The Artist of the Week is Canadian tenor Colin Aisnworth. He will be singing the title role of Richard I in Grétry‘s Richard Cœur-de-Lion with Voicebox: Opera in Concert on November 15th (tickets and info here).
Colin has been captivating audiences all over the world with his versatility and dramatic presence. This season, he will perform Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Vancouver Bach Choir, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Grand Philharmonic Choir, Handel‘s Messiah with the Elmer Iseler Singers and make his New Zealand debut at the Adam Chamber Music Festival. Colin also just finished a run as Tamino in The Magic Flute with Opera Atelier.
This week, Colin chats with us about how he approaches new projects, the music he’s currently listening to and the one thing he can’t live without. Read on to find out more.
When was your first singing lesson (and with whom)?
I had my first singing lesson in Grade 12 with Irene Ilic in Newmarket.
Favourite place?
I love being at home, but also, I LOVE travelling. Currently, Rome is a favourite.
Top 3 favourite operas?
It changes, but right now, Werther, Roméo et Juliette and Eugene Onegin.
Who is a singer you admire from the past?
Alfredo Kraus is one of my favourites. He was such an elegant, refined singer and was still singing into his 70s.
What was the first opera you ever saw?
The first opera I remember seeing was Symphony of Psalms/Oedipus Rex at the former Hummingbird Centre with the Canadian Opera Company.
What’s your favourite mind-calming practice?
Believe it or not, running. After about the first 15 minutes or so, my legs go on autopilot, and I am able to mentally relax and think about all the day’s issues.
What’s your favourite non-classical band?
Right now, Radiohead.
Where did you go to school?
I went to both Western University and then the University of Toronto. I finished my studies at the UofT Opera School.
What’s the best thing about being an opera artist?
I love the travelling and seeing new places. It has been one of the best things about this career, getting to live in so many places in the world that one might not normally visit and spend an extended period of time in each place, rather than just for a few days as a tourist.
What was your childhood dream job?
I wanted to be a dentist.
Which album did you listen to last?
Labi Siffre – Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Hawkins Cheezies.
Which TV show did you binge-watch last?
Demon Slayer.
What’s a big investment for an opera artist, but totally worth it?
Lessons!
Do you have a funny joke for us?
Singing in the shower is fun until you get soap in your mouth. Then it’s a soap opera.
What is one thing that you cannot live without?
My son.
Do you approach singing and/or upcoming projects differently today than you did at the beginning of your career?
I like to think that now I bring all the knowledge that I’ve gathered over the years from lessons and performing to the process of learning new works. When I was younger, I was focused on learning new roles, the notes and creating a character, but now I really find it fun to go into much more detail – the background of the opera, the issues that influenced it and the composer, and all the nuances each composer puts into their scores (or doesn’t). All these perspectives really inform how I approach new operas and roles, and also it’s fun to go back to roles I’ve done with fresh eyes.
The music industry is tough, and filled with rejection. How do you cope? Does it get easier?
I think you just get better at dealing with the pressure and the no’s. I think each singer finds their own way of navigating those kinds of things. For me, I have always believed that I will have the opportunities that I am meant to have, to be grateful for those, and forget the rest.
Which of your roles has had the greatest impact on your perspective?
The character of Tom Rakewell from the opera The Rake’s Progress is a role that changed me in so many ways. It’s a mammoth and challenging role that really stretches you as a singer and actor. It was a great lesson in how to bring myself fully to a role.
Favourite social media platform?
Instagram.
LEARN MORE ABOUT COLIN AINSWORTH
VISIT HIS WEBSITE
© Sunny Martini
As Lensky in Eugene Onegin at Seattle Opera
© David Cooper
In La Traviata with Pacific Opera Victoria
© Bruce Zinger
In David and Jonathan with Opera Atelier
Richard Cœur-de-Lion
Voicebox: Opera in Concert
MUSIC DIRECTOR AND PIANIST:
Suzy Smith
CHORUS DIRECTOR: Robert Cooper
DRAMATIC ADVISOR:
Guillermo Silva-Marin
RICHARD THE LIONHEART:
Colin Ainsworth
BLONDEL: Yanik Gosselin
FLORESTAN: Taylor Gibbs
WILLIAMS: Joseph Ernst
MATHURIN: Sean Curran
GUILLOT: Marcus Tranquilli
CHARLES: Jan Doroteo
A PEASANT: Taylor Gibbs
ANTONIO: Madeline Cooper
MARGUERITE: Nicole Katerberg
LAURETTE: Alice Macgregor
MADAME MATHURIN: Meghan Symon
COLETTE: Anastasia Pogorelova
The Opera in Concert Chorus
It was immensely popular in its time and remains a landmark in the development of French opera.
It dramatizes the legendary rescue of King Richard the Lionheart by his loyal squire and troubadour, Blondel de Nesle, after Richard is imprisoned in Austria on his return from the Third Crusade.
Opera Canada depends on the generous contributions of its supporters to bring readers outstanding, in-depth coverage of opera in Canada and beyond. Please consider subscribing or donating today.
