Thomas Atkins

Tenor

New Zealand tenor Thomas Atkins has attracted serious attention since his studies at the New Zealand School of Music and Guildhall School of Music, during which he was supported by the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation and the New Zealand Arts Foundation Patronage. Atkins is a former Jerwood Artist, and a 2018 graduate of the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House. Since then, he has made successful debuts with Bayerische Staatsoper, Opéra de Montpellier, Opera North, Gothenburg Opera and New Zealand Opera.

Highlights in the 2020/21 season include returns to Bayerische Staatsoper as Roderigo in Amélie Niermeyer’s production of Otello, and to Glyndebourne -first as Tamino in a semi-staged production of Die Zauberflöte and then, during the festival, as Kudrjaš in a new production of Katya Kabanova.

Recent highlights include Rodolfo La bohème with Opera North, Gothenburg Opera and New Zealand Opera and Lysander A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Opéra de Montpellier. He returned to the Royal Opera house, following his time on the young artist programme, as Gastone La Traviata. In the 2019/20 season Atkins was also invited to perform Beethoven’s Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Jurowski at the Royal Festival Hall, and Alfredo La Traviata with Israeli Opera, which we hope to see rescheduled for future seasons.

Highlights on the concert platform include joining Marin Alsop and the London Symphony Orchestra in performances of Bernstein’s Candide; appearing in the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Gala at Wigmore Hall; making his debut with Opera Rara as Empsaele Il Paria at the Barbican with the Britten Sinfonia under the baton of Sir Mark Elder; Missa Solemnis with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Richard Farnes at the Barbican; performances at the Yakushiji Otobutai in Japan with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa; excerpts from Der Rosenkavalier with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Mark Elder, Tippett A Child of Our Time, Mozart Requiem, Dubois Seven Last Words of Christ, Vaughan Williams Mass in G Minor, Handel Messiah, Verdi Requiem at Walthamstow Town Hall, Mozart Requiem in Switzerland, Rossini Stabat Mater and opera galas in Budapest.

At the Royal Opera House Atkins’ roles include Roderigo Otello, Pilade Oreste, Faninal’s Major Domo Der Rosenkavalier, Poisson Adriana Lecouvreur, Enrique The Exterminating Angel, First Armed Man Die Zauberflöte, Don José La Tragédie de Carmen (Wilton's Music Hall), Teacher Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and 2nd Brabant Noble Lohengrin.

Atkins was a finalist in the Guildhall School of Music & Drama ‘Gold Medal’ in 2015 and is the recipient of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama award, Sheila Prior Prize, the Phoebe Patrick Award and the Vianden International Summer School Award, all from the 2012 IFAC Australian Singing Competition.

2020/21 season / 453 words. Not to be altered without permission.