Greg Massingham
Griffith University, Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Faculty Member
- GREGORY MASSINGHAM A graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium, tenor Gregory Massingham is one of Australia’s most... moreGREGORY MASSINGHAM
A graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium, tenor Gregory Massingham is one of Australia’s most experienced singers. Following postgraduate study at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama and with the distinguished tenor Sir Peter Pears, Mr Massingham took up a position at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, where from 1995 until 2014, he held the position of Head of Opera.
In addition to his academic commitments, Mr Massingham has maintained a performance schedule that embraces a wide range of styles. In particular, his performances as the Evangelist in the Bach Passions and his interpretation of the works of Benjamin Britten have been highly acclaimed. He has appeared regularly as tenor soloist with all the major orchestras and Choral Societies particularly in Australia and New Zealand, performing with such distinguished conductors as Sir David Willcocks, Sir Charles Mackerras, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Gunther Schuller, Bruno Weil and Dame Jane Glover.
Mr Massingham holds a particular interest in contemporary music and has given the first performance of many works by Australian composers as well as the Australian premiere of works by composers such as Witold Lutoslawski, John Corigliano and Howard Blake. With the Seymour Group, he premiered Stephen Cronin’s prize-winning composition, House Songs at the Adelaide Festival and gave the first Australian performance of Brett Dean’s Winter Songs with the Melbourne Symphony Chamber Players, a work he has performed several times since, most recently at the Sydney Festival with the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet.
Mr Massingham has been a regular guest artist with the Sydney Philharmonia, appearing in their presentations of Bach’s Matthaeus Passion, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Mozart’s Mass in Cminor, Handel’s Samson, Bach’s Weihnacht’s Oratorium, Handel’s Solomon, Bach’s Johannes Passion, Mass in Bminor and Handel’s Israel in Egypt among others.
For Canberra Opera he has performed the role of Tamino in Die Zauberflote, for Victoria State Opera, the role of Alessandro in Mozart’s Il re pastore and with Opera Queensland, the role of Jack in Graeme Koehne’s Love Burns, M. Triquet in Eugene Onegin, the Prologue in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw and the role of the Emperor in Turandot, a collaboration with Opera Australia.
As Head of Opera at Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University (1995-2015) Mr Massingham has conceived and directed numerous stage productions applying innovative approaches in his realisation of the art form. These productions have often been collaborative ventures with major arts organisations such as the Brisbane Festival, the Queensland Music Festival and Opera Queensland, that have included productions of operas such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Britten), Die Zauberflöte (Mozart), Semele (Handel), L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (Ravel), Angelique (Ibert), Les Mamelles de Tirésias (Poulenc) Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck) and The Burning Fiery Furnace (Britten).
Most of the articles and essays listed here are materials generated while Head of the Opera Department at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. They were written to support the preparation of the students undertaking larger scale performance projects at the institution, in the hope that the research contained therein might provide them with some insights that would enhance their musical experience.
Rather than let them gather cyber-dust, I freely provide them here in the hope that others, who may be similarly engaged or those simply seeking an introduction to these wonderful works, might find them useful.
As an accompaniment to future projects (Schubert and Britten are proposed), my hope is to add similar support material in the hope that it may enrich the listener's musical experience.
Greg Massingham
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Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Morton, Graeme, Southern Cross Soloists, Brisbane Chamber Choir, Massingham, Gregory and Jason Barry Smith, Jason Barry (2010) Schumann (arr Dean): Scenes from Goethe's Faust. South Bank, QLD, Australia, Queensland Performing Arts... more
Morton, Graeme, Southern Cross Soloists, Brisbane Chamber Choir, Massingham, Gregory and Jason Barry Smith, Jason Barry (2010) Schumann (arr Dean): Scenes from Goethe's Faust. South Bank, QLD, Australia, Queensland Performing Arts Complex (QPAC).
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Britten turned forty years of age in 1953 and, like most of us, this landmark no doubt gave him cause for pause, reflection and a stocktake of his life, work and mortality. The success generated by the London premiere of Peter Grimes in... more
Britten turned forty years of age in 1953 and, like most of us, this landmark no doubt gave him cause for pause, reflection and a stocktake of his life, work and mortality. The success generated by the London premiere of Peter Grimes in 1945 made Britten one of the most famous composers of his generation, a status that would surge in the years that followed. Having just written three operas in as many years, the ensuing years of the mid-1950s, were a relatively fallow period in Britten’s output. No doubt, the generally negative reaction to ‘Gloriana’ was a contributing factor as were several health problems and a self-imposed sabbatical from composing. However, that such factors aligned in this ‘mature‘ period of his creative life, makes a focused study of the works created therein, all the more fascinating. Accordingly, this recording has selected four diverse vocal works between the years 1952 to 1958.
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT
This document contains a series of short articles that were written for advanced opera students at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University in order to assist their preparation and subsequent fully staged performances of Ravel's one... more
This document contains a series of short articles that were written for advanced opera students at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University in order to assist their preparation and subsequent fully staged performances of Ravel's one act opera "L'Enfant et les Sortileges". The chief aim was to place the work within its historical context so as to provide a basis for a sound stylistic insight. It was staged along with Poulenc's "Les Mamelles de Tiresias", and similar notes can be found on this opera elsewhere on this site.
It is hoped that the notes may prove useful to others preparing the work or those who simply wish to enhance their understanding of the work.
It is hoped that the notes may prove useful to others preparing the work or those who simply wish to enhance their understanding of the work.
Research Interests:
The War Requiem is a major artistic pacifist statement - a studied and impassioned statement on the futility of war. These essays discuss how the structural and formal elements of the work reflect and serve Britten's artistic endeavour.... more
The War Requiem is a major artistic pacifist statement - a studied and impassioned statement on the futility of war. These essays discuss how the structural and formal elements of the work reflect and serve Britten's
artistic endeavour. While primarily intended as a tool for those preparing the work for performance, it may also enhance the experience of the listener.
artistic endeavour. While primarily intended as a tool for those preparing the work for performance, it may also enhance the experience of the listener.
Research Interests:
This document contains a series of short articles that were written for advanced opera students at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University in order to assist their preparation and subsequent fully staged performances of Poulenc's... more
This document contains a series of short articles that were written for advanced opera students at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University in order to assist their preparation and subsequent fully staged performances of Poulenc's one act opera "Les Mamelles de Tiresias". The chief aim was to place the work within its historical context so as to provide a basis for a sound stylistic insight. It was staged along with Ravel's , "L'Enfant et les Sortileges" and similar notes can be found on this opera elsewhere on this site.
It is hoped that the notes may prove useful to others preparing the work or those who simply wish to enhance their understanding of the work.
It is hoped that the notes may prove useful to others preparing the work or those who simply wish to enhance their understanding of the work.