Jud Arthur

New Zealand-born bass Jud Arthur is a longstanding and highly respected presence on the Australasian operatic stage. He has sung more than 40 roles for Opera Australia, West Australian Opera, Victorian Opera, State Opera South Australia, Opera Queensland and New Zealand Opera, spanning a wide range of repertoire from Mozart and bel canto through to Wagner and contemporary opera.

Jud has a particularly close association with Opera Australia, where his roles have included Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Timur in Turandot, Banquo in Macbeth, Colline in La bohème, Commendatore in Don Giovanni, The Bonze in Madama Butterfly, and Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor. He has also appeared with the company as Ramfis and The King in Aida, Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Pistola in Falstaff, Nourabad in The Pearl Fishers, Candy in Of Mice and Men, Ribbing in Un ballo in maschera, and Ben in Madeline Lee, among many others.

A career highlight was creating the roles of Hunding and Fafner in Opera Australia’s 2013 Der Ring des Nibelungen, performances that attracted critical acclaim. He has continued to be closely identified with Wagnerian repertoire, returning to Fafner in Das Rheingold for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Simone Young.

With other companies, Jud has appeared as Banquo, Nourabad, Raimondo and Commendatore for New Zealand Opera; Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Hobson in Peter Grimes and Bartolo for Opera Queensland; Raimondo for Victorian Opera; and Raimondo, Zaccaria (Nabucco), Sarastro and Banquo for West Australian Opera.

On the concert platform, Jud has performed the Requiems of Verdi, Mozart and Fauré, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s The Creation with all the major Australasian symphony orchestras.

Jud’s singing of the New Zealand National Anthem is featured regularly at international sporting events, particularly Rugby Union Test matches involving the All Blacks, and he had the honour of performing at the launch of New Zealand’s America’s Cup defence.

Prior to his operatic career, Jud was a state rugby player for Otago in New Zealand’s national competition, later playing professionally for the Mirano Rugby Club in Italy. He is also a qualified farrier and a former New Zealand Under-21 Show Jumping Champion.