The 30-year-old baritone recently graduated from the Royal College of Music international opera school, and won the award this week for being ``the most generally deserving'' male student at the college this year.
The award, presented by Prince Charles, comes on top of winning the 2017 Kathleen Ferrier Award and the 2017 Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation international song recital competition.
Van Mellaerts is now relishing his busy performance schedule around the world, which includes performances at Royal Albert Hall in London, the Concours Musical International de Montreal, and in New Zealand Opera's performance of La Boheme in Auckland and Wellington later this year.
It is hoped he will be able to return to Dunedin to give a recital while back in New Zealand.
