Faculty

Lyric Tenor Thomas Michael Allen has enjoyed an international singing career that has spanned over two decades. Allen has performed at Théatre des Champs-Élyées in Paris, Zurich Opera, Staatsoper Berlin, La Monnaie in Brussels, Grand Théatre de Genève, Baden-Baden Easter Festival, Opéra de Lyon, Opéra de Monte Carlo, de Nederlandse Opera, Stuttgart Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and the Glimmerglass Festival. He has been a soloist with the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, National Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, Les Musiciens du Louvre, the Academy for Ancient Music and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under the baton of such conductors as Sir Simon Rattle, William Christie, René Jacobs, Marc Minkowski, Simone Young, Gary Bertini, Helmut Rilling, Christoph Eschenbach, and Kurt Masur. He has also worked with many prominent directors including Robert Carsen, David McVicar, Laurent Pelly, Nigel Lowrey, Dieter Dorn, Pierre Audi, Brigitte Fassbaender, Graham Vick, and Barrie Kosky.

Allen’s vast repertoire extends from the earliest operas of Monteverdi and Cavalli, through Mozart and Rossini, up to the works of contemporary composers such as Phillip Glass and Hans Werner Henze. He has performed nearly every oratorio in the standard repertoire and has dedicated himself to the art song repertoire, with two critically acclaimed solo CDs.

He appears on DVD alongside Cecilia Bartoli in Handel’s Semele (Decca) from the Zurich Opera, conducted by William Christie. Gramophone described Allen’s performance as Dante on the DVD of the world premiere of Jacob ter Veldhuis’s Paradiso (Chandos) as “stunning.” He can be heard on over 20 CD recordings and sang the title roles in Josef Myslivecek’s Medonte (Harmonia Mundi) and Monsigny’s Le Roi et le Fermier (Naxos). His second solo CD, Far Away (Capriccio), with pianist Charles Spencer was called “…a very fine recital disc well worth exploring” by Fanfare magazine.

Alongside his performing career, Thomas Michael Allen has taught singing at the Amsterdam Conservatory, the Israeli Vocal Arts Institute, and was a co-founder and faculty member of Body-Mind-Voice Berlin and Balance Arts Opera Berlin. He has given masterclasses at the Royal Conservatory in Antwerp and Rutgers University. His students have won prizes at many international competitions and regularly perform at the world’s greatest opera houses.