Robin Blaze (born 11 January 1971)
is a British
countertenor
A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a ...
.
Early life
He was born in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, England.
The son of Peter Blaze, a professional
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
er, and Christine, Blaze and his brother Mark grew up in
Shadwell, near
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
, and was educated at
Leeds Grammar School
Leeds Grammar School was an independent school founded 1552 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Originally a male-only school, in August 2005 it merged with Leeds Girls' High School to form The Grammar School at Leeds. The two schools physica ...
,
Uppingham School, and
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...
. At Uppingham, Blaze was taught by the celebrated countertenor
John Whitworth.
[Charlotte Smith]
"Obituary: John Whitworth, countertenor"
in '' Gramophone'', 5 September 2013, accessed 22 June 2020
Having made his first solo recordings as a
treble with Stephen Lomas, Blaze was both a
chorister and an
academical clerk at Magdalen College, where he recorded with the Dufay Consort. After graduating, he won a scholarship for postgraduate studies at the
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...
, where he continued to study with
Michael Chance and Ashley Stafford. After completing his education, he took a position as professor of Vocal Studies at the
Royal College. He has also studied
flute
The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...
,
piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
, and
organ
Organ and organs may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function
* Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body.
Musical instruments
...
.
Opera
His
opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
roles have included:
* Anfinomo in
Monteverdi's ''
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria'' (Teatro Sao Carlos,
Lisbon
Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
)
* Narciso in
Handel's ''
Agrippina'' (
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...
)
* Unulfo in Handel's ''
Rodelinda'' (Broomhill Opera Festival, produced by
Jonathan Miller
Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, comedian and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 19 ...
)
* Athamas in Handel's ''
Semele
Semele (; ), or Thyone (; ) in Greek mythology, was the youngest daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia (Greek goddess), Harmonia, and the mother of Dionysus by Zeus in one of his many origin myths.
Certain elements of the cult of Dionysus and Semele ...
'' (
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...
and
English National Opera
English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...
, conducted by
Sir Charles Mackerras AC CH CBE)
* Didymus in Handel's ''
Theodora'' (
Glyndebourne Festival Opera
Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England.
History
Under the supervision of the Christie family, the festival has been held annually since 1934, e ...
)
* Arsamenes in Handel's ''
Xerxes'' (English National Opera)
* Hamor in Handel's ''
Jephtha'' (English National Opera and also
Welsh National Opera)
* Bertarido in Handel's ''
Rodelinda'' (
Glyndebourne Touring Opera and
Handel Festival Göttingen)
* Rinaldo in Handel's ''
Rinaldo'' (Handel Festival Göttingen)
* Oberon in
Britten's ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
'' (
English National Opera
English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...
)
*
Rupert Brooke in
Geraint Lewis's ''A Shining Piece''
Performances
Blaze has performed with
conductors including
Harry Christophers,
Stephen Cleobury,
John Eliot Gardiner
Sir John Eliot Gardiner (born 20 April 1943) is an English conductor, particularly known for his performances of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, especially the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage of 2000, performing Church cantata (Bach), Bach's church ...
,
Philippe Herreweghe,
Richard Hickox
Richard Sidney Hickox (5 March 1948 – 23 November 2008) was an English conductor of choral, orchestral and operatic music.
Early life and education
Hickox was born in Stokenchurch in Buckinghamshire into a musical family. After attending ...
,
David Hill,
Christopher Hogwood
Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood (10 September 194124 September 2014) was an English Conducting, conductor, harpsichordist, and Musicology, musicologist. Founder of the early music ensemble the Academy of Ancient Music, he was an authority on h ...
,
René Jacobs
René Jacobs (born 30 October 1946) is a Belgian musician. He came to fame as a countertenor, but later in his career he became known as a conductor of baroque and classical opera.
Biography Countertenor
Born in Ghent, Jacobs began his musi ...
,
Robert King,
Ton Koopman,
Nicholas Kraemer,
Gustav Leonhardt
Gustav Maria Leonhardt (30 May 1928 – 16 January 2012) was a Dutch keyboardist, conductor, musicologist, teacher and editor. He was a leading figure in the historically informed performance movement to perform music on period instruments.
Leo ...
,
Paul McCreesh
Paul McCreesh (born 24 May 1960) is an English conductor.
