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 OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts