British Counter Tenor of Greek descent, Nicholas Hariades was born in London. He went to school at the Wells Cathedral School in Somerset. There he sang in the choir.

After having received a Bachelor in Medical Sciences at Southampton University, he started taking voice lessons with Peter Harrison and David Wilson-Johnson. He continued with Prof. Claudia Eder at the University of Mainz. Currently he works with Rita Loving.

Nicholas Hariades gave his operatic debut in 1993 as Boy and Bird in Andrew Toovey’s The Juniper Tree at Broomhill Opera in Tunbridge Wells. In 1995/96 he sang at Hessisches  Staatstheater Wiesbaden Mago Christiano (Rinaldo) and Die Nacht and Mignon (Mauricio Kagel’s Aus Deutschland). In summer 1996 he sang the title role in Gluck’s Orfeo at the Hernsheimer Schlossfestspielen near Worms. The following year he sang Ruggiero (Alcina) am Stadttheater Hildesheim, Angelus Novus in Ingomar Grünauers Winterreise in Wiesbaden and Ernesto (Haydn’s Il mondo della luna) in a production of Opernhaus Zurich.

In 1998 he sang Gandarte (Poro) at the Händelfestspielen Halle and Go Go (Le Grand Macabre) at Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck. In 1999 he sang the main role of Walter in Shih’s Vatermord at Konzerthaus Vienna. He repeated this role the following year with Glyndebourne touring opera. In 2000 he was also re-invited by Innsbruck to sing Arsace in Handel’s  Partenope. In the same year he sang Death in the German premiere of Jan Müller-Wieland’s Das Märchen der 672. Nacht at Theater Nordhausen.

In 2001 Nicholas Hariades was again in Vienna for Vatermord, this time with Musikwerkstatt Wien. Subsequently he sang at the Hans Otto Theater Potsdam Leonidas in Wilhelmine von Bayreuth’s Agenore, a role he repeated at the Glyndebourne Festival and in 2002 at the Markgräfliches Theater Bayreuth. The same year he also sang Ottone (L’incoronazione di Poppea) with the Ensemble Così Facciamo in Munich. In 2003/04 he guested as Go Go (Le Grand Macabre) at Komische Oper Berlin.

In 2005 Nicholas Hariades sang at the Theater der Jugend in Munich Sänger 2/Orfeus in the world premiere of Volker Nickel’s Orfeus under the baton of Christoph Poppen.

Nicholas Hariades is equally on demand on the concert stage. He has performed, among others, at Konzerthaus Vienna, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Musikhalle Hamburg and at the Festivals for Ancient Music in Schwetzingen and Utrecht. His repertoire includes Handel’s Oratorios, Passions and Cantatas by J.S. Bach as well as Purcell’s Odes. Furthermore he sings recitals in concert halls and on the radio.