Ailish Tynan was born in Mullingar, Ireland, and studied at Trinity College, the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. In 2003 Ailish represented Ireland in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, where she won the Rosenblatt Recital Prize. Other awards include the Maggie Teyte Competition/Miriam Licette Award and the RTE Millennium Singer of the Future.
Whilst a member of the Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Ailish performed Papagena Die Zauberflöte, First Niece Peter Grimes, Xenia Boris Godunov and Second Wood Nymph Rusalka. Roles elsewhere include Valencienne The Merry Widow and Susanna Le nozze di Figaro for Welsh National Opera, Euridice Orfeo ed Euridice and Pamina Die Zauberflöte for Opera Ireland, Flora The Knot Garden with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, Ännchen Der Freischütz at the Edinburgh International Festival conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras and Marzelline Fidelio with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.
In the 2006/7 season Ailish made her US debut as Zerlina Don Giovanni for the Seattle Opera and returned to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden to perform Marzelline Fidelio.
Highlights on the concert platform include a televised programme of music by Mozart with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Sir Roger Norrington at the 2006 BBC Proms, Carmina Burana with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Daniele Gatti, Barber’s Knoxville Summer of 1915 with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Mahler’s 4 with the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Martyn Brabbins at the Cheltenham Music Festival, Canteloube’s Songs of the Auvergne with the Ulster Orchestra and Ravel’s Scheherazade with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra.
As a recitalist, Ailish has collaborated with distinguished accompanists including Malcolm Martineau, Graham Johnson, Julius Drake, Iain Burnside and Barry Douglas, giving recitals at the Edinburgh International Festival, City of London Festival, Cheltenham Music Festival, West Cork Music Festival, Wigmore Hall and St John’s Smith Square, London. In the 2006/7 season Ailish joined the Nash Ensemble on a concert tour of Sweden and gave recitals in Tokyo, Barcelona, Valloires Festival, France and Bryn Terfel’s Faenol Festival.
As a former BBC New Generation Artist, Ailish is a regular contributor on BBC Radio 3. Recent recordings include Schubert’s Shepherd on the Rock on the Wigmore Hall Live label, Irish Songs by Herbert Hughes and Songs of Judith Weir both on the Signum Classics label.
This season’s highlights include her European debut as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier for the Royal Swedish Opera, Woodbird Siegfried Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and recitals at Wigmore Hall, London, Getty Museum, Los Angeles, National Gallery Dublin, St. John’s Smith Square London, a concert tour with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and a series of Viennese concerts with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Future plans include Héro Béatrice et Bénédict Houston Grand Opera, Vixen The Cunning Little Vixen Grange Park Opera, Mahler 8 with London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev, Beethoven 9 with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and a series of concerts with Camerata Pacifica, Santa Barbara.
Ailish Tynan is represented by Intermusica.
July 2008 / 510 words. Not to be altered without permission. Please destroy all previous biographical material.