MEET THE SOLOIST: Colin Ainsworth, tenor

Tenor Colin Ainsworth performs Beethoven's Ninth
May 7, 2022 at 8PM

Background:

Colin Ainsworth has been praised for his “exquisite control and emotional directness” and has long distinguished himself internationally as a specialist not only with his interpretations of the major Classical and Baroque tenor roles but also by his performances in contemporary opera.

Highlights:

• Having traveled the world with his unique and expressive voice, his many performances have included the title roles in Orphée et Euridice, Pygmalion, Castor et Pollux, Roberto Devereux, and Albert Herring; Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Fenton in Falstaff, Tonio in La Fille du Régiment, Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Pylades in Iphigénie en Tauride, Renaud in Lully’s Armide, Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress, and Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. An avid supporter of new works, he has appeared in the world premieres of John Estacio’s Lillian Alling at the Vancouver Opera, Stuart MacRae’s The Assassin Tree at the Edinburgh International Festival, Victor Davies’ The Transit of Venus with the Manitoba Opera, and Rufus Wainwright’s Prima Donna at Sadler’s Wells in London and at the Luminato Festival. 
• Also a prolific concert singer, Mr. Ainsworth has appeared with the Cincinnati Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Pygmalion, Vancouver Symphony, Calgary Symphony, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra of San Francisco, with Jane Glover and the Music of the Baroque in Chicago, Mercury Baroque in Houston, Les Violons du Roy in Montreal, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra in Toronto, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Grand Philharmonic Choir. 
• Mr. Ainsworth’s growing discography includes Vivaldi’s La Griselda (Naxos), Castor et Pollux (Naxos), Schubert Among Friends (Marquis Classics), Gloria in Excelsis Deo with the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (CBC Records), the collected masses of Vanhal, Haydn, and Cherubini with Nicholas McGegan (Naxos), and the premiere recording of Derek Holman’s The Heart Mislaid which was included on the Aldeburgh Connection’s Our Own Songs (Marquis Classics). He also appears in a live DVD recording of Lully’s Persée with the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (Euroarts). His new disc, A Play of Passion, featuring the music of Derek Holman with Stephen Ralls and Bruce Ubukata has just been released.

Critical Praise:

• “Ainsworth has always been blessed with an unusually high, pure tenor. Now it thrills with remarkable power and expressivity.” STAGE DOOR
• “Tenor Colin Ainsworth, a frequent Opera Atelier collaborator, is the star attraction in both operas, showing off his lyric voice to great effect." Toronto Star

Tickets start at $15! Click HERE or call 401-248-7000 to purchase today!