Roger Lemke’s is one of Australia’s most successful operatic and concert artists with a career spanning over 30 years performing in opera, music theatre, film and concert.
During 1984 – 1986 Roger won a number of prestigious vocal competitions and scholarships including both Melbourne and Sydney Sun Arias in the same year and the Metropolitan Opera award. He also won the Bel Canto Foundation Chicago scholarship studying with internationally acclaimed singer Carlo Bergonzi in Italy.
Returning to Australia he made his operatic debut 1985 with Victoria State Opera as Schaunard in La Boheme, and with Opera Australia in 1986.
From 1986 and 2008 he appeared with all the major Australian and New Zealand companies, in a diverse range of principal roles including Papageno in The Magic Flute, Taddeo in The Italian Girl in Algiers, Giuseppe in The Gondoliers, Count Boni in The Gipsy Princess, two seasons as Marcello in the highly acclaimed Baz Luhrmann production of La Boheme (televised throughout the USA, the UK and Europe), the Engineer in the world premiere of The Eighth Wonder by Alan John, Lescaut in Manon Lescaut, the Count and Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera, Sharpless in the Ken Russell production of Madam Butterfly, Harlequin in Ariadne auf Naxos, Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale (receiving a Green Room Award), and as Marcello in The Puccini Spectacular.
Roger was a regular performer with the Australian Pops Orchestra and on nationally televised musical events. Concert appearances included performances for the Adelaide and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, as well as numerous festival performances including the annual Italian Operatic Festival in Pereta Italy in 2013.
In musical theatre, Roger performed the roles of Old Deuteronomy in Cats, and Javert in the internationally acclaimed 10th Anniversary season of Les Miserable which then toured major cities in Australia and New Zealand.
He appears in the ABC’s recording of Baz Luhman’s La Boheme, The Gondoliers and The Gipsy Princess, and on their Classics label. He also made his film screen debut in The Wiggles Movie.
Based in Melbourne, Roger is a voice teacher, vocal coach, vocal adjudicator and performs as a freelance concert and operatic artist.