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BIOGRAPHY |
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The coming seasons will take the Australian tenor to internationally renowned opera houses: in 2028 and 2029 he is already engaged at Grange Park Opera in Surrey, where he will perform the TITLE ROLE in Siegfried and SIEGFRIED in Götterdämmerung under the musical direction of Anthony Negus.
In the 2026/27 season he will also make his debut at the renowned Metropolitan Opera in New York as cover for the role of GIASONE in Cherubini's Medea. Also in 2026/27, he will appear in the TITLE ROLE in Wagner's Parsifal at Melbourne Opera, as WALTER VON STOLZING in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at Longborough Festival Opera, and as MAX in Der Freischütz with the Chelsea Opera Group in London.
Previously, in the 2025/26 season, he made his debut as TRISTAN in Tristan und Isolde at Theater Münster, where he had already celebrated great successes as AGAMEMNON in Krenek's Leben des Orest and as SIEGMUND in Die Walküre. Most recently, he also thrilled audiences with his role debuts in Wagner's operas Siegfried and Götterdämmerung in the Bendigo Ring Cycle at Melbourne Opera.
At the Mainfrankentheater Würzburg he sang roles such as ALBERT GREGOR in The Makropulos Affair, AEGISTH in Strauss's Elektra, GIASONE in Médée, TAMBOURMAJOR in Wozzeck, as well as FLORESTAN in Fidelio and CANIO in I Pagliacci.
Before these successes, he appeared at Scottish Opera in Glasgow as APOLLO in Richard Strauss's opera Daphne. At the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg, he delighted audiences with his role debut as FLORESTAN in Beethoven's Leonore, the original version of Fidelio, under the musical direction of Peter Gülke.
After the pandemic break, he first returned successfully to the Sydney Opera House as RAOUL DE ST. BRIOCHE in Lehár's The Merry Widow in a production by Opera Australia. He could also be heard as the TENOR SOLOIST in Handel's Messiah at St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney.
Brad's opera career has already taken him to China as RADAMES in Aida; to Oper Köln, English Touring Opera and Opera Australia as TAMINO in Mozart's The Magic Flute; to Oper Köln as BELMONTE in Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio; to Opera Australia in the TITLE ROLE of Albert Herring; to Opera Holland Park in London as CONTE ALMAVIVA in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia; to the Opéra Comique in Paris as DON ALONSE in Grétry's L'amant jaloux; to the Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam as DAVEY in Dove's Siren Song and as EDGAR AUBRY in Marschner's Der Vampyr; to the Wexford Opera Festival as EMILIO in Carlo Pedrotti's Tutti in Maschera; and to the Nederlandse Reisopera in Enschede as CLEM in Hamel's Schneewittchen.
Brad studied with Marilyn Horne at the Music Academy of the West in California, with Maree Ryan at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and at the National Opera Studio in London.
In the concert repertoire, Brad has sung JONATHAN in Handel's Saul and Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" with the Philharmonia Choirs at the Sydney Opera House, Britten's Saint Nicolas at the Newcastle Music Festival, Handel's Messiah at Sydney Town Hall, and the TITLE ROLE in Haydn's L'ORFEO under the musical direction of Maestro Richard Bonynge. He has also appeared in gala concerts with Anna Netrebko in Moscow in 2009.