Paul McCreesh is the founder and artistic director of the Gabrieli Consort & Players. With them he has performed in major concert halls and festivals across the world. He has been the ...
,
Nicholas McGegan,
Trevor Pinnock, and
Masaaki Suzuki.
He has appeared with ensembles including the
Academy of Ancient Music,
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin,
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir,
Bach Collegium Japan,
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world.
Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...
,
BBC Philharmonic
The BBC Philharmonic is a national British broadcasting symphony orchestra and is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Philharmonic is a department of the BBC North Group division based at Media ...
, La Chapelle Royale,
City of London Sinfonia,
Collegium Musicum 90,
Collegium Vocale,
The English Concert,
Fretwork,
Gabrieli Consort,
Hallé Orchestra,
Hanover Band,
Israel Chamber Orchestra,
King's Consort,
Manchester Camerata
The Manchester Camerata is a British chamber orchestra based in Manchester, England. A sub-group from the orchestra, the Manchester Camerata Ensemble, specialises in chamber music performances.
The orchestra's primary concert venue is The Bridg ...
,
National Symphony Orchestra
The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The NSO regularly ...
,
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic,
Northern Sinfonia,
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment,
Florilegium
In medieval Latin, a ' (plural ') was a compilation of excerpts or sententia from other writings and is an offshoot of the commonplacing tradition. The word is from the Latin '' flos'' (flower) and '' legere'' (to gather): literally a gathering ...
, Palladian Ensemble, The Parley of Instruments,
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...
, Royal Flanders Philharmonic,
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is a music organisation based in Liverpool, England, that manages a professional symphony orchestra, a concert venue, and extensive programmes of learning through music. Its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmo ...
,
RIAS Kammerchor,
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra,
Scottish Chamber Orchestra,
The Sixteen
The Sixteen (previously known as the Symphony of Harmony and Invention) are a British choir and period instrument orchestra. Founded by Harry Christophers, they started as an unnamed group of sixteen friends in 1977, giving their first bille ...
,
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir, and
Winchester Cathedral Choir.
In November 2017 he performed at
Tilford Bach Festival under Adrian Butterfield.
Blaze works regularly with
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
Graham Johnson and
lute
A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted.
More specifically, the term "lu ...
nist Elizabeth Kenny. He is involved in the project
Dieterich Buxtehude – Opera Omnia of
Ton Koopman and the
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir to record the complete works of
Dieterich Buxtehude
Dieterich Buxtehude (; born Diderich Hansen Buxtehude, ; – 9 May 1707) was a Danish composer and organist of the Baroque music, Baroque period, whose works are typical of the North German organ school. As a composer who worked in various vocal ...
.
Discography
Blaze has made over 50 solo recordings, including the complete
Bach cantata
The cantatas composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, known as Bach cantatas ( German: ), are a body of work consisting of over 200 surviving independent works, and at least several dozen that are considered lost. As far as known, Bach's earliest can ...
series for
Masaaki Suzuki for BIS, and a series of song recitals with Elizabeth Kenny for
Hyperion. His CD of Handel duets with
Carolyn Sampson was nominated for a
Gramophone Award, and his recording of
Thomas Adès
Thomas Joseph Edmund Adès (born 1 March 1971) is a British composer, pianist and conductor. Five compositions by Adès received votes in the 2017 Classic Voice poll of the greatest works of art music since 2000: ''The Tempest (opera), The T ...
' "Lover in Winter" won the Gramophone contemporary music recording prize. Other award-winning recordings include Byrd consort songs with Concordia and Handel's ''Choice of Hercules'' with
The King's Consort, both for Hyperion Records.
References
External links
Rayfield AlliedHyperion Records*
ttp://www.boysoloist.com/artist.asp?VID=284 Boy SoloistGoldberg: the early music portal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blaze, Robin
1971 births
Living people
English male singers
English opera singers
Operatic countertenors
British performers of early music
English child singers
Boy sopranos
Academics of the Royal College of Music
Alumni of the Royal College of Music
Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford
People educated at Magdalen College School, Oxford
People educated at Leeds Grammar School
People educated at Uppingham School
Musicians from Leeds
Musicians from Manchester
21st-century English singers
21st-century British male singers
People from Shadwell, West Yorkshire
Singers from Manchester