A 2018 graduate of the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House, New Zealand tenor Thomas Atkins is fast becoming a much sought-after artist on the international scene. Praised for his “tenorial heroism” (Opera Magazine) and a consummate actor and musician, he is already enjoying a thriving career with recent successful debuts at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Opéra de Montpellier, Glyndebourne, Opéra National de Paris, Royal Danish Opera , the Barbican (with London Symphony Orchestra and BBC Symphony Orchestra) and New Zealand Opera.

 

Following his superb debut as Tom Rakewell in Glyndebourne’s iconic David Hockney production of The Rakes Progress, Atkins continues to make a series of anticipated company and role debuts in the 2023/24 season: at the Opéra de Rouen Normandie as Don José Carmen; Staatsoper Hamburg as Alfredo La Traviata; Royal Danish Opera as Pinkerton Madama Butterfly; and at Grange Park Opera Boris Káťa Kabanová. On the concert platform, Atkins joins Ensemble Pygmalion under the baton of Raphaël Pichon for a European tour of Mendelssohn Elijah; the Gulbenkian Choir and Orchestra conducted by Hannu Lintu for Mendelssohn Lobgesang and the Royal Northern Sinfonia for Bruckner Mass No.3 conducted by Dinis Sousa. Future plans include his debut at the Norwegian National Opera, and returns to the Royal Opera House and the Salzburg Easter Festival.

 

Engagements of the previous season included his role and house debut as Steva Jenůfa at the Teatro de la Maestranza; Rodolfo La bohème for his debut at Gothenburg Opera; Tom Rakewell The Rake’s Progress for his role debut at Glyndebourne; and Narraboth Salome at the Royal Opera House. His concert engagements saw him perform with The Hallé and Sir Mark Elder for Verdi Requiem; the Orchestre de Chambre de Genève as Tybald Roméo et Juliette conducted by Marc Leroy-Calatayud and the Insula orchestra at Brucknerhaus Linz for Beethoven Symphony No.9 conducted by Laurence Equilbey. 

 

Further recent appearances include Roderigo in Amélie Niermeyer’s production of Otello at Bayerische Staatsoper; his company debut at Opéra National de Paris as Der Steuermann Der fliegende Holländer; and the Israeli Opera and Opera Holland Park as Lensky Eugene Onegin; Tamino in a semi-staged production of Die Zauberflöte at Glyndebourne and as Kudrjaš in a new production of Katya Kabanova, directed by Damiano Michieletto for the festival; Rodolfo La bohème with Opera North, Gothenburg Opera and New Zealand Opera; Lysander A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Opéra de Montpellier and Gastone La Traviata at the Royal Opera House. 

 

Highlights on the concert platform include joining Marin Alsop and the London Symphony Orchestra in performances of Bernstein’s Candide; his debut with The Hallé under the baton of Sir Mark Elder as Pinkerton Madama Butterfly; appearing in the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Gala at Wigmore Hall; and his debut with Opera Rara as Empsaele Il Paria at the Barbican with the Britten Sinfonia under the baton of Sir Mark Elder. Further engagements include Beethoven Missa Solemnis with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Richard Farnes at the Barbican; performances at the Yakushiji Otobutai in Japan with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa; excerpts from Der Rosenkavalier with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Mark Elder; Tippett A Child of Our Time; MozartRequiem; Dubois Seven Last Words of Christ; Vaughan Williams Mass in G Minor; Handel Messiah; Verdi Requiem; Mozart Requiem in Switzerland; Rossini Stabat Mater, and opera galas in Budapest.

 

Atkins is a graduate of the New Zealand School of Music and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, during which he was supported by the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation and the New Zealand Arts Foundation Patronage. He was a finalist in the Guildhall School ‘Gold Medal’ in 2015 and is the recipient of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama award, the Sheila Prior Prize, the Phoebe Patrick Award and the Vianden International Summer School Award - all from the 2012 IFAC Australian Singing Competition.