Australian dancer Harrison Lee has been promoted to Soloist at The Royal Ballet, among a series of promotions, new appointments and departures announced for the company’s 2026/27 Season.
The Sydney-born dancer is one of six artists elevated to Soloist, alongside Nadia Mullova-Barley, Ella Newton Severgnini, Charlotte Tonkinson, Marianna Tsembenhoi and Marco Masciari. Taisuke Nakao has been promoted to First Soloist, while Martin Diaz, Luc Foskett and James Large become First Artists.
For Lee, the promotion marks another significant step in a career that has taken him from The McDonald College in Sydney to the stage of the Royal Opera House. After winning the junior section of the Youth America Grand Prix in 2014, he won the Prix de Lausanne in 2015 at just 15 years of age. He went on to train at The Royal Ballet School before joining The Royal Ballet’s Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme in 2018 and becoming an Artist with the company the following year.
Announcing the company changes, Director of The Royal Ballet Kevin O’Hare praised the dancers’ contribution across the season.
“This Season has shone a light on the incredible skills and artistry of The Royal Ballet’s dancers. I am sure that audiences will join me in congratulating them in enriching our experience of the art form across our diverse repertory,” he said.
“We are excited to welcome new members, to watch current ones continue to flourish and to wish departing ones well with their next steps. At all stages of their careers, they make an invaluable contribution to the life and spirit of the Company.”
As previously announced, Patricio Revé will join The Royal Ballet as a Principal for the 2026/27 Season, following appearances with the company as a Guest Artist.
The company has also announced that five dancers from its 2025/26 Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme will join permanently as Artists: Aurora Chinchilla, Shani Moran-Simmonds, Yuki Nagayasu, Amos Child and Tristan-Ian Massa. Fellow Aud Jebsen dancer Joe Parkinson has secured a contract with Ballet Zurich.
Maia Rose Roberts, a 2025 graduate of The Royal Ballet School, will also join the company as an Artist after two seasons with Ballet Zurich.
Six new graduates of The Royal Ballet School have been selected for the Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme in 2026/27: Alecsia Maria Lazarescu, Emma Lucano, Sophie Schulten, Millán de Benito, Ivan Malaguti and Fabrizzio Ulloa Cornejo. William Gyves joins the company as its Prix de Lausanne dancer.
Among the departures, First Soloist Valentino Zucchetti will leave after 16 years to pursue his choreographic and producing career. He will make final appearances as Lescaut in Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon in October.
First Artist Katharina Nikelski will also depart following the successful completion of an MBA during her sabbatical last season, moving on to pursue new professional opportunities.