Aaron Blake as High Priest of Amon in "Akhnaten" by Phillip Glass at The Metropolitan Opera
Aaron Blake, tenor, recently took time out of his busy schedule to talk with us about his career and his new artist-in-residence role at King University, Bristol, Tennessee.
A! Magazine for the Arts: Tell us about your background.
Aaron Blake: I’m originally from Palos Verdes, California. My parents are both doctors, and I was raised in a household that appreciated the arts and music from a young age. I was first a pianist and a violinist, though singing was always a part of music making for me as well. I also grew up playing tournament tennis and had a USTA ranking as a junior. My affinity for voice truly came into focus when I was about 15 years old. I realized that the art form of classical voice and the world of opera encompassed so many of my interests, including art, language, history, communication and discipline. The last of those attributes combined with tremendous support from my mother and my voice teacher landed me at the Juilliard School. I was 19 years old when I began my bachelor’s degree there and the training and exposure that I received was truly outstanding, not to mention I attended performances at the Metropolitan Opera across the street from my dormitory nearly every night. During that time, I was mentored by incredible artists including Renée Fleming and Marilyn Horne who helped to guide me in the way of repertoire, career path and ultimately to my future teachers as well.
A! Magazine: What are your career highlights and challenges?What did you win a Grammy for what effect has that had on your career?
Blake: I suppose the biggest career highlight for me is simply the fact that I have been blessed to have a career. Of course, there have been some fun ones along the way including some fun debuts at such places as Carnegie Hall, The Hollywood Bowl, The Metropolitan Opera, The Santa Fe Opera, The Ravinia Festival and The New York Philharmonic. I have also toured extensively with the Komische Oper Berlin in Asia and Australia and New Zealand which was a very fun experience. I definitely had some career challenges especially early on as I was developing. The world of opera is wonderful but also extremely demanding, and I faced a bit of doubt by some in the industry if my voice was actually meant for the operatic stage. I used this as fuel for the motivation to take myself to the practice room and assuage any doubt that I was meant to have a place in the history of this art form.
There’s a saying that says, “When you know... you know!” And I was blessed to have a deep knowing in my soul that I had something important to say as an artist and with grace and tremendous support I have been able to keep that flame alive.
Out of adversity always comes a blessing and one of those for me was in 2022 when The Metropolitan Opera’s recording of “Akhnaten” by Philip Glass won best operatic album of the year at the Grammy’s. The win came as a total surprise as we were nominated alongside some incredible artists and performances. Just being nominated would have been enough in and of itself but to have actually won was extremely humbling and very exciting. This experience definitely adds a little cache to your résumé though I must say it was a total ensemble win and to have played a small part in the collective ensemble of this staggering piece was a career milestone.
A! Magazine: Why did you choose opera over other genres? What’s it like singing The Met?
Blake: I always say that opera chose me. While I can sing in other styles and do on regular occasion for concerts and recitals, the full expression of my instrument is unarguably operatic. I am also fascinated by the fact that the unamplified human voice can fill a hall with 4,000 seats and be heard over an 80-piece orchestra. The history of opera, the culture that surrounds it and the detail-oriented work ethic and execution are also very attractive to me with regards to the operatic art form.
Singing at the Met is truly an honor every single time. From my debut nearly a decade ago in “La Traviata” with Placido Domingo to any of the other projects that I have worked on there, the Met is like a family. Everyone is there to either facilitate or help you to facilitate the creation of great art. They have the capability to make imagination come to life on their stage and continue to produce provocative and spellbinding productions every season. I always feel there is some sort of magic on that stage the really allows your most honest and best performances both dramatically and vocally to come to life.
A! Magazine: What are your favorite roles and why? What role(s) do you aspire to sing and why?
Blake: I have had the good fortune of singing roles from varied repertoire. I have sung a number of standard repertoire roles such as Tamino in Mozart’s “Magic Flute” and Alfredo in Verdi’s “La Traviata” to something as obscure as Michel in “The Key of Dreams” a 4-hour Czech opera by Bohuslav Martinu. I love roles that have an arc and tell both a psychologically compelling story as well as take a striking musical journey. As my voice is maturing, I am excited to sing more Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini roles in addition to the more obscure repertoire I have become known for.
A! Magazine: What inspires you?
