An award-winning vocalist with a penchant for musical theatre, Luke is a trained comedic actor and opera singer with an infectious chirpy and witty sense of humour!
Luke has a Bachelor Degree in Performing Arts and his diversity, passion and flare for entertaining has seen him take on a variety of roles from the exuberant Widow Twankey in Aladdin to singing alongside New Zealand's finest with Opera North.
Opera
Luke is vocally trained by NZ Opera Diva, Joan Kennaway QSM. He has performed the national anthems of both New Zealand and Australia for the 2013 competition, competed successfully at the Lockwood NZ Aria competitions and performed in the 2012 NZ Opera Rigolletto. He has also been the guest artist for the 2014 Opera in the Park Concert, held in commemoration of the 28th Maori Battalion and a guest artist for the Opera Extravaganza 'Opera in the Garden 2015'.
Luke has performed as a featured opera soloist and with opera sensations including Ben Makisi, Lilia Carpinelli, Dame Malvina Major and Dame Helen Medlyn. He is also a regular touring performer in Coca Cola Christmas in the Park.
Musical Theatre
Luke is most well-known for his animated and fun character work, his role in the 2014 musical 'Hairspray' at Skycity Theatre and for completing a season of the New Zealand production of The Phantom of the Opera in Wellington, where he played principle role Monsieur Andre the comedic, fun but sensible theatre owner. He has also worked on Disney's musical event - Beauty and the Beast, Jekyll and Hyde the Musical, The Full Monty and Cabaret.
In 2009, Luke went on to be cast as Bustopher Jones in the New Zealand production of Cats alongside well-known entertainers Tina Cross and Shane Cortese. In 2009 Luke was asked to perform as a guest artist for The Sexy Recession Cabaret in Auckland, alongside Jennifer Ward Lealand, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Mike Edwards, Eve Gordon and more. He has worked for Auckland Theatre Company in the modern take of Shrew'd and has gone on to create comedic roles in all aspects of performance. In 2011 Luke was cast as Gabriel Von Eisenstein in the hit Opera Die Fledermaus alongside Dame Helen Medlyn.
Television work
Luke has appeared in television shows and commercials including Shortland Street, Power Rangers and Beyond the Darklands.
Corporate MC and entertainment work
After launching Luke Bird Entertainment he made a splash in the entertainment world as highly sort after MC and entertainer. He has emceed for clients such as the BCA NZ Conference, CATE, MSD, Nerida Cortese and more, he's entertained for many clients including Fisher and Paykel and the Westpac Business Excellence Awards. Luke is an original member of the hit comedy clan The DG NOFNOFS. He has collaborated and produced comedy stand-up such as A night with a Durty Gurl and Tellulah and Marmite.
In 2021, Luke officially became a celebrant a fabulous new sting to his bow!
As a keynote speaker, Luke shares his inspiring journey in a talk titled "Dare to be Different and encourage others' differences to be Great," where he delves into his experiences, career highlights, and the importance of embracing diversity.
Awards
He has excelled as a performer and received a NAPTA nomination for his comedic role as Hipockets Duncan in the hit musical The Buddy Holly Story. Luke was also a nominee for the Westpac Business Excellence Awards for his work in the Arts.
Engaged well with the audience, comedy was exactly what we asked for. Excellent closing speaker, ended our conference on a high note ... keep reading Conference Innovators Ltd
Luke was an absolute dream to work with for our event! From the moment he stepped in, he knew exactly how to elevate the energy and create a positive, engaging atmosphere. It was clear he had done his homework on our speakers and tailored his approach accordingly, making everyone feel seen and heard. Luke has a natural ability to foster a sense of community and safety, allowing everyone to fully enjoy the event. We've received nothing but rave reviews from attendees, and we couldn't be happier with how everything turned out. Highly recommend!
Luke was amazing! From the minute he walked into the room he owned it, he commanded attention and was the highlight of our night. He read the audience to the tee and really integrated himself into the whole night, had photos on our photo wall, had a boogie and was just such a star all round, he exceeded our expectations.
Luke kept the level of energy up for the whole night. Interacted and involved the audience well.
Luke was simply fantastic and we were very pleased. He was great fun and had a good read on his audience. The little bit of Opera along with Queen was perfect for after dinner.
Luke Bird brought so much excitement to our Annual Awards evening. His professionalism and talent shone through on stage as our event MC. He was able to smoothly transition each section of the awards, and keep the crowd entertained throughout -With 30 awards to go through, this was no easy task. His song performance of "Somebody to love" was an absolute hit, which got people up and dancing (Some even joined him on stage to dance). While off stage and throughout the evening he mingled and interacted so well with guests. Overall, I would highly recommend Luke to anyone looking for a professional, personable and hilariously entertaining MC for any upcoming events.
