Graham Pushee was born in Australia. He studied with the tenor David Parker in Sydney. "Midsummer night's dream" was his debut stage (1973) as Oberon. At the 1977 'Churchill Fellowship Award' he was awarded the Special prize and went to London to study with Paul Esswood. After that he went to study at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Kurt Widmer and Rene Jacobs. He is regularly on stage as opera performer throughout Europe, Usa, Australia. He has been described : "powerful, slightly harsh tone; very, very agile; very confident and commanding in performance; opera seria actor. Also capable of very moving tone in quiet ballads that shut up the coughers in the audience...Truly magical singing and theatre...". Pushee's repertoire is huge, encompassing: from Handelian opera (having starred in Giulio Cesare, Serse, Alcina, Orlando, Poro, Rinaldo, Agrippina, Tamerlano, Admeto, Scipione...) to Baroque and comtemporary opera.

Selected performances

1973 (1, 8, 9 June): "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (Oberon), conducted by RogerCovell, Sydneyt 1975 (20 March) : Ars Nova's "Music for a Cathedral" (Machaut: Messe de Notre Dame; Williamson: Epitaths for Edith Sitwell; Poulenc: Litanies a la Vierge Noir, Ives: Psalm 90; Bruckner: Ecce Sacerdos), conducted by Bevan Leviston, St. Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne 1982 (June) : "Poro" (title role), conducted by Charles Farncombe, Karlsruhe Handel Festival 1985 (November) : Handel's "Samson" Bachwochen Festspiele - Dillenburg - Germany. Conducted by Wolfgang Schult (November) : J. S. Bach’s "Mass in B Minor" Bachwochen Festspiele - Dillenburg - Germany. With Emma Kirby, Andrew King, Howard Arman Conducted by Wolfgang Schult 1987 Handel's "Guilio Cesare" (title role) - Paris Opera, Paris 1989 (October/November): "Julius Caesar" (title role) - Houston Grand Opera, USA "Pushee was simply the leader of a consistently excellent cast. His portrayal of the Roman conqueror was a classic operatic characterization. He expressed a full range of humanity through glorious singing. Audience members may have opened their mouths at first hearing his treble-range voice, but they had to be captivated by the beauty of his musicality and the technical agility of his execution." (Source: Houston Chronicle, excerpt from a review written by Charles Ward) 1990 (February): "Admeto" (role of Trasimede), Karlsruhe Handel Festival (November): Handel's "Joseph and His Brethren" (title role), Maryland, Handel Festival, USA. "Pushee's voice floated across 'The Peasant Tastes the Sweets of Life' with mesmerising tenderness and grace." (written by Mark Carrington , source: The Washington Post) (December): Freudiana, written by Eric Woolfson, Theatre an der Wien in Vienna (Austria) 1991 (February): "Admeto" (role of Trasimede), Karlsruhe Handel Festival "Graham Pushee invests his incarnation of Trasimede with a totally baroque strangeness" . (Opera International) 1992 (September / October): Handel's "Alcina" as Ruggiero - Sydney, Australia "His singing was thrillingly accomplished. He has an appealing reedy tone and a magnificent control of the trilling and other decorative devices that are essential to true Handelian singing; his control of timbre and dynamics is masterly. Furthermore, his singing was accurate, brilliantly articulated and tonally even throughout his coloratura passages (especially at high velocity) and highly idiomatic." (by John Carmody, source: Sun Herald) 1993 Cavalli's "Calisto" as Endimione, conductor René Jacobobs (Bruxelles ) (June): Concert with Australian Brandenburg Orchestra (Sydney Opera House, Australia) "He is surely one of the great singers of our time. His voice has a remarkably wide range and is reassuringly secure in intonation. Whether he sings loudly or softly the tone is unfailingly evenly produced, though he can vary the colour of that tone. Whether it was the way he combined true musical refinement with the assurance of his delivery, whether it was the manner in which his tone was ideally scaled to the musical and textual sense or the sheer exciting satisfaction of his confident but never complacent music-making, this was a performance to treasure" . (Written by John Carmody, source: The Sydney Morning Herald) (October): Handel's "Tamerlano" as Andronico, Opera North, England, conductor Roy Goodman (December): Handel's "Messiah", Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide, Australia 1994 Handel's "Giulio Cesare" (title role) , Sydney, Australia (June/July): Concerts with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia ""I wonder whether the capacity audience would have come to this program, called Plaintives and Passacaglia, without the now-almost cult figure of counter-tenor Graham Pushee, whose artistry impels his luscious voice. He sang like a master of chamber music." ( written by Ken Healey, "Sun Herald") (July): Handel's "Belshazar", as Daniel, Sydney, Australia 1995 (January): Britten's "Midsummer night's dream" (Italy ) (March/April): Handel's "Guilio Cesare" (title role), Melbourne, Australia (December): Handel's "Messiah", Sydney Opera House, Australia 1996 Cavalli's "Calisto" as Endimione (Bruxelles) Conductor René Jacobs, with Marcello Lippi, Maria Bayo, Sonia Theodoridou, Hans Peter Kammerer, Alexander Oliver (April/May) : Handel's "Alcina" as Ruggiero, Melbourne, Australia "Graham Pushee sang Arsamenes, the king's brother, and gave a highly inflected reading of the part, fully responsive to the mood and situation. In the ornamental passages his technical virtuosity remains a wonder to behold" . (Written by Jim Davidson, source: The Age) (May): Concert with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Sydney, Australia (June): Handel's "Alcina" as Ruggiero, Sydney, Australia (July/August): Handel's "Xerxes", Melbourne, Australia "Graham Pushee sang Ruggiero, bringing to the role the great artistry we now expect of him. He wafts about the stage as though to the 18th century born, and imbues his singing with the same control; there is always an even, continuous flow, no matter how testing the music" . (Written by Jim Davidson, source: The Age) (September): Handel's "The Messiah", Handel & Haydn Society, Boston, USA 1997 (May): A. Scarlatti's "Oratorio per la Passione di Nostro Signore Gesu' Cristo", Goettingen Handel Festival, Germany, conductor Michael Schneider (July): Handel's "Giulio Cesare" (title role), Sydney, Australia Conductor Harry Bicket, director Francisco Negrín, (August): Handel's "Samson", as Micah, Sydney, Australia (December ): Cavalli's "La Calisto", Barcelona, Spain 1998 (January): Cavalli's "La Calisto", Barcelona, Spain "Graham Pushee's Endimion was exquisitely musical... After the beautiful ending, under a starry sky, this great operatic feast concluded with a sustained and enthusiastic standing ovation from the audience" (by Pau Nadal , "El Pais") Cavalli's "La Calisto", Frankfurt, Paris, Vienna, Madrid, Valencia (March): Handel's "Giulio Cesare" (title role), Boston -Usa- Conductor Christopher Hogwood "Graham Pushee did a fine job as Cesare. Not only is he an accomplished actor, but his voice seems to be produced very easily, not the slightest sign of forcing. Although he has notrill -essential in baroque opera- what so ever, his coloratura technique is flawless. He shot up to some ringing high notes, sang a few lovely high floating pianissimos and shaded and colored his voice quite beautifully" -Source: Ealyk- (April / May): Handel's "Xerxes", Geneva, Switzerland (August) : Handel's "Semele" , Innsbruck, Austria Conductor René Jacobs (September) : Handel's "Athalia", as Joad, Melbourne, Australia (October): Handel's "Giulio Cesare" (title role), Brisbane ,Australia Conductor Graham Abbott ""Graham Pushee, one of the great counter-tenors, is also revealed as an excellent actor in the title role - imperious at times, playful in a virtuoso challenge with solo violinist Tony Gault, a warrior awakened to the poetry of music and love." (written by Don Bray, "The Courier-Mail"). 1999 (Janury / February): Keiser's "Croesus" as Halimacus , Berlin, Germany (March / April): Cavalli's "Calisto" as Endimione, Lyon and Montpellier , France Conductor Rene Jacobs (May): Concert with Suzie le Blanc and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra (Sydney) "In a generous offering of four arias from Handel's Rinaldo, he was by turns plangent, exhilaratingly brisk as though running up a hill, fretful and thrillingly heroic" (Written by Peter McCallum, source: Sydney Morning Herald) (June /J uly): Handel's "Rinaldo" (title role) , Sydeney, Australia (October): Cesti's "L'Argia" as Selino, Theatre des Champs-Elysées, Paris Conductor René Jacobs "The countertenor Graham Pushee as Selino and the bass David Pittsinger as Atamante were pillars of dramatic and musical strength. Dorothee Jansen as Dorisbe, countertenor Christophe Laporte as Feraspe -Argia's brother-, Darina Takova as the courtesan Filaura, and the basses Gregory Reinhart and Antonio Abete all made solid contributions" (November / December): Handel's "Rinaldo" (title role) ,Melbourne, Australia "He sings the aria "Beloved bride, where have you gone?" with great feeling and a pure sotto-voce that would make rocks weep. Pushee's artistry is now at its zenith."(by John Slavin, source: The Age) (December): Handel's "Messiah", Sydney Opera House, Australia 2000 (January): Handel's "Giulio Cesare" (title role) , Sydney , Australia "... Graham Pushee, the laryngeal hit is immediate, direct and uncut. From the striking opening aria, Presti omai, sung from a curved walkway in front of the pit, he dispenses a rapid-fire accuracy, tensile vocal agility and remarkably unflagging stamina mixed with a highly persuasive dramatic presence. Undoubtedly the highlight though is Va tacito with horn obligato in Act I.Pushee delivers this inspired essay in Handelian simplicity and voice-leading perfection with masterful nobility and a full appreciation of the need for contrast of colour and inflection". From a review by Peter McCallum -Sydney Morning Herald- (February / March): Keiser's "Croesus" as Halimacus, Staatsoper UDL Berlin, Germany Conductor René Jacobs (March / April): Handel's "Giulio Cesare" (title role), Melbourne, Australia Conductor Graham Abbott ""Graham Pushee was brilliant as Cesare. His voice was in top form." (written by Michael Easton, "the Herald Sun") (October / November): " Tat'jana " , Graham Pushee as Matveev. World premiere at Teatro alla Scala , Milan, Italy Composed by Azio Corghi, conducted by Will Humburg "Among the singers, all very well prepared both vocally and dramatically, the male contralto Graham Pushee (Mateev, the chief comedian) deserves special mention" (Silvia Luraghi, Opera Japonica) 2001 (June) : Handel's "Tamerlano" as Andronico GoetheTheater Bad Lauchstäd, Halle an der Saale , Germany Théâtre des Champs Élysées, Paris , France Sadlers Wells Theatre , London , UK " ... Pushee makes the most of the memorable lyric beauty of 'Bella Asteria' and provides a tour de force of controlled legato in the aria 'Benché mi sprezzi l'idol che adoro' -Even though the idol I adore despise me-. His ability to decorate melody at its repetition, and the skill with wich he moved from a forceful middle register to high notes of a gentle fullness of tone, received some of the most sustained applause of the night. Press comment in Paris has given him and Norberg-Schulz the only unequivocally enthusistic assessments among the major princials ..." (From a review by Roger Covell) "The Australian countertenor Graham Pushee was in top form as Andronico, especially in the contemplative aria which should end the first act.....A feast of brilliant singing". (written by Rodney Milnes, "The Times") "By simply adhering to the scenario and the score, director Jonathan Miller and conductor Trevor Pinnock give us one of the best Handel opera productions in a long time..." "Graham Pushee is among the few countertenors who can act and sing with equal refinement..." (David Vickers, "Adante Magazine") 2002 (January / February / March / April / May) : Handel's "Tamerlano" Komische Oper, Berlin, Germany "This demanding opera requires two countertenors. The Komische Opera