Nicholas Lester studied at the Adelaide Conservatorium of Music and at the National Opera Studio where his studies were sponsored by Glyndebourne Festival Opera as the 2008 recipient of the Anne Woods/Johanna Peters Award. He also had a scholarship from the Simon Fletcher Charitable Trust. He is now resident in London.

Whilst at the National Opera Studio Nicholas Lester appeared in concert with the Welsh National Opera Orchestra and covered Belcore at Welsh National Opera.

Amongst his operatic roles are Aeneas Dido and Aeneas (Adelaide Festival), Speaker The Magic Flute and Paris Roméo et Juliette (British Youth Opera), Pasha Selim The Seraglio and Kagler Wiener Blut (English Touring Opera), Leporello Don Giovanni Jerwood Scenes (Glyndebourne Festival Opera), Antonio The Marriage of Figaro, Brioche The Marry Widow and Theseus A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Co-Opera, Australia), Kuligin Katya Kabanova, Fiorello & Officer Il barbiere di Siviglia, Flora’s servant La Traviata (Opera Holland Park) and The Vicar Albert Herring (cover for Glyndebourne Festival Opera).

Other roles Nicholas Lester has performed are Marcello La bohème, Onegin Eugene Onegin, Belcore L’elisir d’amore, Pietro Simon Boccanegra, Don Alfonso Cosi fan tutte, Brioche The Merry Widow, The Notary Don Pasquale, 2nd Prisoner Fidelio, Miguel Betrothal in a Monastery, Colonel Calverly Patience, Pirate King The Pirates of Penzance, Sir Joseph Porter HMS Pinafore.

Nicholas Lester has a busy concert diary and recent engagements have included performances of Elijah, Bach Cantatas, Rameau Motets and Mozart’s Requiem. He has also sung Brahms Requiem in Beijing, Vaughan Williams Five Mystical Songs and the Fauré Requiem at St Martin in the Fields and Messiah with Laurence Cummings and the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra.

Earlier this season Nicholas Lester sang The Foreman Jenůfa for Glyndebourne On Tour. He is currently singing Count Almaviva The Marriage of Figaro and Theseus A Midsummer Night’s Dream for English Touring Opera.  Future engagements include a world premiere in concert at the Royal Albert Hall and Schaunard La Boheme with the Nationale Reisopera in the Netherlands and for Glyndebourne On Tour.