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| REVIEWS |
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| Mainfrankentheater Würzburg – Fidelio – FLORESTAN |
| …In her Florestan, Brad Cooper, she later has a counterpart who is confident in the high registers, somewhat more cautious than the missing wife, but therefore credibly marked by the deepest time in the dungeon… |
| Opernwelt 05/2026 - Judith von Sternburg |
| Brad Cooper mastered Florestan's first, notoriously difficult aria with impressive intensity; … |
| Fränkische Nachrichten fnweb.de |
| Theater Münster – Tristan und Isolde - TRISTAN |
| Although not in the best of health, Brad Cooper presented brilliant tenor voice material. He had to go easy in the love duet, but with delicately accompanied passages conductor Golo Berg gives him the opportunity to sound also lyrical- wistful. So passion turns into a philosophical conversation: „Der so gern ich sterbe, wie könnte die Liebe mit mir sterben.“ Just like in the visions of the near-death experience in the third act, when he conjures „göttlich ew’ges Ur-Vergessen“ it makes you shiver. And regardless Cooper passes up to several smashed outbursts. |
| OPER ! Januar/Februar 2026 , Andreas Berger |
| Brad Cooper had already sung Siegmund in a concert performance of the first act of Die Walküre in Münster in 2023 under Berg, as well as Siegfried to great acclaim. His voice may not be big enough for larger houses, but Münster is not a large one and thus the voice was perfect here. It was well focused, even, secure and mellifluous across the entire range and for the duration of the opera, without fail. He never gave the impression of holding back or saving his voice for later. This is all so much better than listening to a ‘larger’ voice hampered by notable endurance issues. |
| Seen and Heard International seenandheard-international.com |
| Brad Cooper as Tristan succeeded perfectly in measuring his vocal possibilities for this giant part, so that he had enough power left for the fever phantasies in the third act. Besides, for a Wagner tenor his diction was comprehensible to the maximum possible. |
| Online Merker onlinemerker.com |
| Brad Cooper’s Tristan has tenor shape and stamina. At the end, he paces himself a little, though this definitively suits the hero’s agony |
| Concerti concerti.de |
| With Kristiane Kaiser and Brad Cooper in the title roles, a thoroughly excellent realization is reached: With strong voices and a precise feeling for all the nuances in music and acting this production highlights the soul of the opera…Kaiser and Cooper as Tristan and Isolde play their parts with such a power and sensitive directness, it is almost impossible to escape it… They don’t just succeed, their performance exceeds all expectations. The audience’s huge enthusiasm at the premiere on Sunday night, was due to the outstanding singers. This Tristan is definitely worth seeing. |
| Online Musik Magazin omm.de |
| Wagner‘s „Tristan und Isolde” at the Münster Theatre is pure listening pleasure.
The title couple creates an interesting contrast....Brad Cooper gives an emotional Tristan. |
| Westfälische Nachrichten – Edda Breski wn.de |
| Mainfranken Theater Würzburg – Wozzeck - TAMBOURMAJOR |
| Brad Cooper as Drum major not only scores as macho man, he also vigorously fulfills the character with his strong tenor voice.
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| O-Ton PDF |
| Mainfrankentheater Würzburg – Elektra - AEGISTH |
| Among the members of the Mainfranken Theatre ensemble, which greatly performing moved himself securely through the score, all characters are superbly casted: Brad Cooper as the beautifully voiced Aegisth,….
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| NMZnmz.de |
| Theater Münster – Leben des Orest – AGAMEMNON |
| In Münster due to his following this instruction, tenor Brad Cooper’s interpretation is of overwhelming authenticity...
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| Frankfurter Allgemeinefaz.net |
| All the same there are plenty of inspiring encounters, such as Brad Cooper with his concise tenor heights as Agamemnon,...
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| Westfälische Nachrichtenwn.de |
| Opera Australia – Albert Hering - ALBERT HERRING |
| The cast are, without exception, on excellent vocal form, and several can be singled out, but the laurels on opening night were most definitely won by Brad Cooper in the title role. Albert is a tricky part, an avowed ‘simple soul’, it’s important to understand what that means in a more sensitive age. Given his adeptness at maths and sharpness of mind, nowadays we would probably have him down as a mild case of Aspergers. Cooper is totally convincing – both as a young man and as one coming to terms with the complex and frustrating sexual side of his character in an entirely closed society. The relationship with his mother and his burgeoning feelings for his best friend’s girl are delightfully explored. He captures better than anyone I’ve seen previously in the role the sense of Albert as outsider – his first monologue relating him firmly to characters like Grimes and Paul Bunyan’s Johnny Inkslinger. He also proves vocally ideal, exhibiting a perfect ‘light’ Britten tenor and bearing comparison with the likes of Bostridge, Padmore and Gilchrist. He is equally capable of a hushed pianissimo and a ringing forte and every word is clean and audible. His drunk scene was exemplary, pacier than is sometimes the case, and genuinely touching. A most auspicious debut.
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| Tait Memorial Trusttaitmemorialtrust.org |
| Sydney – Orfeo ed Euridice - ORFEO |
| …tenor Brad Cooper was simply superb in the role of Orfeo, singing with a depth of passion. The role is constant and demanding, and his vocal interpretation was consistently impressive.
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| classik ONclassikon.com |
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