Kenneth Neate
| Kenneth Neate | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 July 1914 |
| Origin | Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 27 June 1997 (aged 82) Munich, Germany |
| Genres | Wagnerian opera |
| Occupation(s) | singer, opera producer, teacher |
| Years active | 1938–1975 |
Kenneth (Ken) Neate (28 July 1914 – 27 June 1997) was a renowned Australian operatic and concert tenor, opera producer and singing teacher, composer and author. He appeared at the Bayreuth Festival in 1963 as Loge in Rheingold and he was noted as a dramatic tenor in German, French, and Italian repertoire in opera houses in England, France, Italy, Austria, Germany, and Australia. His operatic career lasted 38 years, followed by ten years as Lecturer in Voice and Opera Studies at the Richard Strauss Conservatorium in Munich.
Ken Neate was born in Cessnock, New South Wales on 28 July 1914. He studied piano and voice in Newcastle and had further study in Sydney with Lute Drummond and Lionello Cecil. Neate joined the New South Wales Police Force, serving in inner-city stations in Sydney. He became a soloist in the NSW Police Choir and soon became known as "The Singing Policeman".
He sang his first operatic roles as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly in Brisbane in 1937 and the title role in a concert performance of Lohengrin with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Joseph Post.
After hearing Neate sing in 1939, John Brownlee introduced him to the Metropolitan Opera, New York City, and recommended he study with his own teacher, Emilio de Gogorza, and with Elisabeth Schumann. In 1941 he toured New Zealand with Oscar Natzka. That year, he studied roles such as Don José (Carmen) with Brownlee, and Lohengrin with Lotte Lehmann. He auditioned for Bruno Walter, which led to his becoming understudy to Charles Kullman for The Magic Flute at the Met. In 1941 he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, becoming a pilot officer. He had already appeared in opera and concert under the direction of Sir Thomas Beecham in Montreal.
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