Shanul Sharma
Tenor
Tenor Shanul Sharma, celebrated for his “dazzling fireworks” (The Age), “laser-like precision” (Limelight Magazine), “radiant high notes” (Opera Libera), and “resplendent clarity” (Sydney Morning Herald), has been described as “Gandhi reincarnate” (Oper! Magazin) and is recognised as the first Indian-born Australian to perform as a principal artist in an Australian opera (SBS News).
Born in Jabalpur, India, Shanul relocated to Australia to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and, during this time began his musical journey as the lead vocalist in heavy metal bands releasing three original studio albums. Seeking new artistic avenues, he turned to classical singing and moved from Wagga Wagga to Melbourne in 2013 to start training privately as an opera singer. Since then, he has performed in opera houses, concert halls, arenas and stadiums across Europe, Australia, Russia, and the UK.
Shanul made his operatic debut in 2014 with Opera Australia as ‘Don Ramiro’ in Rossini’s La Cenerentola. He later joined the company’s Moffatt-Oxenbould Young Artist Programme (2018-2021), where he earned critical acclaim for roles such as ‘Il Conte di Libenskof’ in Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims (2019), ‘Der Student Arkenholz’ in Reimann’s Die Gestpenstersonate (2019), ‘Il Conte d’Almaviva’ in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia (2023), ‘M.K. Gandhi’ in Philip Glass’ Satyagraha (2023) and ‘Tamino’ in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (2024). In January 2025, Shanul returns to Opera Australia to reprise his role as ‘Il Conte d’Almaviva’ in Elijah Moshinsky’s renowned production of Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Sydney Opera House and the Regent Theatre, Melbourne (October 2025).
Shanul has also performed in major roles at other prestigious houses, including the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, where he sang ‘Il Conte di Libenskof’ in Il viaggio a Reims (2020, 2019), and at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy (2018). In September/October 2024 he appeared as ‘M.K. Gandhi’ in Staatsoper Hannover’s new production of Philip Glass’ Satyagraha directed by Daniel Kramer, where his portrayal of the iconic figure was critically praised for it’s sincere and authentic delivery. Other notable appearances include the title role in Mozart’s Mitridate, Re di Ponto at Teatro Olimpico for Festival Vicenza in Lirica (2021), ‘Il Conte d’Almaviva’ in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Teatro del Giglio, Lucca (2018), ‘Lindoro’ in Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri for Fondazione Rete, Italy (2022), and ‘Gennaro’ in Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia for Melbourne Opera (2022). In December 2023, he created the role of ‘Papa Urbano VIII’ in the opera Galileo, composed and conducted by Richard Mills AO and directed by Stuart Maunder AM for Victorian Opera.
On the concert stage, Shanul has represented the Rossini Opera Festival as the tenor soloist in Rossini’s Stabat Mater at LaVerdi Auditorium in Milan, conducted by Claus Peter Flor, and at the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo (2018). He has also performed with the Welsh National Opera Orchestra at the Llangollen Festival in Wales under the baton of Christopher Tin for his Grammy Award-winning composition Calling All Dawns (2017), and with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra for Mazda Opera in the Domain under the direction of Brian Castles-Onion AM (2019). In 2023, he collaborated with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra for the Perth International Festival, conducted by Richard Mills AO. These performances were broadcast on S4C TV (UK) and ABC Classic FM (Australia).
Demonstrating his versatility, in late 2022, Shanul toured as the lead vocalist with Eric Lévi’s French new-age group +eRa+ appearing across France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Luxembourg to audiences totaling over 60,000. The tour featured Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum artists Rob Harris and Paul Turner of Jamiroquai, Ged Lynch of Peter Gabriel, Nicola Montazaud, and Eric Lévi himself. In January 2025, Shanul performed the Indian national anthem to a sold-out Sydney Cricket Ground and a global TV audience of over 50 million to kick-off the ‘Pink Test’ between Australia and India.
A Master’s graduate in Advanced Vocal Studies from the Wales International Academy of Voice, Shanul is the only artist to have won both the ‘Canto Lirico’ and ‘Rossini International Award’ in Pesaro, Italy in the same year (2017). He was also awarded with Broadway World Sydney’s ‘Best Performer in an Opera – Male’ for his role as ‘Der Student Arkenholz’ in Die Gespenstersonate (2019) and was nominated for ‘Outstanding Performance in a Lead Role’ at the 2024 Green Room Awards for his portrayal of ‘M.K. Gandhi’ in Satyagraha.