Bryan Hymel has been awarded the accolade for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for his trio of performances in Les Troyens, Robert Le Diable and Rusalka at this year's Olivier Awards with MasterCard.
The American tenor, who saved the day when he replaced Jonas Kaufmann in the production of Les Troyens at the Royal Opera House last year, made his professional debut in 1988 before going on to perform in opera houses all over the world, including numerous productions at the Covent Garden venue, where tonight's awards are being held.
In winning the award, Hymel beat a wealth of talent in the form of Edward Gardner, who was nominated for his conducting of English National Opera's The Flying Dutchman and Billy Budd, Music Theatre Wales and Scottish Opera for In The Locked Room/Ghost Patrol at the Royal Opera House's Linbury studio and the stage management teams of both London-based companies English National Opera and the Royal Opera House.