Congratulations to baritone, Julien Van Mellaerts who was presented with The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Laureate by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa at Opera Holland Park

Julien Van Mellaerts and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa at Opera Holland Park (Photo: Chris Christodoulou)

Congratulations to baritone Julien Van Mellaerts who was presented with The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Laureate by the Foundation’s Founder and Chair, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, at a gala concert to celebrate Dame Kiri’s 80th birthday at Opera Holland Park. 

The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation was created by Dame Kiri in 2003 and is committed to assisting outstanding young New Zealand singers who have complete dedication to their art, with judicious mentoring, financial support and career assistance. In 2022 the trustees of the Foundation established The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Laureate to honour a New Zealand singer whom the Foundation has nurtured, has achieved sustained excellence and who will continue their career into the future. The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Laureate carries a value of $60,000.

Julien Van Mellaerts won first prize in both the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition and the Kathleen Ferrier Awards, and represented New Zealand at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World in 2019. He has had great success in recent role and house debuts at the Verbier Festival, Salzburg Mozartwoche, Opéra National de Lorraine, Opera Holland Park and New Zealand Opera.

With Chelsea Opera Group, we caught him as Frédéric in Delibes’ Lakmé [see my review], and the Duke of Nottingham in Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux [see my review]. At Opera Holland Park in 2021, he was a memorable Count in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro [see my review].

His disc, Songs of the Night, with soprano Rowan Pierce and pianist Lucy Colquhoun was released on Champs Hill Records in Autumn 2023 [see my review], and his debut recital on the same label, Songs of Travel and Home, with pianist James Baillieu, explored his own diverse origins and the meaning of home [see my review]. At Opera Holland Park, Julien Van Mellaerts, with pianist Dylan Perez, is co-curator and co-producer of the Opera in Song series and we caught him with pianist James Baillieu in Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin as part of the series in 2022 [see my review]