ABOUT
"Samuel Sakker easily overcomes the obstacles of one of the most exhausting tenor roles in the repertoire, but he lets his Tristan fly before giving it substance in the third act..."
- Philippe Venturini, Les Echos
"Sakker sang the gruelling tenor part in Das Lied von der Erde wonderfully. His is a natural Wagnerian Heldentenor of amazingly dark, rounded power and heft"
- Stephen Jay-Taylor, Opera Brittania
London-based Australian tenor, Samuel Sakker studied Music at the Queensland Conservatorium and was a member of the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House from 2014-16. Winner of the 2017 Wagner Society UK Singing Competition, Samuel has also received awards from the Grange Festival International Singing Competition, Bel Canto Singing Competition, and the International Opera Awards.
In the 2022/23 season, Sakker makes his role debut as the title role in Wagner's epic, transcendental masterpiece, Tristan und Isolde with the Opéra National de Lorraine and Theâtre Caen under the baton of Leo Hussain. He also enjoys concert performances of Tristan und Isolde Act 2 with the George Enescu Philharmonic in Bucharest, as well as performances of Verdi's Requiem in Christchurch, New Zealand with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.
A former Royal Opera House company principal, his career highlights include: Erik Der Fliegende Holländer (Opéra du Rennes & Opéra Angers-Nantes, Nederlandse Reisopera, Cape Town Opera); Siegmund Die Walküre (Melbourne Opera); Florestan Fidelio (Lyric Opera Ireland); Don Josè Carmen (Danish National Opera); Federico L'arlesiana (Opera Holland Park); Tikhon & Boris Katya Kabanova (Scottish Opera); Pollione Norma (Melbourne Opera); David Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (State Opera of South Australia); Alfredo La traviata (The Royal Opera, Covent Garden); Cavaradossi Tosca (English Touring Opera) Laertes in the Australian premiere of Brett Dean’s Hamlet (Adelaide Festival); and many other roles for The Royal Opera, Opera Australia, West Australian Opera and Opera Queensland.
On the concert platform he has appeared as tenor soloist in Mozart’s Requiem on The Royal Opera Japan Tour with Sir Antonio Pappano and Joyce DiDonato; title role in Lili Boulanger’s Faust et Hélène with Alan Gilbert (Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra & BBC Symphony Orchestra); Das lied von der Erde (Stadttheater Klagenfurt, The Royal Ballet & English National Ballet); tenor soloist A Child of Our Time (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra); Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra); Verdi’s Messa da Requiem (Anghiari Festival, Italy); title role in Liszt's unfinished opera Sardanapalo (Suoni dal Golfo Festival, Italy); James Nolan in the Grammy nominated recording of Doctor Atomic (BBC Symphony Orchestra) and in concert at the Barbican under the baton of John Adams; Ulrik in William Alwyn’s Miss Julie (BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chandos Records); Bottesini’s Messa da Requiem (Brisbane Festival); tenor soloist (Last Night of the BBC Proms in Hyde Park); opened for British band TAKE THAT with Nessun Dorma at the British Summer Time Festival in London’s Hyde Park; as well as Opera Gala Concerts at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, the Bridgwater Hall, Manchester, and Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.