The luscious velvety tones and charismatic stage presence of baritone Paul Hughes woo audiences wherever he performs. A graduate of A.C.U. and the Victorian College of the Arts, Paul has performed as a soloist for ABC FM, Radio National, Geminiani, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and the State Orchestra of Victoria, and as a solo recording artist for Warner/Chappell and Move Records on Bruce Woodley's 'I am Australian' for the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Paul works regularly as an oratorio soloist for the major city churches of St Francis Lonsdale St and St. Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne.

Roles he has performed include Snug in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, for Adelaide-based Co*Opera, Guglielmo in Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte and Le Fauteuil in Ravel's L'Enfant et Les Sortileges for Melbourne International Festival, Morales in Bizet's Carmen, Mr Lipscombe in The Quickening for Port Fairy Spring Festival and the title role in Donizetti's Viva la Mama for VCA Opera. 

In 1999, Paul was invited to sing with Opera Australia and in the 2001 Autumn season appeared in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra and Requiem, and Richard Mills' Batavia. In the 2000 Melbourne International Festival, Paul appeared as a principal artist in the Production Company's The Gilbert and Sullivan Show, and Stonnington City Council and MTO's Opera in the Park. He then appeared as vocal soloist with The Australian Ballet in Sacred and Profane, and continued his association with Opera Australia in Tristan and Isolde, La Bohème and The Barber of Seville.

In 2002, Paul Hughes toured with Opera Australia’s Victorian Schools’ Company Production of Software.  He also appeared as Baron Douphol in the TSO/OA Opera Gala performance of La Traviata, in the role of Don Tritemio in the Stopera production of The Country Philosopher by Galuppi for the 2003 Castlemaine State Festival and sang Mr Jenks in Copland’s Tenderland for Operalive. In 2004 Paul performed the lead role in the opera Opiume by Mark Chan. The performances took place in Singapore and Hong Kong in response to a commission from the Singapore Arts Festival.

Paul continues to regularly tread the boards of Australia’s most prestigious opera stages including Opera Australia and Victorian Opera and roles in 2008/9 include Seneca in The Coronation of Poppea, Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and The Wigmaker in Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss.

Although a first-rate operatic baritone, Paul’s vocal talents easily encompass an enormous range of musical styles. As a singer of musical theatre he is unparalleled, and his renditions of smooth jazz standards and the classic songs of composers such as Gershwin and Porter leave audiences lost for words.