Gary Rowley was born in the UK and grew up in Tasmania and has worked continually for Opera Australia singing such roles as the Duke Of Verona in Romeo & Juliet, Colline in La Boheme, Don Magnifico in Cenerentola and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream including a season at the Edinburgh Festival.
For Victoria State Opera appearances included Don Basilio in The Barber Of Seville, Don Pasquale, Nourabad in The Pearlfishers, Leporello in Don Giovanni and Roo in Summer Of The Seventeenth Doll.
His performances for Victorian Opera include Don Alfonso in Cosi Fan Tutte, roles in Through The Looking Glass, and How To Kill Your Husband (And Other Handy Household Hints), the title role in Rembrandt’s Wife, The Music Master in Ariadne Auf Naxos, Elviro in Xerxes, Charlot in Angelique and Superintendant Budd in Albert Herring.
Other roles include Tiger Brown in The Threepenny Opera, and Major Murgatroyd in Patience for the West Australian Opera, Dulcamara in The Elixir Of Love and Don Magnifico in Cenerentola for Opera Queensland, Scarpia in Tosca and Alfio and Tonio in Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci for Melbourne Opera and the title role in Verdi’s Attila, Figaro in The Marriage Of Figaro and Germont in Andrea Chenier for Melbourne City Opera.
His concerts have included Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder for the Perth International Festival and the Fauré Requiem for the Australian Ballet.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
An Optometrist…I have such bad eyes…It made sense at the time.
When did you know you would work in the arts?
When I told my boss I would no longer require his services.
How would you describe your work to a complete stranger?
I just sing at them.
Is there a mission to your work?
Making people happy.
What’s your background – what did you study to get to where you are?
Bachelor of Arts in Music from VCA
What’s the first thing career related you usually do each day?
Have a cup of tea and think about what I need to do
Can you describe an “average” working day for you?
Wake up, learn stuff, get it wrong, go back and learn stuff again
What’s the one thing – piece of equipment, toy, security blanket, – you can’t work without?
Sibelius (Music software)
What gets you fired up?
Good music
Who in the industry most inspires you?
Actors…so much to learn from them
What in the industry do you despair about?
Not being taken seriously by people who don’t know
What is the best thing about your job?
Every morning when I wake up my mind is filled with Mozart, Puccini, Verdi. What’s not to love?
What’s the most challenging aspect?
Having to be correct in real time.
What are the top three skills you need in this industry?
Get it right, don’t bump into the furniture…oh and by the way…get it right.
What advice would you give anyone looking to break into your field?
Come in with eyes wide open, it’s a tough gig but it’s worth the effort.
How do you know when you missed the mark?
You just know.
Which of the below phrases best suits your career development to date and why?
e. play the cards you were dealt and be honest with yourself.
a. “The road to success is always under construction. ”
b. “Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor.”
c. “Success is best measured by how far you’ve come with the talents you’ve been given. ”
d. “No one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourself.”
When do you know you’ve made it?
If you think you’ve made it you’re probably in the wrong career.