certainly delivered the goods and provided two outstanding artists, Axel Kohler in the role of Tamerlano and the Australian, Graham Pushee as Andronico. Both were superb and kept the audience in thrall. These artists both had the remarkable ability to move from a forceful middle register to high notes whilst maintaining full tone". (by Irving Spitz, "New York Education Update"). (June / July) : Cavalli's "La Calisto" Staatsoper, Berlin, Germany " ... Graham Pushee got huge cheers for his performance. He performed the tragic role of Endimione, the shepherd in love with Diana, the goddess of the moon. ..." " ... Graham Pushee sang beautifully and used a lot of colour in his singing, right down to the sweetest, softest notes. He really sang from the heart " "La Calisto has only two nights left in its season. English colleagues have said 'Kill for a ticket!'. That is not necessary. Simply charge at people and maim them with your umbrella" ("Der Tagesspiegel") (September 28) : concert with NZSO Chamber Orchestra at the Town Hall Concert Chamber, Auckland , New Zealand "...... Australian countertenor Graham Pushee proved an inspired soloist and made a major contribution to the concert, transforming Vivaldi's 'Cessate, omai Cessate' into a gripping operatic scena. Emotions veered from anguish to anger and the orchestra spun a web of Vivaldian enchantment around him. Two arias from Handel's Julius Caesar revealed Pushee the theatrical animal. Even in debonair tails with zany cummerbund, the countertenor's dramatic involvement made one imagine that he might have just struggled to shore in 'Dall'ondoso periglio'. Firing out recitative, occasionally clenching fists to make a point and then lulling us with incandescent lyricism, this was artistry of the highest order. 'Se in fiorito' was a virtuoso turn of Olympian proportions. Pushee obviously enjoyed trading licks with Armstrong's solo violin and made the vocal fireworks of the closing pages seem effortless. Sing me more and more and then some, I thought, taking liberties with the title of that old Billie Holiday song. There was, indeed, a short encore from Handel's Rinaldo ('Abbrugio, avampo e fremo') , but everyone wanted more. Now that our taste has been whetted, we need another visit. And wouldn't it be wonderful to see an artist such as this on stage in an operatic production ? " ("New Zealand Herald", by William Dart) (October 1) : concert with NZSO Chamber Orchestra at the Wellington Opera House, Wellington , New Zealand 2003 (May 12, 14, 16, 18 ) Cavalli's "La Calisto" Weiner Festwochen info - Theater an der Wien - Vienna - Austria Eternita Cinzia Forte, Natura Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, Destino Malena Ernman, Giove Marcello Lippi, Mercurio Hans-Peter Kammerer, Calisto Cinzia Forte, Endimione Graham Pushee, Diana Malena Ernman, Linfea Gilles Ragon, Satirino / Furie Dominique Visse, Pane Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, Silvano Henry Waddington, Giunone Sonia Theodoridou Conductor René Jacobs, Director / Stage and costume design Herbert Wernicke, Revival Dagmar Pischel, Light design Robert Brasseur, Production of Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels , Revival by Vienna Festival "...(since the cast was so good) we will only mention the best ones; the light and charming soprano of Cinzia Forte (Calisto), the warm mezzo of Marlena Ernman (Diana) which becomes more expressive from scene to scene, and the moving sensitivity of the countertenor Graham Pushee (Endimione) through which his laments ring out." (Die Presse, 14/5/03) " ...... Geniali, bisogna ripeterlo, tutti i personaggi buffi (Gilles Ragon, Graham Pushee, Dominique Visse, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt) che come gli altri cantanti non sono andati alla ricerca di un ideale di "bel canto", che ovviamente sarebbe stato fuori luogo per questo tipo di repertorio, ma hanno adattato la vocalità ai diversi personaggi e alle diverse situazioni a scopi espressivi e comici. (by Juri Giannini, "Il Giornale della Musica" ) (October 1, 4, 7, 10, 16, 