 2013 Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour by ABC Classics, and Der Rosenkavalier recorded live at the Sydney Opera House. In August 2014, he was invited to sing the national anthem at the National Memorial Service for the victims of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, held at Melbourne's St Patricks Cathedral.