Alexander Lewis (actor)

Early life

Lewis spent the early years of his life in Hampstead, London initially observing his opera-singer parents before eventually joining the St Alban’s Cathedral Choir at the age of seven. Lewis comes from a musical family. His father Michael Lewis OAM is an opera singer and concert performer and his mother Patricia Price is also a singer as well as being Head of Vocal Studies and Opera at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Older brother Ben Lewis is known for his portrayal of The Phantom in Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies.

Lewis's parents used their industry contacts to fund-raise for Warrawee Primary School in Sydney where both Alexander and Ben attended. Richard Bonynge was generally the conductor and the performers were whoever was available at the time from the Australian Opera. The concerts continue to this day and a prize named after Lewis’s parents is awarded to one of the school's music students.

Career

After moving back to Australia, Lewis attended Newington College in Sydney where he studied music and drama whilst playing sport. After high school, Lewis successfully applied to study at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, or WAAPA with brother Ben. Both graduated from the Music Theatre course in 2004. and Alexander was awarded the Lesley Anderson Fellowship as most outstanding student of that year.

In 2001, Lewis was a finalist in the Australian Singing Competition's Mathy Awards and appeared in The Sydney Festival with The Australian Theatre for Young People. In 2002, he featured in the Prime Minister's Australia Day celebrations.

In 2006, Lewis was the winner of Opera Foundation Australia's New York Study Award and so spent six weeks studying in New York and attending rehearsals and performances. At the end of the six-week period, Lewis was given the opportunity to perform for members of the Metropolitan Opera audition panel. In 2007 Lewis was a finalist in the competition Neue Stimmen (International Singing Competition) in Germany

The 2008, Australian production of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera saw Lewis cast as Raoul alongside Ana Marina and Anthony Warlow. Eventually Lewis was cast as understudy Phantom and so covered the role in Warlow's absences from late 2008 to 2009. Lewis won the Australian National Aria Competition in 2009 and followed that up with second place in The McDonald’s Aria Competition and then first place in the 2010 Sir Robert Askin Fellowship.

Most recently based in New York, and currently in his second year of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Lewis performed in the 2011-2012 Metropolitan Opera season and is presently performing in their 2012-2013 season. As well as Raoul, Lewis has played numerous stage roles such as Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd, Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore, Frederick Barrett in Titanic-The Musical and Vašek in The Bartered Bride.

Away from the stage, Lewis has appeared on Australian television in the series Headland and has featured in fund raising events for charities such as The Royal Flying Doctor Service and The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children.

Awards

Lewis is the winner of numerous awards including the Opera Foundation Australia New York Study Award in 2006, the Australian National Aria Competition in 2009, and the Sir Robert Askin Fellowship in 2010.