German debut for CQUni Music Theatre graduate

Obtained from CQUniversity Media newsletter and ABC Radio interview

CQUniversity Music Theatre graduate Paul Tabone will soon make his German debut in a return season of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera sequel – Love Never Dies – in Hamburg’s Operettenhaus.

The lyric tenor, who attended CQUni’s Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music in Mackay, has been constantly employed in opera and musical theatre productions since graduating.

Still just 27 years old, Paul has performed at the Verona home of Luciano Pavarotti. For a ‘sold out’ Arena performance, he has shared the stage with operatic icons including Andrea Bocelli and Placido Domingo.

He has made his debut at the National Opera of Bucharest (Romania), Teatro Carlo Felice (Italy), and Teatro Del Giglio (Italy), and performed on Broadway (New York).

Paul grew up on a sugarcane farm, in the small town of Ingham, in Far North Queensland. He graduated from CQUniversity with a Bachelor of Music Theatre in 2009.

Since turning professional, he has performed with Opera Queensland and The Ten Tenors Tenorissimo and has worked with a variety of nationally recognised artists including Rhonda Burchmore, David Campbell, Kate Ceberano, Mercury Four and Guy Sebastian.

When Love Never Dies wrapped its Australian season, Paul decided to move to Europe to pursue his career and further study as a lyric tenor, in where else but Italy.

Inspired by (possibly the greatest tenor of the last century) Luciano Pavarotti, Paul headed overseas to commence study. He has studied with Internationally-renowned baritone Renato Bruscon and has studied in London, Wiesbaden, Milan and Florence.

Early in 2013, Paul auditioned for the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation in Modena Italy, a very convenient 15 minutes away from his current base in Reggio Emilia. The Foundation is directed by Signora. Nicoletta Mantovani (Maestro, Pavarotti’s wife and a prominent producer in Italy).

Signora Mantovani was won over by Paul’s talent and has provided him with invaluable support.

Paul was fortunate enough to be chosen by Signora. Mantovani as one of four tenors to sing at the world renowned Arena in Verona, where he performed alongside some of the most recognised opera singers in the world today, such as Placido Domingo, Andrea Bocelli and Ambrogio Maestri, to a crowd of around 20,000 people. This concert was broadcast with RAI 1 internationally to an audience of over 9 million people. Since then, Paul has traveled internationally and was fortunate enough to perform on Broadway at the New York City Centre in a tribute concert for Luciano Pavarotti, organised by the Foundation.

Paul has performed the role of Duca Di Mantova in Verdi’s Rigoletto in a brand new production for the Opera National in Bucharest, which premiered in August 2014 and was directed by Australian Stephen Barlow.

Paul also has performed the roles of Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) for the Teatro Del Giglio (Lucca, Italy) and has performed Tony (West Side Story) at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova, Italy.

Since then, Paul has travelled internationally and was fortunate enough to perform on Broadway (New York) at the New York City Centre in a tribute concert for Luciano Pavarotti, organised by the Foundation. Paul performed the supporting principal role of Squelch in Love Never Dies in 2011 in Australia.

After successful Sydney and Melbourne seasons, the $9.8 million production was filmed by Universal Pictures International and is currently screening in cinemas and available on DVD & Blu-Ray in over 75 countries.

“I am so privileged to have been asked to again take part in this wonderful production. Australia has produced some of the best shows in the world, and this $9.8 million musical is no exception. Only this time, it will be sung in German in the wonderful Operettenhaus in Hamburg, Germany, with an exquisite international cast. It will be directed again by Australian Simon Phillips” says Paul.

“I have been living and performing in Italy for the last four years, and have been fortunate enough to work all over the world. However, this will be the first time I will perform in Germany. I am so delighted about this because I have had the opportunity to learn about my Italian heritage (as my mother’s parents are both Italian), but now, I will be able to learn about my German heritage, as my great-grandfather was German.”

Liebe Stribt Nie – Phantom II – will open on the October 15, 2015, at the Operettenhaus, Hamburg. For details, visit the Love Never Dies website.