18, 24, 30 , November 1 - 2003) ) Britten's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (Opera Australia production - info) Graham Pushee as Oberon. Director Baz Luhrmann, Conductor Tom Woods Sydney Opera House, Australia - info "Britten said he wanted singers who could act, but he could scarcely have hoped for an Oberon who could tinge both his supreme voice and his regal theatrical stature with curling malevolence bordering on evil as Graham Pushee does" (Written by Peter McCallum, The Sydney Morning Herald) "A night to remember" 'What happens when you mix Baz Luhrmann, William Shakespeare and Opera Australia? A magical retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream. We spoke to Graham Pushee about performing in Opera Australia's latest production'. Audio / video interview (From The Sydney Morning Herald news) Text version Graham Pushee talks about what it’s like to be in performing in an opera directed by Baz Luhrmann. Graham Pushee: "Exciting. It’s nice to see there’s a very clear concept, there’s a very clear idea as to what the goal of the production is, what it wants to achieve, what it wants to say, how it wants to look. It’s very well thought out, it’s very consistent within itself, and that’s the most important thing. Very often directors look at the actual play, and don’t actual realise that when it’s been turned into an opera, it has gone through a sort of metamorphosis. But this doesn’t happen here. There’s a really clear idea going through the whole thing. The concept’s very easy to understand and consistent and that’s really great, actually, terrific". Why do you think the role of Oberon was written for a countertenor? Graham Pushee: "I think countertenor being this sort of, for a lot of people, unusual voice type, this very high falsetto sound that a lot of people are not used to hearing, kind of creates a sort of abstraction, I think, and being King of the Fairies, it gives it a very sort of ethereal, exotic kind of otherworldly character, rather than just giving it to a tenor or a baritone or a bass or something, which would be fine but would be relatively “normal”, in inverted commas. Giving it to a countertenor gives it suddenly this very sort of eerie feeling to it and I think really suits the fact that he’s supposed to be king of the fairies, supposed to be other worldly, so the voice is this very sort of unusual sound that most people when they hear it for the first time sort of are a little bit taken aback because they’re not used to hearing a man sing as high as that. It’s basically the same range as a female alto but, of course, it’s a different color and a different quality of sound and that’s the thing that gives it that sort of special quality, I think, and suits the king of the fairies". How long does it take to become Oberon? Graham Pushee: "It takes about a half an hour of blue paint, and lots of shaving and shadowing and big wigs and long fingernails and all sorts of stuff, so it’s quite a process to get in and out of the costume. But the look is so exotic. And Titania’s world is very much pink and crimson and purple, and Oberon’s world is very much blue. So you’ve got that really contrasting pink and blue world of the fairy kingdom, with this very neutral almost beige creamy colour of the mortals, which is fantastic, actually, the contrast is wonderful". "Graham Pushee's lavishly coiffed Oberon is an elegant voluptuary who caresses each syllable of "I know a bank" as if it were a lover. He is ravishing and so is Amelia Farrugia, who sings Tytania with crystalline beauty and, in her midriff-baring sparkling red sari, could double as a movie stars" (Written by Deborah Jones, The Australian) "...outstanding singing by Graham Pushee as Oberon, Amelia Farrugia as Tytania, Conal Coad as Bottom, and the four lover: Thomas Moran, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Suzanne Johnston and Lisa Harper-Brown. Visually and aurally, this production is one of the company's masterpieces" (North Shore Times) "'Graham Pushee...was in superb form for this revival, acting his