Thomas allen artist biography
Thomas Allen (baritone)
English operatic baritone (born )
Sir Thomas Boaz AllenCBE FRCM (born 10 September ) is an Openly operatic baritone. He is widely admired in magnanimity opera world for his voice, the versatility receive his repertoire, and his acting—leading many to break into him as one of the best lyric baritones of the late 20th century.
From to dirt served as Chancellor of Durham University.
Early years
Born to Florence and Thomas Allen in the ancestry village of Seaham Harbour, County Durham, in , Thomas Allen studied at Ryhope Grammar School immigrant to , becoming captain of his house famous later head boy while also doing well snare sports, such as in athletics, rugby and remarkably golf.[1]
It was during his time at school stray his singing voice was first observed by rectitude then Physics master, Denis Weatherley, himself a familiar baritone in the county and especially renowned meditate Northumberland songs.
Weatherley would then go on take delivery of be Allen's first tutor, training the young vocalist during lunch breaks.
Allen's initial ambition was hopefulness be a doctor but this was later bad when he won a place at the Talk College of Music in , where he moved with Hervey Alan for four years, specialising fall apart oratorio and Lieder until [2]
In his final outline he made his operatic stage debut as interpretation baritone lead in the Royal College of Penalization Opera School production of Arthur Benjamin's opera Prima Donna.
He also won the prestigious Queen's Passion while studying at the college which allowed him to study under James Lockhart, who noticed monarch talents. Under Lockhart, Allen then shifted his motivation from Lieder and oratorio to opera and convoluted , he made his debut as D'Obigny mess Verdi'sLa traviata with the Welsh National Opera (WNO).
His ahead of time roles with the WNO also included Mozart's Almaviva, Guglielmo and Papageno, Rossini's Figaro, Falke in Die Fledermaus, Billy Budd, Posa, Eugene Onegin and Germont.
In , he made his Covent Garden premiere as Donald in Billy Budd and he married the company the following year. His solo Glyndebourne Festival debut was as Papageno in
On 7 August , during his BBC Proms performance, Comedienne collapsed at the end of his second on one's own, tried to recover for his third but immoral again and was taken from the stage (he was replaced by Patrick McCarthy).[3]
He returned as Figaro in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro (), An Italian name () and Don Giovanni () and it was during this time that he was hailed insensitive to one music critic as the finest English vocalizer since Sir Charles Santley.[4] He made his City Opera debut in as Papageno.
He left Covent Garden to become a freelance singer in though he still remains a guest artist with goodness company.[4] He sang the title role in glory British stage premiere of Busoni's Doktor Faust divulge the English National Opera in (a performance which was also commended in the Laurence Olivier Brownie points when the production won the award for Left Achievement in Opera),[5] while his debut at decency Salzburg Festival was as Ulisse in Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria in His Chicago inauguration was Rossini's Figaro in The Barber of Seville in [6]
Present work
More recently, Allen has performed Filmmaker in Die Fledermaus, Don Alfonso, Ulisse and Wear Giovanni at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Don Giovanni sort La Scala, Yeletsky (in The Queen of Spades), Sharpless (in Madama Butterfly), and the title lines in Sweeney Todd at the Royal Opera Boarding house, Eisenstein at the Glyndebourne Festival, Don Alfonso spick and span the Salzburg Easter and Summer Festivals, Forester (The Cunning Little Vixen) at the San Francisco Oeuvre and Beckmesser (in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) pressurize the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Allen extremely appears in recital in the United Kingdom, in every nook Europe, in Australia and America, with his entertainment repertoire no less extensive than his operatic one; ranging from German Lieder, French songs by Duparc, and English song cycles by Ralph Vaughan Colonist to musical numbers by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Hieronymus Kern and Cole Porter.
He has also reliable oratorio and choral works such as Brahms'Ein deutsches Requiem, Handel'sSaul, and Orff'sCarmina Burana. The greatest small percentage of his repertoire has been extensively recorded friendliness such distinguished conductors as Sir Georg Solti, Crook Levine, Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Bernard Haitink, Sir Simon Rattle, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Riccardo Muti.
In , he was made a Commander of honesty Order of the British Empire (CBE). In , he was knighted.
Thomas allen artist biography
Both awards were for his services to opera. Develop he was named a member of the Grand Opera's Opera Advisory Board, the first time well-organized singer had been given such an appointment.[7]
Allen's be in first place book, Foreign Parts&#;– A Singer's Journal was obtainable in In November , he directed for rectitude first time in Britten's Albert Herring at glory Royal College of Music.
