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discipline = "Tenor"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1666912661/media/2022/10/AaronBlake_yczfjj.jpg"
primary_image_credit = ""
related_companies = ["scene/companies/washington-national-opera.md", "scene/companies/the-dallas-opera.md", "scene/companies/utah-opera.md", "scene/companies/oper-frankfurt.md", "scene/companies/des-moines-metro-opera.md", "scene/companies/cincinnati-opera.md", "scene/companies/the-metropolitan-opera.md", "scene/companies/vancouver-opera.md"]
slug = "aaron-blake"
title = "Aaron Blake"
website = "https://www.aaronblaketenor.com/"
[[social_media]]
platform = "Instagram"
template = "social-media"
url = "https://www.instagram.com/tenorblake/"
[[social_media]]
platform = "Youtube"
template = "social-media"
url = "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpgkmcPoJ-MrInkv3-CXKSQ"

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The recipient of a 2017 George London Foundation Award, tenor Aaron Blake has earned international recognition for his performances in repertoire ranging from Martinu to Rossini. In 2022, he was recognized by the recording academy for his role as the High Priest of Amon in The Metropolitan Opera’s Grammy Award Winning Album of Philip Glass’s _Akhnaten_. His creation of the role of Timothy Laughlin in the Cincinnati Opera world premiere of Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce’s _Fellow Travelers_ brought both critical and international acclaim. The live recording of these performances was captured on the Cincinnati Symphony Fanfare Label and was released in 2017 where it was named one of the top 10 classical recordings of the year by New Yorker Magazine. In addition, Mr. Blake made a critically acclaimed debut with New York City Opera in Peter Eötvös’ operatic adaptation of _Angels in America_. During the 2022-23 season, Mr. Blake will make his Canadian debut as Nadir in _Les pêcheurs de perles_ and his Italian debut in recital with pianist Maria Nikitin at Santa Cecilia in Rome. He also covers the role of Henry in _Die Schweigsame Frau_ with Bard Summerscape, performs a concert of arias, songs, and duets at Walt Disney Concert Hall and covers _Don Ottavio_ in the Met’s new production of _Don Giovanni_.

Mr. Blake began his 2021/2022 season with a return to the Cincinnati Opera as Il Conte Almaviva in _The Barber of Seville_, followed by a concert of operatic duets, arias, and Neapolitan Songs with the Los Angeles Symphony. He then returned to The Israeli Opera to open their season as Tamino in Barrie Kosky’s critically acclaimed production of _Die Zauberflöte_ and made his role debut as Alfredo in Verdi’s _La traviata_ with the Jerusalem Opera. He continued his season at the Komische Oper Berlin as Tamino and made his recital debut with the Crystal Valley Recital Series. He also covered Tamino with the Houston Grand Opera, and in the spring of 2022, Mr. Blake made his debut with the Des Moines Metro Opera as Tamino in _Die Zauberflöte_, and returned to the Metropolitan Opera as the High Priest of Amon in _Akhnaten_.

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.

2019-2020 season engagements for Mr. Blake included his German and European debut as Michel in Bohuslav Martinu’s _Julietta_ with Oper Frankfurt and a return to the Metropolitan Opera as The High Priest of Amon in Philip Glass’s _Akhnaten_. He made his Walt Disney Concert Hall debut with the LA Symphony in a concert of Duets and Arias with soprano Stefania Dovhan and later in the season returned with the LA Symphony for a concert of Holiday Favorites and Arias. He debuted at The Israeli National Opera as Il conte Almaviva in _Il Barbiere di Siviglia_ and as Tamino in _Die Zauberflöte_ at the Komische Oper Berlin. He was slated to make his debut with Opéra de Montréal as Tamino and return to the Cincinnati Opera for their 100th Anniversary with performances of _Il barbiere di Siviglia_ opposite mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard.

In the 2018-19 season, Mr. Blake returned to the Metropolitan Opera for _Dialogues des Carmélites_ and made his debut in the company’s Summer Recital Series at Brooklyn Bridge Park with Nathan Gunn and Ying Fang. He made his role debut as Count Almaviva in _Il barbiere di Siviglia_ with the Tulsa Opera. Mr. Blake created the Role of Mila in Andrea Clearfield’s _Mila, Great Sorcerer_ with the Prototype Festival. He also reprised his role of Tamino with The Komische Oper Berlin on tour in Australia and New Zealand earning him a Helpmann Award nomination for best male artist. He made his Mostly Mozart Festival debut at Lincoln Center in the same role in July of 2019 and made his Bangor Symphony debut as _Candide_, returned to Carnegie Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra as Michel in the US Premier Bohuslav Martinu’s _The Key of Dreams_and for a concert of Sacred Music with John Rutter conducting.

He has performed leading roles with Cincinnati Opera as Don Ottavio in _Don Giovanni_, Pan in _La calisto_, and Tamino in _Die Zauberflöte_; Komische Oper Berlin and Minnesota Opera as Tamino in _Die Zauberflöte_; Utah Opera as Rinuccio in _Gianni Schicchi_, Fenton in _Falstaff_, Don Ottavio in _Don Giovanni_, Ferrando in _Così fan tutte_, and Nemorino in _L’elisir d’amore_; Tulsa Opera as Nadir in [_Les pêcheurs de perles_](https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=9b9473dceb5d9aceJmltdHM9MTY2MjU5NTIwMCZpZ3VpZD0yMWYxZDVlMC1iZTJjLTYwNzItMGQwYS1jNDFlYmY4MjYxMWImaW5zaWQ9NTIwMQ&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=21f1d5e0-be2c-6072-0d0a-c41ebf82611b&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnL3dpa2kvTGVzX3AlQzMlQUFjaGV1cnNfZGVfcGVybGVz&ntb=1), as a guest on their 70th Anniversary Gala and Il conte Almaviva in _Il barbiere di Siviglia_; The Dallas Opera as Romeo in _Roméo et Juliette_; Opera Orchestra of New York as Ugo in Donizetti’s _Parisina d’Este_; Washington National Opera in _Anna Bolena_; and the Metropolitan Opera where he debuted in _La traviata_.

Mr. Blake’s recent engagements saw his return to the Metropolitan Opera for _Les contes d’Hoffmann_ and _The Merry Widow_. He performed the role of _Tamino_ with the Komische Oper Berlin on tour in Tokyo, Hiroshima and Osaka and made debuts with the American Symphony Orchestra singing Fleishman’s Rothschild’s _Violin_ at Carnegie Hall, and as the title role of _Candide_ with the Atlanta Symphony-Alliance Theater in a production celebrating the Leonard Bernstein centennial.