Australian tenor Alasdair Kent is known for ‘his evenly produced tenor, refined technique and intense expressiveness,’ (Opera News) a voice ‘of great clarity, and of beautiful projection,’ (Opera Online) and for marrying ‘striking good looks with delicious sound.’ (San Francisco Classical Voice) An internationally acclaimed interpreter of Rossini and Mozart, his high tenor repertoire also encompasses the Romantic music of Bellini, Donizetti and Bizet, as well as the Baroque and early Classical music of Rameau and Gluck. Recent engagements include performances with the Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro Real Madrid, the Bayerische Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich, the Rossini Opera Festival and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.
Alasdair Kent’s 2024-25 season includes his house debut with the Teatro alla Scala in concert as Marzio in ‘Mitridate, re di Ponto’ with Christophe Rousset conducting Les Talens Lyriques, also touring to the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. He brings his celebrated interpretations of Rossini to make several house debuts, as Narciso in ‘Il turco in Italia’ in Laurent Pelly’s production at the Opéra de Lyon conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti, as Almaviva in ‘Il Barbiere di Siviglia’ at the Opéra de Montréal, and with his role debut as Norfolc in ‘Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra’ in Davide Livermore’s production at the Teatro Massimo di Palermo, conducted by Antonino Fogliani. His exploration of Gluck’s mythological heroes continues with performances as Pylade in ‘Iphigénie en Tauride’ in his house debut with the Teatro de la Maestranza. In concert, he appears at Theater an der Wien, singing Pleasure in Handel’s ‘The Triumph of Time and Truth’ with Rubén Dubrovsky conducting the Bach Consort Wien, and also at the Festival Saint Denis, singing the Christgeist in Mozart’s ‘Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots’ with Il Caravaggio conducted by Camille Delaforge. Kent also makes an important role debut as Idreno in Rossini’s ‘Semiramide’, with Opéra de Rouen and in concert with the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. He makes a long-awaited principal role debut as Frederic in ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ in his hometown with the West Australian Opera.
Highlights from Kent’s past seasons include: Il Conte d’Almaviva (‘Il Barbiere di Siviglia’) at the Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Oper Köln, Theater Basel, The Dallas Opera, Cincinnati Opera; Don Ramiro (‘La Cenerentola’) at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Portland Opera; Lindoro (‘L’italiana in Algieri’) at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Opéra national de Montpellier, the Hungarian State Opera, the Israeli Opera, Opéra de Toulon; Belmonte (‘Die Entführung aus dem Serail’) at the Bayerische Staatsoper; Ferrando (‘Così fan tutte’) at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Stadtcasino Basel, Royal Opera House Muscat, Lyric Opera Kansas City, Rete Liriche delle Marche; Tamino (‘Die Zauberflöte’) at the Israeli Opera, Royal Opera House Muscat; Don Ottavio (‘Don Giovanni’) at Opéra de Toulon; Arturo (‘I puritani’) at Ópera de Oviedo; Ernesto (‘Don Pasquale’) at the Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari; Achille (‘Iphigénie en Aulide’) at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence; Don Narciso (‘Il turco in Italia’) at Opernhaus Zürich; Il cavaliere Belfiore (‘Il viaggio a Reims’) at Rossini Opera Festival; Argirio (‘Tancredi’) at Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari; Giocondo (‘La pietra del paragone’) at Wolf Trap Opera; the title role in Haydn’s ‘Orlando Paladino’ at Teatro Real Madrid, Gran Teatre del Liceu; Pepé (‘Deux hommes et une femme’) at the Konzerthaus Berlin; Timur (‘Cublai, gran kan de’ Tartari’) at Theater an der Wien; Thespis (‘Platée’) at Opernhaus Zürich; and Paolino (‘Il matrimonio segreto’) at the Teatro Regio di Torino, Festival della Valle d’Itria.
In concert he has appeared in ‘Carmina Burana’ with Opera Philadelphia, Rossini’s ‘Messa di Gloria’ with the Orchestre de Pau Pays de Béarn, Stravinsky’s ‘Pulcinella’ with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI and in gala concerts at Carnegie Hall for the Licia Albanese-Puccini and the Gerda Lissner Foundations.
Alasdair Kent’s recordings include the Lute Song in Britten’s ‘Symphonic Suite from Gloriana’ with Ivor Bolton and Sinfonieorchester Basel and ‘L’italiana in Algeri’ recorded live at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam.
Alasdair Kent is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, alumnus of Opera Philadelphia’s Emerging Artist Program, Wolf Trap Opera’s Filene Young Artist Program, San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program, and the Lisa Gasteen National Opera School. The tenor has won First Prizes in the Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Foundation Bel Canto Award, the Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition, the Loren L. Zachary Society National Vocal Competition, the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition, the Violetta DuPont Vocal Competition, and both First Prize and the Audience Prize in the Academy of Vocal Arts’ Giargiari Bel Canto Competition. He was also awarded the Marten Bequest by the Australia Council, one of Australia’s most important artistic awards.