Blake: So many things inspire me, but nothing inspires me more than genuine quality and authenticity. I love listening to great singers of the past. In the mid-20th century there was such an incredible work ethic amongst vocal artists across the board. I learn so much listening to their vocal qualities and nuanced interpretations of the roles they are singing.
A! Magazine: What are your plans for the future?
Blake: I do my best to stay present in the now so I can be the most effective at the life that I am living in this moment. However, I do look to the future as my career depends upon continuing relationships both with opera companies and institutions that engage me. I look forward to continuing a relationship with King for as long as I am able to be helpful to the school and our surrounding community. I feel passionate about giving the classical arts a more comfortable, relatable and inspiring place in this community. This is one of the foundational goals of my residency, and I look forward to seeing it brought into function and existence.
A! Magazine: Why did you and your family come to Bristol?
Blake: Many things changed and shifted for my family during Covid. That time for all of the world was full of complexity and instability. One of the positive things that it provided was a slowing down that enabled us to look at life and evaluate what was truly important to us. We wanted to be in a community where we were surrounded by kind people and live in a place where God’s presence was truly felt. I must credit my mother, Dr. Sherry Blake, with facilitating this move and having the courage to move from a place she had lived her whole life. She knew we needed to make this move after experiencing Bristol, and it has turned out to be such an incredible blessing to our family.
A! Magazine: What are your plans for your artist-in-residency at King University?
Blake: My artist in residency at King is comprised primarily of performance-based community engagement. I will be performing two full length recital programs (one in the fall and one in the spring) as well as conduct masterclasses geared towards inspiring the next generation of vocal artists. I will also guest lecture in the theater program on the history of opera as well as curate course material on performance practice, diction, musical direction and stagecraft for existing and incumbent students.
We are also working on a powerful initiative to bring choral music back to King University with the formation of the King Community Choir. This performance group will be comprised of King students, faculty and members of the surrounding community. Our goal is to infuse the campus’s already rich academic environment with artistic inspiration all the while engaging the community and educating them about the exciting things taking place, at King.
A! Magazine: Why did you agree to do a residency at King U?
Blake: I had the pleasure of being introduced to Whit Whitaker at a Rotary meeting a little over a year ago. It was from that initial meeting that my relationship with King began. When I returned from my summer engagement at Bard Summerscape, I was given a tour of the beautiful campus. I could immediately sense how special this institution was.
Through subsequent social events in Bristol, I began meeting some of the King faculty members and was invited to be one of the speakers for the King Institute of Faith and Culture. That invitation turned into what would be a celebration of Whit’s presidency through a recital program that I curated. At that event my appointment as artist-in-residency was announced, and I knew we were on our way to achieving something special.
When I was approached about the position, I was told about the need for a revitalization of King’s once vibrant music and choral program. As I assessed the situation and began discussing options for how we could begin bringing music back to life, together we realized that with my professional background and my passion both for music and the university, my artist-in-residency was born.
When all of the moving parts come together and reveal a beautiful opportunity such as this position, there is only one answer for how that happens: God. This whole journey has felt guided, and I am so excited about our vibrant plans for music at King as well as for our community to engage through music with this first-class institution.
A! Magazine: Will you be involved with the local community (e.g. workshops, performances, etc.)?If so, what are your plans?
Blake: There are many events on the calendar already including public masterclasses this fall as well as a recital. The first event that community members both at King and in the Tri-Cities have to experience what I do will be Oct. 5 at the Legacy Theaters in Bristol, Virginia. I will be performing in “The Tales of Hoffman” at the Metropolitan Opera and the matinee performance on Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. will be broadcast worldwide in movie theaters as a part of the Met Live in HD series. This date perfectly coincides with King Fest, the university’s fall open house.
I will continue my fall residency with in-person events which will take place the week of Oct. 21-26. The first of these events is a masterclass geared towards high school students that are interested in pursuing a career in vocal music. We plan on bussing in over 500 high schoolers to the campus for this masterclass, which is very exciting. There will also be a college level master class which will showcase the talents of young artists who are further along in their development and will be an exciting opportunity for the community to experience a behind the scenes look at how an operatic voice functions and the details that go into making performances come to life.
There will also be community engagement opportunities through workshops on the campus of King where the community will be brought together through music. There will be more performances and community outreach opportunities in the spring semester as well. I am also working closely with advancement on some exciting opportunities for King alumni, as well as the schools trustees and donors. More information about these can be found on King University’s website.
For more information about Blake, visit www.aaronblaketenor.com.
