Who or what inspired you to take up singing and pursue a career in music?
I came very reluctantly to a career in singing thinking that surely this couldn’t be a real job! And despite what every taxi driver in London tells me it turns out that it is in fact a very real job and one I love! I came to it in a very roundabout way having first studied for a degree in music and history which would have allowed me to become a teacher but after two weeks of teaching I realised that children were much more difficult to deal with than directors so I decided to embark upon a career in singing.
Who or what have been the most important influences on your musical life and career?
I’ve certainly had a touch of the luck of the Irish about my career. I was a young artist at the Royal Opera house and during that time won the Rosenblatt Recital prize at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition and was also a BBC New Generation artist so all these things were huge opportunities for exposure when I was just starting out and gave me a super launching pad. The relationships I cherish most in my career are the ones I have with Wigmore Hall as I’m really devoted to song singing, the support the Royal Opera House have given my career over the years and my recital partnership and friendship with Iain Burnside who I have recorded many discs with and stood on the recital platform with many times.
What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?
I think the travel has been the greatest challenge for me. When I’m performing opera is often takes me away from home for months at a time and I find that very difficult. I think that is part of the reason why I have such an affiliation with performing recitals.
Which performance/recordings are you most proud of?
I think the most fun I’ve ever had on a production was the most recent one I performed at Covent Garden. I was doing a very cookie role in Shostakovich’s ‘The Nose’. But it was particularly special for me because at the time I was six months pregnant with my baby Daisy And my husband was also playing in the orchestra so I think that particular time will always have a special place in my memory. The recording I’m most proud of is probably the Fauré disc with Iain Burnside. I just love French music and it was a special treat for me to get the opportunity to record an entire disc with one of my favourite composers.
How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season?
At the moment I have a small baby so she is making all the decisions! Opera is on the back-burner for a while as I don’t want to be away from home for long. This suits me perfectly as I really love recital and concert work
Do you have a favourite concert venue to perform in and why?
I love to perform in Wigmore Hall. The acoustic and intimacy of the venue allows me to give my best performance. Also I’m welcomed there like family and that makes a huge difference to how you feel on a performance day.
What is your most memorable concert experience?
I would have to say any of the Proms performances I’ve ever been involved in. I think I’ve been in about 13 Proms now! Maybe my most memorable was Beethoven 9 with the NYO but performing at the first night of the proms was definitely a close second.
As a musician, what is your definition of success?
A huge bank balance…. only joking… I wish! Being able to do the work you want to do.
What do you consider to be the most important ideas and concepts to impart to aspiring musicians?
It’s tough so be prepared to work hard. Stay true to yourself and stay yourself. Be kind to your colleagues. Try to enjoy it!
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A walk in the park with my baby Daisy, my lovely husband Keith who puts up with all the madness that comes with being married to a singer and my little dog Jack….. Bliss…. the only thing that could make it better would be a bag of chips!
Ailish Tynan trained at Trinity College, the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. She was a Vilar Young Artist at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and a BBC New Generation Artist. In 2003, representing Ireland, Ailish won the Rosenblatt Recital Prize at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World.
Recent highlights include Madame Podtotshina’s Daughter in Shostakovich’s The Nose for the Royal Opera, Gretel Hansel & Gretel for Welsh National Opera, Anna Intermezzo in her debut for Garsington Opera and the world premiere of Judith Weir’s Nuit d’Afrique at Wigmore Hall. Additionally, she was on the Jury for the Song Prize at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, 2017. In the current season Ailish makes her debut with the Dresdner Philharmonie for Mahler Symphony No. 8, performs Glière’s Concerto for Coloratura Soprano with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Askenazy, Vaughan Williams Dona nobis pacem with the Britten Sinfonia and her recital debut in Stockholm with Magnus Svensson.
Operatic engagements include Gretel Hänsel und Gretel and Madame Cortese Il viaggio a Reims; Marzelline Fidelio (Royal Opera House, Covent Garden); Gretel Hansel and Gretel (Scottish Opera); Tigrane Radamisto (English National Opera); Papagena Die Zauberflöte (Teatro alla Scala); Despina Così fan tutte (Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse); Héro Béatrice et Bénédict (Houston Grand Opera, Opéra Comique and the Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg). Other operatic highlights include Sophie Der Rosenkavalier, Nannetta Falstaff and Atalanta Xerxes all for the Royal Swedish Opera; Miss Wordsworth Albert Herring (Opéra Comique and Opéra de Rouen) and Vixen The Cunning Little Vixen (Grange Park Opera).
Among her notable concert appearances are Mahler Symphony No.8 (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra under Paavo Järvi, Philharmonia under Lorin Maazel and Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under Sir Antonio Pappano); Mahler Symphony No.4 (Prague Symphony Orchestra under Jac van Steen and the Hallé under Sir Mark Elder) and Mahler Symphony No. 2 (Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under Myung-whun Chung); Verdi Requiem (Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele under Michael Hofstetter); Haydn The Creation (CBSO under Andris Nelsons); Handel Messiah (Academy of Ancient Music under Richard Egarr) and Vaughan Williams Hodie at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. She performs regularly at the BBC Proms where she has performed Bella in Tippett’s A Midsummer Marriage (BBC Symphony Orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis) and Glière’s Concerto for Coloratura Soprano (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Kirill Karabits).
In recital Ailish works regularly with pianist including Iain Burnside, James Baillieu, Graham Johnson and Christopher Glynn, amongst others, giving recitals at venues and festivals including Wigmore Hall, Edinburgh, City of London, Gregynog, St. Magnus, Brighton and West Cork Music Festivals, and the Vinterfespill in Norway.
Her discography includes Fauré Mélodies (Opus Arte), Nacht und Träume (Delphian), From a City Window Hubert Parry Songs (Delphian) and An Irish Songbook (Signum Classics) all with pianist Iain Burnside, Il re pastore for Classical Opera (Signum Classics), Michael Head Songs (Hyperion) with Christopher Glynn, Messiah with the Academy of Ancient Music (EMI), Mahler Symphony No.8 under Valery Gergiev (LSO Live) and with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Lorin Maazel (Signum Classics).
(Biography Steven Swales Artist Management)
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