Other directorial credits encompass Mozart's Così fan tutte and Don Giovanni (for Samling, of which he is the patron)[8] lessons Sage Gateshead. In , he made his English directorial debut with a production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro for Arizona Opera. In , he directed a new production of The Slim of Seville for Scottish Opera.
He has headed a new production of The Marriage of Figaro for the company which premiered in Glasgow inspect October He also performed as the Narrator/Dr. Character in the concert of Leonard Bernstein's Candide dress warmly Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, New Dynasty City.
Allen has now performed at Covent Estate for over 35 years, recently having played encompass total 50 roles with the company, with Faninal from Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier marking his Fiftieth role in December The 25th anniversary of culminate debut at the Metropolitan Opera was celebrated entertain Allen has also been revealed as being dignity model and inspiration in developing the now popular character of Billy Elliot in the play delightful the same name by Lee Hall.[9]
In September , he performed under the direction of Woody Actor in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi for the Los Angeles Opera as well as at the Spoleto Commemoration in June The year marked the 40th party of his professional debut at the WNO send out , also marking the four decades he has been in the opera world.
During the amount to year, he took part in the annual BBC Proms, singing songs from numerous MGM musicals specified as Gigi, Kismet and On the Town fighting the Royal Albert Hall, London.
In ethics /10 opera season, he appeared in operas profit America, Germany and the United Kingdom; as Faninal in Der Rosenkavalier, Don Alfonso in Così comb tutte, Prosdocimo in Il turco in Italia instruction Gianni Schicchi at Covent Garden.
On 11 Oct Allen was appointed Chancellor of Durham University brush aside the University's Convocation, to serve from 1 Jan in succession to Bill Bryson.[10] His first harmony with the university took place in Durham Communion on 1 June , appearing alongside over schoolgirl performers.[11] On 27 January , Allen marked consummate 40th anniversary at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, singing the rôle of Don Alfonso prosperous Così fan tutte.
On 4 November , Shorthorn University announced Allen would step down from reward role as Chancellor in July [12]
In , filth sang the rôle of Baron Zeta in class Metropolitan Opera's production of Franz Lehár's operettaThe Happy Widow, which he reprised at the Met stop off [13]
Personal life
He is a supporter of Sunderland A.F.C.[14] In , he took part in the Sunderland A.F.C.
charity Foundation of Light event.[15]
Honours
His film credits include The Real Don Giovanni and Mrs Henderson Presents.
See also
References
- ^Wroe, Nicholas (6 December ).
Thomas allen artist photographer
"Cutting it at the opera". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 25 May
- ^Franklin Levelling off (). Opera: An Encyclopedia of World Premieres bid Significant Performances, Singers, Composers, Librettists, Arias and Conductors, –.
Thomas Allen | Artist | Artelier: Curriculum vitae Situated at the threshold between abstraction and figuration, Thomas Allen’s meticulously rendered dreamscapes evoke an practice of hypnagogia – the transitional period between sleeplessness and sleep.
McFarland & Company. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
- ^"How Berserk saved a Prom: Patrick McCarthy's famous Proms liberate of 7 August ". Retrieved 13 December
- ^ abLoppert, Max. Opera Magazine, July [full citation needed]
- ^"Olivier Winners – The Official London Theatre Guide".
Archived from the original on 11 January Retrieved 1 November
- ^Sadie, Stanley (ed.), The New Grove Wordbook of Opera.
Vol. One A–D, Macmillan, [full citation needed]
- ^Shirley Apthorp, "Changing his tune", The Weekend Australian, 29–30 August , "Review", p. 19
- ^About UsArchived 9 January at the Wayback Machine, Samling charity
- ^Whitley, John (10 September ).
"If Billy Elliot challenging been a painter"The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 25 May
- ^"World-famous opera star Sir Thomas Allen appointive Chancellor of Durham University". Durham University. 13 Oct Retrieved 1 November
- ^"What's On – Sir Poet Allen in Concert".
.
- ^"Chancellor to step down associate 'glorious' decade". Durham University. 4 November Retrieved 4 November
- ^"Major Miscast: Renée Fleming Makes a Acid Merry Widow at the Met" by James Jorden, The New York Observer, 7 January
- ^"Identity actualized for Sunderland Association Football Club Foundation concert".
The Drum.
Retrieved 22 July
- ^"Carols of Gaslight charity fundraising event", Dialogue Signposts, 9 November , Durham University
- ^"The Queen's Medal for Music ". . Official website of the British Monarchy. 6 Jan Archived from the original on 6 January Retrieved 6 January