Talk about a big break. A 22-year-old newcomer has landed the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera to be staged on Sydney Harbour.

Jake Lyle will don the mask when Opera Australia reprises its dazzling Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour (HOSH) production in 2026.

Phantom of the Opera HOSH

Left to right: Jarrod Draper, Amy Manford and Jake Lyle. Photo © Daniel Boud

Born in Gladstone, Lyle is still studying Classical Voice at the Queensland Conservatorium and is currently an Emerging Artist in Residence at Queensland Symphony Orchestra. In 2024, he was a finalist in the IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition.

He sent in an audition tape, hoping to be considered for the ensemble. The next thing he knew, he was being flown to Sydney to audition for the role of The Phantom.

“Everyone loves to say they’ve ‘discovered’ someone, but during the auditions for the ensemble, a young singer named Jake Lyle caught our attention,” says Music Supervisor Guy Simpson. “The next few days became a rollercoaster for Jake as we directed him through most of The Phantom’s material, all the while confident we had...