BIOGRAPHY
"....he is one of the few people in the world who can sing it."
- Comm. Lyndon Terracini AM, Artistic Director, Opera Australia on Shanul's role as Il Conte di Libenskof in Rossini's 'Il viaggio a Reims'
"Not only was he placed first in the vocal section but then, in the round for all instrumentalists, he was again placed first. Effectively the prix d'honeur of the festival. This is an extraordinary achievement and something that, for example, I personally could not have achieved at his stage of development… Bravo Shanul!”
- WIAV Director Dennis O’Neill CBE on Shanul winning the 2017 Rossini International Award in Pesaro, Italy
Tenor Shanul Sharma, celebrated for his “dazzling fireworks” (The Age), “laser-like precision” (Limelight Magazine), “radiant high notes” (Opera Libera), and “resplendent clarity” (Sydney Morning Herald), has been described as “Gandhi reincarnate” (Oper! Magazin) and is recognised as the first Indian-born Australian to perform as a principal artist in an Australian opera (SBS News).
Born in Jabalpur, India, Shanul relocated to Australia to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Information Technology. During this time, he began his musical journey as the lead vocalist in heavy metal bands and released three original studio albums. Seeking new artistic avenues, he turned to classical singing and moved from Wagga Wagga to Melbourne in 2013 to start training privately as an opera singer. Since then, he has performed in opera houses, concert halls, and arenas across Europe, Australia, Russia, and the UK.
Shanul made his operatic debut in 2014 with Opera Australia as ‘Don Ramiro’ in Rossini’s La Cenerentola. He later joined Opera Australia’s Moffatt-Oxenbould Young Artist Programme (2018-2021), where he continued to earn critical acclaim for roles such as ‘Il Conte di Libenskof’ in Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims (2019), ‘Der Student Arkenholz’ in Reimann’s Die Gespenstersonate (2019), 'Il Conte d'Almaviva' in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia (2023), and 'M.K. Gandhi' in Philip Glass' Satyagraha (2023). In November 2024, Shanul returns to Opera Australia to debut as ‘Tamino’ in a new production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, followed by reprising ‘Il Conte d'Almaviva’ in Elijah Moshinsky’s renowned production of Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Sydney Opera House and the Regent Theatre, Melbourne (2025).
Shanul is currently appearing as 'M.K. Gandhi' in a new production of Philip Glass' Satyagraha, directed by Daniel Kramer at Staatsoper Hannover, where his portrayal of the iconic figure has been critically praised.
Shanul has also performed in major roles at other prestigious houses, including the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, where he sang ‘Il Conte di Libenskof’ in Il viaggio a Reims (2020, 2019), and at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy (2018). Other notable appearances include the title role in Mozart’s Mitridate, Re di Ponto at Teatro Olimpico for Festival Vicenza in Lirica (2021), 'Il Conte d'Almaviva' in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Teatro del Giglio, Lucca (2018), ‘Lindoro’ in Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri for Fondazione Rete, Italy (2022), and ‘Gennaro’ in Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia for Melbourne Opera (2022). In December 2023, he created the role of 'Papa Urbano VIII' in the grand opera Galileo, composed and conducted by Richard Mills AO and directed by Stuart Maunder AM for Victorian Opera.
On the concert stage, Shanul has represented the Rossini Opera Festival as the tenor soloist in Rossini’s Stabat Mater at the LaVerdi Auditorium in Milan, conducted by Claus Peter Flor, and at the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo (2018). He has also performed with the Welsh National Opera Orchestra at the Llangollen Festival in Wales for Grammy Award-winning composer Christopher Tin’s Calling All Dawns (2017), and with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra for Mazda Opera in the Domain under the direction of Brian Castles-Onion AM (2019). In 2023, he collaborated with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra for the Perth International Festival, conducted by Richard Mills AO. These performances were broadcast on S4C TV (UK) and ABC Classic FM (Australia).
Demonstrating his versatility, in late 2022, Shanul toured as the lead vocalist with Eric Lévi’s French new-age group +eRa+, performing across France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Luxembourg to audiences totaling over 60,000. The tour featured Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum artists Rob Harris and Paul Turner of Jamiroquai, Ged Lynch of Peter Gabriel, Nicola Montazaud, and Eric Lévi himself.
A Master’s graduate in Advanced Vocal Studies from the Wales International Academy of Voice, Shanul is the only artist to have won both the ‘Canto Lirico’ and ‘Rossini International Award’ in Pesaro, Italy in the same year (2017). He was also honoured with Broadway World Sydney’s award for ‘Best Performer in an Opera - Male’ for his role as 'Der Student Arkenholz' in Die Gespenstersonate (2019) and was nominated for ‘Outstanding Performance in a Lead Role’ at the 2024 Green Room Awards for his portrayal of 'M.K. Gandhi' in Satyagraha.