​What a rare privilege it was to be a part of this epic production.  To have music written specifically for your own voice is a very special thing and Jack Symonds composed a part that showed off the strongest aspects of my singing, whilst allowing me to explore the limits of what I am capable of.  Working with director Kip Williams was just brilliant, he challenged me to find the depths and struggle of the character, and helped me to keep him constantly alive in the moment. Australian String Quartet and the Omega Ensemble were unbelievable, playing virtuosically and creating stunningly rich colours and textures to bring the scenes alive.

 

I loved working alongside the wonderful ensemble cast, each artist bringing incredible dedication and skill to the many varied characters and vocal styles in the piece.  It was also a visually stunning production, with beautiful costumes by David Fleischer, set Elizabeth Gadsby and lighting Amelia Lever-Davidson.  And perhaps what I appreciated most was the trust we all had for each other and the process, everyone stretched to their absolute limit to create something remarkable together.

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​Critical reception has been wonderful, headlined by 5-stars in the Sydney Morning Herald.

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The Saturday Paper wrote, "Kleeman is well cast as Gilgamesh, singing with a rich, effortlessly noble bass-baritone laced with complex overtones."

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Australian Book Review wrote, "Kleeman as Gilgamesh dominates the opera, creating a powerful, multi-dimensional character. He possesses a beautifully smooth baritone voice, rich in colour, wide in range, with an expressive and limpid vocal line. His voice has the required authority of the epic warrior for the more dramatic passages, but also the flexibility and a varied vocal palette to convey the emotional transformation the character undergoes with a growing sense of humanity and empathy as the opera nears its end."

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