Ailish Tynan Soprano

   Brian Tarr

Ailish Tynan was born in Mullingar, Ireland, and studied at Trinity College and the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin. Scholarships from the Arts Council of Ireland and Guildhall School of Music and Drama enabled Ailish to continue her studies at the Guildhall School of Music Opera School. Ailish has been the recipient of many prizes and awards including the RTE Millennium Singer of the Future, the John McCormack Golden Voice of Athlone, and the West Belfast Classical Bursary. In 2002 Ailish won the Maggie Teyte Competition/Miriam Licette Award, and in 2003 represented Ireland in the BBC Singer of the World Competition, winning the BBC Singer of the World Rosenblatt Recital Prize. Ailish became a BBC New Generation Artist in June 2003.

From the autumn of 2002 Ailish was a member of the former Vilar Young Artist Programme, and roles for the Royal Opera have included Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, First Niece in Peter Grimes, Xenia in Boris Godunov and Second Wood Nymph in Rusalka. Recent engagements include Aenchen in Der Freischütz and a Queens Hall recital at the Edinburgh International Festival, Marzelline in Fidelio with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Knoxville Summer with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ravel’s Sheherazade with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel in Egypt with the RTE Concert Orchestra, Mozart C minor Mass with the RTE in Dublin and Galway, Beethoven’s Christ on the Mount of Olives with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and at the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford. She has also given recitals at the Wigmore Hall, St Luke’s, the City of London Festival, St John’s Smith Square, the Royal Dublin Society, the Isle of Man Festival, as well as in studio for BBC Radio 3.

Engagements in the 2004/05 season included Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice and Pamina Die Zauberflöte for Opera Ireland, Flora in The Knot Garden with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Sir Andrew Davis, a Viennese Concert tour with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Mahler Symphony No 2 with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Sheherazade and Britten’s Les Illuminations with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem and Dvorak Te Deum with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Canteloube Songs of the Auvergne with the Ulster Orchestra, Cook in Le Rossignol at the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, Chanson Madecasses at the City of London Festival, a recital of Tchaikovsky songs at the Wigmore Hall, a recital of French songs at the Hay on Wye Festival, and studio recitals for the BBC.

Recent engagements have included Valencienne in The Merry Widow and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro for Welsh National Opera, Carmina Burana with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Daniel Gatti, Mahler Symphony No 4 with the Hallé Orchestra and Martyn Brabbins at the Cheltenham Music Festival, Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Grace Williams’s Fairest of Stars at the Fishguard Festival, Mozart Operatic Repertoire with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Sir Roger Norrington at the BBC Proms and recitals at the West Cork Music Festival, Cheltenham Music Festival, Gregynog Festival and Clandeboye Festival.

Future plans include her US debut as Zerlina in Don Giovanni for the Seattle Opera, Marzelline in Fidelio for the Royal Opera, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier for the Stockholm Opera and Héro Béatrice et Bénédict for Houston Grand Opera.