Thomas Allen | |
|---|---|
| Chancellor of Durham University | |
| In office 1 January 2012 – 28 June 2023 | |
| Vice-Chancellor | |
| Preceded by | Bill Bryson |
| Succeeded by | Fiona Hill |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Boaz Allen (1944-09-10)10 September 1944 (age 81) Seaham,County Durham, England |
| Education | Ryhope Grammar School |
| Alma mater | Royal College of Music |
| Awards | |
Sir Thomas Boaz AllenCBE FRCM (born 10 September 1944) is an English operaticbaritone. He is widely admired in the opera world for his voice, the versatility of his repertoire, and his acting—leading many to regard him as one of the best lyric baritones of the late 20th century. From 2012 to 2022 he served asChancellor ofDurham University.
Born to Florence and Thomas Allen in the mining village ofSeaham Harbour, County Durham, in 1944, Thomas Allen studied atRyhope Grammar School from 1955 to 1964, becomingcaptain of his house and laterhead boy while also doing well in sports, such as in athletics, rugby and especially golf.[1]
It was during his time at school that his singing voice was first observed by the then Physics master, Denis Weatherley, himself a well-known baritone in the county and especially renowned for Northumberland songs. Weatherley would then go on to be Allen's first tutor, training the young baritone during lunch breaks.
Allen's initial ambition was to be a doctor but this was later abandoned when he won a place at theRoyal College of Music in 1964, where he studied withHervey Alan for four years, specialising inoratorio andLieder until 1968.[2]
In his final term he made his operatic stage debut as the baritone lead in the Royal College of Music Opera School production ofArthur Benjamin's operaPrima Donna. He also won the prestigious Queen's Prize while studying at the college which allowed him to study underJames Lockhart, who noticed his talents. Under Lockhart, Allen then shifted his attention from Lieder and oratorio to opera and in 1969, he made his debut as D'Obigny inVerdi'sLa traviata with theWelsh National Opera (WNO). His early roles with the WNO also includedMozart'sAlmaviva,Guglielmo andPapageno, Rossini'sFigaro, Falke inDie Fledermaus,Billy Budd,Posa,Eugene Onegin andGermont.
In 1971, he made hisCovent Garden debut as Donald inBilly Budd and he joined the company the following year. His soloGlyndebourne Festival debut was as Papageno in 1973.
On 7 August 1974, during his BBC Proms performance, Allen collapsed at the end of his second solo, tried to recover for his third but collapsed again and was taken from the stage (he was replaced byPatrick McCarthy).[3]
He returned as Figaro in Mozart'sThe Marriage of Figaro (1974), Guglielmo (1975) andDon Giovanni (1977) and it was during this time that he was hailed by one music critic as the finest English baritone since SirCharles Santley.[4] He made hisMetropolitan Opera debut in 1981 as Papageno. He left Covent Garden to become a freelance singer in 1979 although he still remains a guest artist with the company.[4] He sang the title role in the British stage premiere ofBusoni'sDoktor Faust for theEnglish National Opera in 1986 (a performance which was also commended in the 1986Laurence Olivier Awards when the production won the award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera),[5] while his debut at theSalzburg Festival was asUlisse inMonteverdi'sIl ritorno d'Ulisse in patria in 1985. His Chicago debut was Rossini's Figaro inThe Barber of Seville in 1989.[6]
Allen has performed Eisenstein inDie Fledermaus, Don Alfonso, Ulisse and Don Giovanni at theBayerische Staatsoper, Don Giovanni atLa Scala, Yeletsky (inThe Queen of Spades), Sharpless (inMadama Butterfly), and the title role inSweeney Todd at the Royal Opera House, Eisenstein at theGlyndebourne Festival, Don Alfonso at theSalzburg Easter and Summer Festivals, Forester (The Cunning Little Vixen) at theSan Francisco Opera and Beckmesser (inDie Meistersinger von Nürnberg) at theMetropolitan Opera in New York.
Allen also appears in recital in the United Kingdom, throughout Europe, in Australia and America, with his recital repertoire no less extensive than his operatic one; ranging from German Lieder, French songs byDuparc, and English song cycles byRalph Vaughan Williams to musical numbers by Rodgers and Hammerstein,Jerome Kern andCole Porter. He has also recorded oratorio and choral works such asBrahms'Ein deutsches Requiem,Handel'sSaul, andOrff'sCarmina Burana. The greatest part of his repertoire has been extensively recorded with such distinguished conductors as SirGeorg Solti,James Levine, SirNeville Marriner, SirBernard Haitink, SirSimon Rattle,Wolfgang Sawallisch andRiccardo Muti.
In 1989, he was made a Commander of theOrder of the British Empire (CBE). In 1999, he wasknighted. Both awards were for his services to opera. In 1998 he was named a member of the Royal Opera's Opera Advisory Board, the first time a singer had been given such an appointment.[7]
Allen's first book,Foreign Parts – A Singer's Journal was published in 1993. In November 2002, he directed for the first time in Britten'sAlbert Herring at theRoyal College of Music. Other directorial credits include Mozart'sCosì fan tutte andDon Giovanni (for Samling, of which he is the patron)[8] atSage Gateshead. In 2006, he made his American directorial debut with a production ofMozart'sThe Marriage of Figaro forArizona Opera. In 2007, he directed a new production ofThe Barber of Seville for Scottish Opera. He has directed a new production ofThe Marriage of Figaro for the company which premiered in Glasgow in October 2010. He also performed as the Narrator/Dr. Pangloss in the 2005 concert ofLeonard Bernstein'sCandide atAvery Fisher Hall atLincoln Center, New York City.
Allen performed in total 50 roles with the Royal Opera company, with Faninal from Richard Strauss'Der Rosenkavalier marking his 50th role in December 2009. The 25th anniversary of his debut at the Metropolitan Opera was celebrated in 2006. Allen has also been revealed as being the model and inspiration in developing the now famous character ofBilly Elliot in the play of the same name byLee Hall.[9]
In September 2008, he performed under the direction ofWoody Allen inPuccini'sGianni Schicchi for theLos Angeles Opera as well as at theSpoleto Festival in June 2009. The year 2009 marked the 40th anniversary of his professional debut at the WNO in 1969, also marking the four decades he has been in the opera world. During the same year, he took part in the annual BBC Proms, singing songs from numerous MGM musicals such asGigi,Kismet andOn the Town at theRoyal Albert Hall, London. In the 2009/10 opera season, he appeared in operas in America, Germany and the United Kingdom; as Faninal inDer Rosenkavalier, Don Alfonso inCosì fan tutte, Prosdocimo inIl turco in Italia and Gianni Schicchi at Covent Garden.
On 11 October 2011 Allen was appointedChancellor ofDurham University by the University'sConvocation, to serve from 1 January 2012 in succession toBill Bryson,[10] remaining until July 2022.[11] His first concert with the university took place inDurham Cathedral on 1 June 2013, appearing alongside over 100 student performers.[12] On 27 January 2012, Allen marked his 40th anniversary at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, singing the role of Don Alfonso inCosì fan tutte.
In 2015, he sang the role of Baron Zeta in the Metropolitan Opera's production ofFranz Lehár'soperettaThe Merry Widow, which he reprised at the Met in 2017.[13]
At the 2025Gramophone Awards he was given the Lifetime Achievement award.[14]
He is a supporter ofSunderland A.F.C.[15] In 2011, he took part in the Sunderland A.F.C. charityFoundation of Light event.[16]
His film credits includeThe Real Don Giovanni andMrs Henderson Presents.
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chancellor ofDurham University 2012–22 | Succeeded by |
