“An ideal fit for this aria, Burden demonstrated both musical phrasing and stylish ornamentation, as well as flashes of cleanly executed coloratura in a refined and highly-enjoyable performance.” - Classic Melbourne
“The singers poured emotion into the music, with Burden demonstrating his clear and beautiful tone” - Cut Common
Michael Burden is a Sydney-based countertenor who enjoys a varied career of operatic, concert, and choral repertoire. His performed roles include Nireno in Handel’s Giulio Cesare for Pinchgut Opera, Rosencrantz (cover) in Dean’s Hamlet for Opera Australia, Ottone in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Oberon in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Une Scythe in Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride, Sorceress / Second Witch / The Spirit in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Secrecy/Summer in Purcell’s Fairy Queen and Hyacinthus in Mozart’s Apollo et Hyacinthus.
Chorus credits include Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice and Iphigénie en Tauride, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Fairy Queen, and Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.
A seasoned concert performer, Michael’s solo concert credits include Vivaldi’s Nisi Dominus with Adelaide Baroque; Gloria with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, and the Vivaldi Vespers (Stabat Mater, Magnificat & Beatus Vir) with Brisbane Chamber Choir . Handel’s Dixit Dominus with Royal Melbourne Philharmonic, Messiah, Nisi Dominus, Didymus (Theodora) and Joad in (Athalia.) Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Magnificat; Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit, J.S. Bach’s St Matthew’s Passion with Fiori Musicali Armidale; and numerous Bach cantatas.
He has worked throughout Australia with ensembles including Pinchgut Opera, Opera Australia, Bach Akademie, Adelaide Baroque, and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra; and with conductors including Tim Anderson, Tahu Matheson, Erin Helyard, Madeleine Easton, and Paul Dyer AO.
An experienced choister, Michael has been a regular collaborator with the Choir of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra since 2021 - appearing in concert series Noël! Noël!, Paradisum, Ottoman Baroque, Vivaldi and the Four Seasons, and Notre Dame. Additionally, he has held positions as Head Lay Clerk with St Paul’s College Choir, where he has sung in collaboration with Ensemble Apex (Four Seasons Recomposed), and with St Andrews Cathedral Choir for their regional tours to Brisbane, and international tours through England, France and Italy. He has also appeared regularly with Sydney Conservatorium Choir and Chamber Choir, under directors Neil McEwan, Elizabeth Scott, and Paul Stanhope.
A passionate exponent of new music, Michael has appeared with composer-collective Konzertprojekt, collaborating with composers to create works specific to the countertenor voice. He has premiered the role of Cyril Scott in Matthew’s/Smith’s Percy Grainger – The Opera, gave the live premiere for Felicity Wilcox’s Threading the Light, and has worked extensively in chamber vocal ensembles specialising in new solo and choral works.
Michael holds a Master of Music Studies (Opera Performance), completed with the guidance of Dr David Greco at the Sydney Conservatorium, having previously completed a Bachelor of Music Performance (Classical Voice) from the same institution with Andrew Dalton. He was supported during his postgraduate studies by the Donald Lionel Edgerton Scholarship.