Kanen is one of Australia’s most sought-after operatic tenors and a renowned concert and cabaret artist.

He has been long established as a contracted artist at Opera Australia singing such roles as Camille in The Merry Widow, Nanki Poo in The Mikado, Ralph Rackstraw in HMS Pinafore, Marco Palmieri in The Gondoliers, Caius in Falstaff, Alfred in Die Fledermaus, Monostatos in The Magic Flute,  Sellem in The Rakes Progress, Pong in Turandot, Andres/Cochenille/Pittichinaccio/Frantz/Nathanael in The Tales Of Hoffmann,  Pirelli in Sweeney Todd,   Albert Herring, Johnny in Bliss at the Edinburgh Festival and The Scientist in Kate Miller-Heidke’s The Rabbits at the Perth, Melbourne and Sydney festivals.

Appearances for Victorian Opera include the roles of Tweedledee, The White King and Violet in Through The Looking Glass, The Beadle in Sweeney Todd, the premiere seasons of Banquet Of Secrets and ‘Tis Pity and Uncle Ernie in The Who’s Tommy, and for Opera Queensland, Nanki Poo, Nadir in The Pearlfishers, Ramiro in Cenerentola, and Andy Warhol in The Perfect American.

Other roles include Rodolfo in Baz Luhrman’s La Boheme on Broadway, Willy Wonka in the Gordon Frost Organisation’s production of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, and critically acclaimed performances of Wilhelm in The Black Rider for The Malthouse and the Witch Of Endor in the Glyndebourne Festival Opera production of Handel’s Saul, in 2017, for which he won a Helpmann Award for Best Male Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera.

His past appearances for Pinchgut Opera include the title role in Platée,  Erice in L’Ormindo, and roles in  L’incoronazione Di Poppea and Il Ritorno Di Ulisse In Patria.

bio updated 18.03.24

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