Jason Barry-Smith


Jason Barry-Smith is an Australian operatic baritone, vocal coach, composer, and arranger. He works with organisations such as Opera Queensland, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Seven Network, and the Queensland Youth Choir.

Education

Barry-Smith, born in Brisbane, Queensland, is a former student of Kedron State High School. He graduated with a Medal of Excellence from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music in 1991. He later studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München with Professor Hanno Blaschke during 1989/90 and later in London with Janice Chapman in 1999 and in Rome with Margaret Baker-Genovesi in 2002.

Awards

Barry-Smith has received numerous accolades; in 1992 he won the Marianne Mathy Scholarship in the Australian Singing Competition, in 2001 he won Opera Foundation Australia's Italian Opera Award, and for the first five months of 2002 he was resident at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Italy.

Concert performances

As a concert soloist, Barry-Smith has performed in Fauré's Requiem, Haydn's Paukenmesse, Bach's St John Passion, Nigel Butterley's Lawrence Hargrave Flying Alone, Bach's St Matthew Passion, Christmas Oratorio and Purcell's Ode to St Cecilia’s Day, and as the baritone soloist in the Australian composer's Richard Mills 2001 work, Symphonic Poems. In 2012, Barry-Smith was a soloist in the Australian premiere of Graun's 1755 oratorio Der Tod Jesu. He was the soloist in HK Gruber's Frankenstein!! at the 2016 Four Winds Festival in Bermagui, New South Wales.

Stage roles

While still studying at the Queensland Conservatorium, he performed the title role in the Australian premiere of Billy Budd. Other roles include:
Barry-Smith made his directorial debut at the 2001 4MBS Festival with Purcell's Dido and Aeneas in which he also sang the role of Æneas; this production won him the Perform 4MBS Award for Opera Production. Barry-Smith has worked as vocal coach and musical director of the Queensland Youth Choir. Together with Narelle French, Opera Queensland's Head of Music, Barry-Smith devised several touring productions for Opera Queensland, notably The Food of Love which ran for several years since 2004, and in 2009 Waltzing Our Matilda, co-written with his wife Leisa Barry-Smith. In 2008, he re-mounted Opera Queensland's production of Hansel and Gretel for its tour of 83 schools through Queensland and northern New South Wales.
He held the position of artistic director of the Queensland Youth Choir from 2008 until 2010, taught Musical Theatre/Voice at the University of Southern Queensland's Summer Schools from 2004 until 2014, classical voice at Queensland Conservatorium's Opera school from 2003 until 2013, and from 2009 until 2012 was the Director of Opera Queensland's Young and Developing Artist Program. From 2013 until 2014 he was the Creative Director of Opera Queensland's Open Stage program.

Recordings

CD
  • Something to Sing About with the Queensland Youth Choir
  • Encore with Vocalpoint
  • Smiley – The Musical, based on the 1945 novel for the 1956 film – Original Studio Recording
  • Misa Criolla – Ariel Ramírez with the Queensland Youth Choir
  • Songs of Inspiration ABC Classics 476 6159
  • Colours of Christmas with the Queensland Youth Choir
  • Portrait of Dorian Gray – John Wikman – Original studio recording
DVD
  • The Pirates of Penzance ABC Video R-14653-9
  • The Mikado
  • H.M.S. Pinafore – Boatswain