Bass Pelham Andrews trained in Australia, the UK and Germany, and is a graduate of the Cardiff International Academy of Voice and the Adelaide University. A former Young Artist of the State Opera of South Australia, Pelham has performed extensively with that company in the roles of Padre Guardiano (La forza del Destino), Colline (La Bohème), Nourabad (Les Pêcheurs de Perles), Lodovico (Otello), Zuniga (Carmen), Friedrich Bhaer (the Australian premiere of Mark Adamo’s Little Women), Count Ribbing (Un Ballo in Maschera), Jake Wallace (La Fanciulla del West), Count Ceprano (Rigoletto), the Stationmaster (Blake's The Station), the Mandarin (Turandot), and the Imperial Commissioner (Madama Butterfly).
In 2020 Pelham was again engaged by State Opera South Australia, to sing the roles of Basilio (The Barber of Seville) and Banquo (Macbeth). Both of these productions were postponed and Pelham will now perform these roles with State Opera in 2021. He will also feature as Snug (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and as the bass soloist in A Child of our Time (Tippett) at Adelaide Festival, and as Judd/Mr Bonner in Voss (Richard Meale), also for State Opera South Australia.
Most recently Pelham has been heard as the Parson and Badger (The Cunning Little Vixen), Ben (Madeline Lee), The Bonze (Madama Butterfly) the title role of The Mikado, Nourabad in The Pearfishers and Pogner, (as well as covering Hans Sachs), in Act III of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg all for State Opera South Australia, as well as Count Capulet in Romeo and Juliet in concert for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the King in Aida and Commendatore in Don Giovanni for Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and with the Adelaide Collective in Grandage’s Towards First Light.
Pelham has also sung Méphistophélès (La Damnation de Faust) and the King of Bambaras (Angelique) for Victorian Opera, and for Opera Australia he has appeared as Sparafucile and Monterone (Rigoletto), Lodovico (Otello), Zoroastro (Orlando), Baron Douphol (La Traviata), Speaker (The Magic Flute), Second Mate (Billy Budd), Flemish Deputy (Don Carlos) and Timur (Turandot), as well as covering King (Aida), Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) and Masetto (Don Giovanni). He has also performed throughout Australia, Malaysia and Singapore with touring company Co-Opera, and won several awards including the McDonalds Operatic Aria.
Recent engagements have included singing the role of Farfarello and covering The King of Clubs in The Love for Three Oranges for Opera Australia and the roles of Lester Lamb in the world premiere of George Palmer’s Cloudstreet and Sciarrone in Tosca for State Opera of South Australia. In 2017 he sang the roles of Betto di Signa in Gianni Schicchi and Tio Salvador in La Vida Breve for State Opera of South Australia and covered the roles of Colline in La bohème, Archbishop in King Roger and Zuniga in Carmen for Opera Australia. He also performed the role of Geronte in Manon Lescaut for Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
As a concert soloist, Pelham has performed with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Sydney Philharmonia, Australian Intervarsity Choral Festival, Melbourne Bach Choir, Auckland Choral Society, Napier Civic Choir and Manukau Symphony, as well as many smaller ensembles. His repertoire includes the Requiems of Mozart, Fauré and Verdi, Haydn Creation, Handel Messiah, Beethoven Symphony No 9, Mozart and Beethoven Masses, and Cantatas by Bach. He is also an accomplished and passionate interpreter of song repertoire.