Popular opera singer hits the right note for Perth return

After studying in Wales for the past 10 months, Perth opera singer Roberto Abate is headed back to the west this August for several performances. With brackets of art song by Strauss, Tosti and Puccini, he’s also adding some of his favourite operatic arias and popular classical pieces into the mix. Abate has been singing all his life but only started studying it seriously once he left high school. “I always loved singing but what made me take it seriously was the feeling I would get after a performance,” the 25-year-old said. “When an audience feels hate, love and empathy for a character I have played, it brings me joy. “To have been able to touch someone – if even slightly and for only a moment – it’s the best gift in the world. “My father had a beautiful voice and I grew up with opera and his singing around the house which, in the end, inspired me a lot.” It’s a passion that’s paid off for Abate… in 2009, he made his lead role debut with WA Opera as Nemorino in L'elisir D'amore and then debuted with the WA Symphony Orchestra for a gala concert with South Korean soprano Sumi Jo. The same year he was named Wesfarmers Young Artist and went on receive the Australian International Opera Award scholarship in 2010-11 and a grant from the Robert Salzer Foundation, a trust supporting the arts. “I hope to take my career as far as it can go,” Abate said. “I’d like to one day sing on all the world’s great stages and concert halls. “I want to be able to touch people and the best way I can see to do that is through art. To be able to do this on a world level would be amazing.” Abate originally headed to Wales to study at the Cardiff International Academy of Voice, run by international operatic tenor and acclaimed teacher Dennis O'Neill. But fate dealt a blow when the academy closed it doors, due to funding cuts, just before he arrived. “With the scholarship money I acquired, I was able to study privately with Dennis, doing about two lessons a week, also getting coaching from other industry professionals,” Abate said. Abate performs at Nedlands Uniting Church (corner Princess Road and Bruce Street) on August 6, Trinity College’s Robert Braham Auditorium on August 7 and Subiaco’s St Joseph’s Church on August 20. All shows start 7.30pm. Tickets are $25, $20 concession – book on 0434 711 576 or email ticketing.robertoabate@gma​il.com. The concerts are to help Abate raise funds so he can raise funds to he can return to Cardiff and study at Dennis O'Neill’s new school, the Wales International Academy of Voice.