Singer Steve Davislim Has Died

The Australian tenor performed on stages across the globe and worked with some of Australia's most respected conductors, including Simone Young and Sir Charles Mackerras.

By Allison Schonter

Renowned Australian opera singer Steve Davislim has died. The Australian tenor passed away on Sunday, Aug. 11 after a "prolonged illness," Slipped Disc reported. An exact cause of death was not disclosed. Davislim was 57.

"With deep sadness we are confronted with the death of our artist Steve Davislim. We are devastated. He left far too early," Rudolf Balmer and Florian Krumm of Balmer & Dixon Management AG wrote in tribute on Instagram. "Our condolences to Dagmar and the whole family. R.I.P. Thank you for everything. You will always be in our hearts."

Born in Penang, Malaysia to a Chinese father and an Irish mother in 1967, Davislim and his family relocated to Australia shortly after his birth. His interest in music sparked at a young age, with the Daily Mail reporting that Davislim played the horn in local Melbourne bands as a child before going on to complete a Bachelor of Music at Melbourne's Victorian College of the Arts.

After beginning his career as a principal ensemble member of the Zurich Opera, per Arts Management, he rose to become one of "the leading tenors of his generation" who is "acclaimed throughout the world for his beautiful lyric voice, strong stage presence, and remarkable agility." During his career as an opera singer, he performed on stages internationally, including the Sydney Opera House, the Berlin Staatsoper, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He performed in Così fan tutte and The Barber of Seville, among others, and worked with some of Australia's most respected conductors, including Simone Young and Sir Charles Mackerras.

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Although he was based in Vienna, where he passed, in later years, Arts Management reports that he returned to the opera stage in Australia in 2023 to perform the title role in Idomeneo, one of his signature roles, for Victorian Opera. He also returned to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in a role debut, as Loge in Das Rheingold.

Following news of his passing, Arts Management paid tribute to Davislim on social media, remembering him as "a man of great humanity and keen intellect who possessed a voice of rare beauty and facility" and "one of Australia's most successful international artists" who was "heard around the globe on the stages of the world's most prestigious opera houses and with the world's leading orchestras and conductors... A fine artist taken from us too soon but one whose performances we treasure and whose many recordings we will continue to cherish."

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