Recipient of the esteemed 2017 George London Foundation Award, tenor Aaron Blake has received global acclaim for his captivating performances across a wide range of repertoire ranging from Martinu to Rossini. In 2022, Mr. Blake earned recognition by the esteemed recording academy for his portrayal of the High Priest of Amon in the Metropolitan Opera’s Grammy Award Winning Album of Philip Glass’s Akhnaten. Further cementing his recording triumphs, the live recording of Cincinnati Opera’s world premiere of Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce’s Fellow Travelers, in which he originated the role of Timothy Laughlin, was hailed by The New Yorker as one of the Top 10 Classical Recordings of the Year in 2017. In the current season, Mr. Blake makes his return to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Remendado in Carmen and joins the Cincinnati Opera to sing Don Ottavio in their new production of Don Giovanni. Thrilling upcoming engagements include a role debut as Bob Boles in Peter Grimes with the Israeli Opera and a return to the Metropolitan Opera’s roster as the Four Servants in Les contes d’Hoffmann, a production that will also be broadcast worldwide in cinemas as part of The Met: Live in HD season. Rounding out next season, Mr. Blake again joins the Metropolitan Opera for his awaited role debut as Don Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro. 

  

First debuting as Gastone in La traviata, he continues to maintain a longstanding artistic relationship with the Metropolitan Opera. A champion of contemporary opera, he portrayed the High Priest of Amon in both their 2019 and 2022 productions of Philip Glass’s Akhnaten. In addition to his upcoming engagements with both the Met and their Live in HD series, Mr. Blake has covered Don Ottavio in their recent production of Don Giovanni, Chevalier de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, Raoul de St. Brioche in The Merry Widow, Nathanaël and Spalanzani in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Borsa in Rigoletto, and Jaquino in Fidelio. With the company on the recital stage, he joined them for their Summer Recital Series at Brooklyn Bridge Park with Nathan Gunn and Ying Fang. 

 

In high demand in the United States and abroad, Mr. Blake has performed leading tenor roles at numerous esteemed companies, including the title role of Candide with the Bangor Symphony and Atlanta Symphony-Alliance Theater; Il conte Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia with The Israeli National Opera, Tulsa Opera, Cincinnati Opera; Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Cincinnati Opera and Utah Opera; and Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles with Vancouver Opera and Tulsa Opera. In addition, Mr. Blake is frequently engaged at both Utah Opera and BardSummerscape. With Utah Opera, Mr. Blake has also portrayed Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Fenton in Falstaff, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, and Nemorino in L’elisir d’amor. At BardSummerscape, he has sung The Garter in Henry VIII, Henry in Die Schweigsame Frau, and covered the title role of Don Gomez. Notable international credits include Alfredo in Verdi’s La traviata with the Jerusalem Opera, his German and European debut as Michel in Bohuslav Martinu’s Julietta with Oper Frankfurt.  

 

Renowned internationally for his portrayal of Tamino, Mr. Blake has performed the role on the operatic stage, in symphonic venues, and on tour. Recent engagements in the role include billings with the Haifa Symphony, The Israeli Opera in Barrie Kosky’s critically acclaimed production, On Site Opera, the Cincinnati Opera, the Komische Oper Berlin, Minnesota Opera, and with Des Moines Metro Opera. As Tamino, he has covered with the Houston Grand Opera and was slated to make his Opéra de Montréal debut. Engaging a long-standing relationship with the Komische Oper Berlin, he joined them on their international tour of Die Zauberflöte in Australia, New Zealand, and across Japan. Recognized for his outstanding artistry while on tour, he earned a Helpmann Award nomination for best male artist.

 

Noted for possessing an “endearing and sweet-sounding [voice]” (New York Times) and giving “bright, lyrical life” (New York Classical Review), Mr. Blake continues to dazzle in recital and symphonic engagements in the United States and abroad. At Carnegie Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra, he has portrayed Leukippos in Richard Strauss’ Daphne, performed Fleishman’s Rothschild’s Violin, sung Michel in the US premiere of Bohuslav Martinu’s The Key of Dreams, and was the featured soloist in a concert of Sacred Music with the acclaimed John Rutter conducting. With the LA Symphony, Mr. Blake has been the featured soloist in several of their concerts, most notably at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in a concert of Duets and Arias with soprano Stefania Dovhan. Additional concert credits include his Italian recital debut at Santa Cecelia in Rome with pianist Maria Nikitin, a featured recital with the Crystal Valley Recital Series, and performing as a featured soloist with the Hart Institute for Women Conductors at the Dallas Opera. 

 

A steward of new music, Mr. Blake created the role of Mila in Andrea Clearfield’s Mila, Great Sorcerer with the Prototype Festival, a role he later reprised with the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center. With the New York City Opera, he originated the role of Louis in Peter Eötvös’ Angels in America. As Timothy Laughlin in Fellow Travelers at the Prototype Festival and Cincinnati Opera, Mr. Blake was described as portraying “in full…an achingly vulnerable figure” (Opera News) and possessing “an appealingly vulnerable, clear-toned tenor” (New York Times). 

 

During the COVID19 pandemic, Mr. Blake created and produced the video series Tosti Tuesdays with his longtime collaborator Cris Frisco. The video series chronicled the songs of Tosti and his contemporaries throughout 25 episodes, which received thousands of views via online platforms and social media. He also joined White Snake Projects for their virtual production of Death by Life, an homage to George Floyd through celebrating the lives of incarcerated persons and demonstrating the incredible ability of human beings to change for the better. Mr. Blake was also slated to return to the Cincinnati Opera for their 100th Anniversary with performances of Il barbiere di Siviglia opposite mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, a role he reprised with the company in the following season.