Vale Max Riebl

The acclaimed and much loved countertenor died on Saturday, aged 30.

Australian countertenor Max Riebl has died aged 30, only days after sharing news of his incurable cancer diagnosis on Facebook.

Described as ‘a singer of translucent, burnished tone and vivid, athletic coloratura,’ by Erin Helyard, Artistic Director of Pinchgut Opera, Riebl was a versatile and engaging performer, equally adept at the works of Radiohead and Kate Bush as with the classical and operatic canon.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts