Alasdair Kent

Australian tenor Alasdair Kent is known for “his evenly produced tenor, refined technique and intense expressiveness,” (Opera News) a voice “of great clarity, and of beautiful projection,” (Opera Online) and for marrying “striking good looks with delicious sound.” (San Francisco Classical Voice) An internationally-acclaimed interpreter of Rossini and Mozart, his high tenor repertoire also encompasses the Romantic music of Bellini, Donizetti and Bizet, as well as the Baroque and early-Classical music of Rameau and Gluck. Recent engagements include performances with the Opéra national de Paris, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro Real Madrid, Teatro alla Scala, the Bayerische Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich, the Rossini Opera Festival and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.

In 2026-27, Kent makes his long-awaited house debut with Opera Australia as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, in Sir Thomas Allen‘s production conducted by Johanna Malangré and Chad Kelly and performing in the Sydney Opera House. He sings Marzio in Mitridate, re di Ponto in a return to the Teatro San Carlo di Napoli in Claus Guth‘s production conducted by Riccardo Frizza, and also in concert on tour with Kammerorchester Basel conducted by Francesco Corti, with performances at Theater an der Wien, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and Stadtcasino Basel. In concert, he returns to the Het Concertgebouw with a concert performance of Louise Bertin‘s Fausto as Valentino, with the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest conducted by Giulio Cilona, and also makes his debut with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in The Messiah, conducted by Chad Kelly. He returns to the Gran Teatre del Liceu in his role debut as Raúl Yebenes in Sir Thomas Adès‘ The Exterminating Angel, in Calixto Bieito‘s celebrated production conducted by the composer. He also makes his role debut as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette returning to West Australian Opera, in Rodula Gaitanou‘s production, conducted by Christopher van Tuinen.

Kent’s repertoire of Rossini’s leading men includes numerous performances of: Il Conte d’Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Den Norske Opera & Ballett, The Dallas Opera, Opéra de Montréal; Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola) Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper am Rhein; Lindoro (L’italiana in Algeri) Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Opéra national de Montpellier, Hungarian State Opera; Don Narciso (Il turco in Italia) Opernhaus Zürich, Opéra national de Lyon; Belfiore (Il viaggio a Reims) Rossini Opera Festival; Libenskof (Il viaggio a Reims) Opera Philadelphia; Idreno (Semiramide) Opéra de Rouen, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées; Oreste (Ermione) Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras; Dorvil (La scala di seta) Rossini Opera Festival; Argirio (Tancredi) Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari, and; Norfolc (Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra) Teatro Massimo di Palermo. His Mozartian repertoire includes: Ferrando (Così fan tutte) Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg; Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro Regio Torino; Tamino (Die Zauberflöte) Israeli Opera, Royal Opera House Muscat; Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) Opéra de Toulon; Marzio (Mitridate, re di Ponto) Teatro alla Scala, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, and; Aceste (Ascanio in Alba) Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Theater an der Wien, Opéra de Lausanne.

Other roles include Arturo (I puritani) Ópera de Oviedo; Ernesto (Don Pasquale) Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari; Achille (Iphigénie en Aulide) Festival d’Aix-en-Provence; Pylade (Iphigénie en Tauride) Teatro de la Maestranza; Hyllo (Ercole Amante – Bembo) Opéra national de Paris; title role (Orlando paladino – Haydn) Teatro Real Madrid, Gran Teatre del Liceu; Pepé (Deux hommes et une femme) Konzerthaus Berlin; Timur (Cublai, gran kan de’ Tartari) Theater an der Wien; Thespis (Platée) Opernhaus Zürich; Paolino (Il matrimonio segreto) Festival della Valle d’Itria, Teatro Regio di Torino; and Frederic (The Pirates of Penzance) West Australian Opera.

In concert he has appeared in Rossini’s Stabat mater with Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras, Carmina Burana with Opera Philadelphia, Rossini’s Messa di Gloria with the Orchestre de Pau Pays de Béarn, Stravinsky’s Pulcinella with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI and in gala concerts at Carnegie Hall for the Licia Albanese-Puccini and the Gerda Lissner Foundations. His recordings include the Lute Song in Britten’s Symphonic Suite from Gloriana with Ivor Bolton and Sinfonieorchester Basel and L’italiana in Algeri recorded live at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam.

Kent is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, alumnus of Opera Philadelphia’s Emerging Artist Program, Wolf Trap Opera’s Filene Young Artist Program, San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program, and the Lisa Gasteen National Opera School. The tenor has won First Prizes in the Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Foundation Bel Canto Award, the Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition, the Loren L. Zachary Society National Vocal Competition, the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition, the Violetta DuPont Vocal Competition, and both First Prize and the Audience Prize in the Academy of Vocal Arts’ Giargiari Bel Canto Competition. He was also awarded the Marten Bequest by the Australia Council, one of Australia’s most important artistic awards. He makes his home in Basel, Switzerland and can be found on Instagram, Facebook, X and Tiktok under @alasdairkent.