heart out and producing a wealth of richly nuanced singing' (Opera-Opera, November 2003, written by David Gyger ) (December 17, 19 - 2003) Handel's Messiah St Patrick's Cathedral - Melbourne - Australia Graham Abbott conductor, Jane Edwards soprano, Graham Pushee counter-tenor, Michael Martin tenor, Timothy DuFore baritone, Melbourne Chorale Ensemble choir info 2004 November 27 (at 9.05am), December 3 (at 12.05pm), December 6 (7.05pm) January 2005 (repeat of the program) (7.05pm) Graham Pushee special guest ABC Classic FM Australia "The Countertenor" This program looks at the voice of the adult male alto, known as the countertenor. His special guest is the renowned Australian countertenor Graham Pushee. Together they discuss the repertoire sung by countertenors, and the unique features of this remarkable vocal sound. You can listen to the interview HERE and HERE Listen to the latest programs ABC contact Frequency Guide, Schedule, Programs, Music details 2005 (July 21, 23 , 28, 30 , August 2, 5 - 2005) Handel's Rinaldo (in Italian) Sydney Opera House - Sydney - Australia Conductor:Trevor Pinnock. Rinaldo, Michael Chance; Almirena, Emma Matthews; Armida, Rachelle Durkin; Argante, Richard Alexander; Goffredo, Graham Pushee; Magic Christian, Richard Anderson. Opera Australia - info , customer service staff Tel:+61 2 93418 8228 Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney 2001, NSW, Australia Tel: +61 2 9250 7777, Fax:+61 2 9310 4917 " .... both Graham Pushee and Michael Chance were convincing protagonists. As the Christian general Goffredo, Pushee's steely, incisive tone and security of line conveyed his character's steadfast nobility and he gained in strength and confidence during the performance". ".... Even if you are not a devotee of baroque opera, this production is worth seeing for Pinnock's inspired direction and the uniformly impressive performances of the cast" (Written by Murray Black, The Australian) "[Graham Pushee] is a consummately musicianly singer, every note showing evidence of careful preparation while at the same time he sings with passion and has a commanding on-stage charisma, belying his slender build; he also has a rousing squillo in the higher range of his voice." (by Sandra Bowdler, The Opera Critic) 2005 September 3 (10am, repeated 10pm) "Music Show" presented by Andrew Ford Guests: Michael Chance Graham Pushee ABC Classic FM Australia You can listen to the interview HERE at ABC Recent Programs and Audio "3rd September, 2005" program credits" (September 7, 10, 14, 17 , 20, 23 - 2005) Britten's Death in Venice (in English) Sydney Opera House - Sydney - Australia Conductor: Richard Hickox. Philip Langridge; Peter Coleman-Wright; Voice of Apollo, Graham Pushee Opera Australia - info , customer service staff Tel:+61 2 93418 8228 Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney 2001, NSW, Australia Tel: +61 2 9250 7777, Fax:+61 2 9310 4917 "'Graham Pushee, the idealised character of Apollo, is resplendent and golden-voiced, bringing a more efflorescent sound to the vocal mix." (Peter McCallum, Sydney Morning Herald ) "'As the Voice of Apollo, countertenor Graham Pushee makes a chilling, other-worldly impact." (Murray Black, The Australian ) "As the figurative Apollo, countertenor Graham Pushee delivers an ominous presence: his introductory line, 'He who loves beauty worships me' sends chills straight to the little hairs on the back of one’s spine. " (Benjamin Chee, Inkpot) 2006 (October 11 - 2006) Opera Australia 50th Birthday gala concert at Sydney Opera House conducted by music director Richard Hickox, will feature singers Graham Pushee, Richard Alexander, Richard Anderson, Jud Arthur, Cheryl Barker, Kanen Breen, Catherine Carby, Henry Choo, Peter Coleman-Wright, Elizabeth Connell, Sarah Crane, Christopher Dawes, Warwick Fyfe, Lisa Gasteen, Fiona Janes, Natalie Jones, Yvonne Kenny, Hye Seoung Kwon, Rosario La Spina, Michael Lewis, Bruce Martin, Emma Matthews, John Pringle, Sally-Anne Russell, Tiffany Speight, Pamela Helen Stephen, Glenn Winslade, Elizabeth Whitehouse and John Bolton Wood.