Radio 3 - New Generation Artists

Allan Clayton (2007-2009)

Watch Allan Clayton sing Purcell
Allan Clayton talks about being a member of the New Generation Artists Scheme

Biography

Allan Clayton was a chorister at Worcester Cathedral before going up to St John's College, Cambridge on a choral scholarship, and then postgraduate studies on the opera course at the Royal Academy of Music where he was awarded an inaugural Sir Elton John Scholarship and a John Lewis Award. He was also awarded a Maidment Scholarship, administered by the Musicians Benevolent Fund; a Star Award from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, and 'The Queen's Commendation for Excellence 2007'. Allan was recently selected for the BBC New Generation Artists scheme and was awarded a 2008 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship. He is an Associate Artist with the Classical Opera Company.

On stage, Allan's roles include Lampwick in Jonathan Dove's new opera Pinocchio for Opera North; the title role Peter Grimes; Tamino (The Magic Flute); Prologue/Quint (Turn of the Screw); Belfiore (La finta giardiniera); the Madwoman (Britten's Curlew River); the title role Albert Herring at Snape Maltings; Tenor Actor in Weir's A Night at the Chinese Opera; the title role in Rameau's Dardanus; Count Vandemont in Tchaikovsky's Iolanta and the Male Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia), as well as appearances in Purcell's King Arthur in France and Death in Venice at the Festival Hall.

Recent concert engagements include The Dream of Gerontius and the St Matthew Passion with The Bach Choir; the War Requiem at the Perth International Arts Festival and the Sydney Opera House; Handel's Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall and Symphony Hall, Birmingham with the CBSO; Bruckner's Te Deum with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic; The Creation with Richard Egarr at Snape Maltings; Britten's Serenade at the Nuremberg Kammermusik Festival; Handel's L'Allegro with William Christie at the Spitalfields Festival; Britten's St Nicholas in Guernsey and Snape and an appearance at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. In recital, Allan has appeared at the Perth International Arts Festival in Australia performing Britten's Canticles; at the Cheltenham Music Festival in songs by Judith Weir, and at St John's Smith Square and the Wigmore Hall in recitals with Angelika Kirchschlager and Graham Johnson. Most recently he has also performed Winterreise with pianist Joseph Middleton, and a programme of Wolf songs with Roger Vignoles at the Wigmore Hall.

This season he makes his debut in the title role of Albert Herring for both the 2008 Glyndebourne Festival, and at the Opera de Comique in Paris next season. Other future engagements include Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) and Ferrando (Così fan tutte) for Opera North and concerts with the Britten Sinfonia, Handel's Joshua at the London Handel Festival, and appearances at the City of London, Cheltenham and Three Choirs festivals, as well as the 2008 BBC Proms.

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