Kanen is one of Australia’s most sought-after operatic tenors and a renowned
concert and cabaret artist.
He is 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 and Polonius in Hamlet.
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, 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 for
which he won a Helpmann Award and Siegfried in the 2025 Sydney Festival
production of Siegfried & Roy - The Unauthorised Opera.
For Pinchgut Opera his past appearances include the title role in Platée, the
Sorceress in Dido & Aeneas, Erice in L’Ormindo, and roles in  L’incoronazione Di
Poppea and Il Ritorno Di Ulisse In Patria.

© Weaver Artist Management 2025

Bio updated Mar 2025