Australian Tenor Steve Davislim has Died, Aged 57

Davislim’s three-decade professional career began when he joined the Zurich Opera in 1994

Born in 1967 in Malaysia, Steve Davislim moved to Tasmania with his parents, before settling in Melbourne. Davislim attended the Victorian College of the Arts, where he studied with Dame Joan Hammond. 

Davislim went on to sing with the Victoria State Opera for three years and undertook further studies in Italy, Greece, and Germany. He also spent two years in Switzerland studying Lieder interpretation with Irwin Gage at the International Opera Studio of the Zurich University of the Arts. 

His professional career began when he joined the Zurich Opera in 1994, singing roles such as Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville, Achilles in La belle Hélène, Tamino in The Magic Flute, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni.

Additionally, he performed at the Salzburg Festival, Hamburg Opera, Berlin Staatsoper, and Vienna’s Mozart Festival Schönbrunn. In 2005, he made his debut with the Chicago Lyric Opera and performed to great acclaim at the season-opening of Milan’s La Scala.

As a concert singer, he performed with the Chicago Symphony, BBC Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Royal Danish Orchestra, and Cleveland Orchestra. Among his live and broadcast appearances included those with the ABC.

Davislim worked with acclaimed conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Claudio Abbado, Peter Eötvos, Marc Minkowski, Andris Nelsons, Pierre Boulez, and more.

“It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the recent death of Australian tenor Steve Davislim,” the Sydney Symphony wrote on Facebook. “Steve was a singer of tremendous beauty and artistry, but also a dear friend to those who knew him. He had a long and successful career chiefly based in Europe, but often returned home for memorable performances with the Sydney Symphony … Our thoughts are with his family and friends all over the globe. The world, and music, is a little less bright without him.”

Our condolences to Mr. Davislim’s family, friends, and colleagues.