David Hansen
was born in Sydney, Australia. He studied singing with Andrew Dalton at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and furthered his studies with James Bowman, David Harper and Graham Pushee.

In 2004, David made his European début for the Aix-en-Provence Festival in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Shortly thereafter, he made his UK début in concerts with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Emmanuelle Haïm, as well as performing the title-role in Handel’s Fernando with Il Complesso Barocco under Alan Curtis for the Spoleto Festival, Italy.

Other operatic engagements include Bertarido in Handel’s Rodelinda under Alan Curtis, Trinculo in the American premiere of Thomas Adès’ The Tempest (Alan Gilbert/Santa Fe Opera), Handel’s Giulio Cesare (René Jacobs/Theater an der Wien; Rinaldo Alessandrini/Den Norske Opera; Andreas Spering/Teatro de la Maestranza de Sevilla; Richard Gill/Victorian Opera), Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo (Jacobs/Deutsche Staatsoper-Berlin), Handel’s Semele (Christophe Rousset/Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie), Nerone in Monteverdi’s L’incorinazione di Poppea (Antonio Florio/Teatro Calderón; Victorian Opera), the title-role in Hasse’s Piramo e Tisbe (Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci), the title-role in Bontempi’s Il Paride (Christina Pluhar/Innsbruck Festival of Early Music), Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (Teatro Verdi di Sassari) and Ottone in Vivaldi’s Griselda (Pinchgut Opera). He has worked with directors including Stefan Herheim, Jonathan Kent, Barrie Kosky and Christof Loy.

Concert highlights include Carmina Burana with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle, the title-role in Handel’s Solomon with René Jacobs and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Bach’s Johannes-Passion with Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble under Marc Minkowski, Handel’s Parnasso in Festa under Andrea Marcon, Handel’s Messiah under Fabio Biondi, Adès’ The Tempest at the Concertgebouw under Markus Stenz, the title-role in Handel’s Giulio Cesare with Emmanuelle Haïm and Le Concert d’Astrée, Britten’s Canticles at the Wiener Konzerthaus and concerts with Nathalie Stutzmann and Orfeo 55, Leif Ove Andsnes and the Brodsky Quartet.

David’s debut solo recording for Sony/dhm, Rivals – Arias for Farinelli & Co., with Academia Montis Regalis and Alessandro De Marchi was released in August 2013 to critical acclaim. His other recordings include Purcell: Music For Queen Mary, with the Academy of Ancient Music and the choir of King’s College Cambridge, available on EMI Classics, Cavalli’s Giasone and Vivaldi’s Griselda, both recorded for Pinchgut Opera Live. Future recordings include Bach’s Johannes-Passion with Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble under Marc Minkowski for Naïve and Porpora’s Il Germanico with De Marchi for Sony Classical.

Recent engagements include Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre for Den Norske Opera, the title-role in Cavalli’s Giasone for Pinchgut Opera, Handel’s Serse under Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Jüri Reinvere’s Peer Gynt for Den Norske Opera, Sesto in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito and Britten’s Les Illuminations with both the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and Norwegian Chamber Orchestra.

To commence the 2015 season, Hansen will sing the role of David in Handel’s Saul at the Wiener Musikverein under Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Nerone in Handel’s Agrippina with Boston Baroque as well as Nerone in Boston Early Music Festival’s production of L’Incoronazione di Poppea. In the summer of 2015, Hansen will reunite with Alessandro De Marchi Porpora’s Il Germanico at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music.

Other forthcoming engagements include Steffani’s Les Rivali Concordi with Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Telemaco in Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria under De Marchi for Den Norske Opera, Farnace in Mozart’s Mitridate under Christophe Rousset for Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, the title-role in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice under Alessandrini and concerts with Oslo Filharmonien under Harry Bicket.