Alex Aldren – Tenor

Alex Aldren originally trained in medicine at the University of Birmingham, and worked as a doctor at the Royal London Hospital for 2 years, before joining the Royal Academy of Music Opera School in 2016.

After graduating in 2019 Alex immediately went on to cover Vašek in The Bartered Bride for Garsington Opera Festival and from there to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, to cover D’Esparaudieu in Gerald Barry’s The Intelligence Park. Next he performed the role of Alfonso in Schubert’s rarely heard Alfonso und Estrella for Opera de Baugé in the Loire Valley, France and then Alfredo in La Traviata for Hampstead Garden Opera at Teatro Garibaldi in Modica, Sicily. That year he also reached the finals of both Maureen Lehane and Emmy Destin competitions, as well as the semi-final of the international Clermont-Ferrand competition.

With the outbreak of Covid in March 2020, Alex’s opera and concert work was cancelled, and he went back to work as a doctor in various Accident & Emergency departments around London. While working a shift, he sang Nessun Dorma from Puccini’s Turandot for some colleagues, who caught it on camera and posted it on Twitter where it went viral, receiving over 100 thousand views in just a few hours.

Subsequently Alex was interviewed on TV news programmes all over the world; in the UK, Australia, South Korea and America. He tried to use these appearances to raise spirits, support hospital staff and to reinforce the importance of music and the arts, highlighted by this period of intense difficulty.

He then went on to start an ‘Opera Delivery’ service, serenading members of the public on their doorsteps in an attempt to spread some cheer and to keep his voice in shape!

In between lockdowns, Alex appeared in the role of Satyavan in a production of Savitri by Gustav Holst for Hampstead Garden Opera.

Last summer Alex performed the role of Der Wird in Garsington Opera’s critically acclaimed production of Der Rosenkavalier by Strauss, which is now available to watch online.

 Outside of opera, Alex is also passionate about singing in concerts and recitals, collaborating regularly with chamber group, EnSEmble26. He also lends his voice to contemporary and genre-crossing work; Alex recently collaborated with poet Laureate Simon Armitage and his band LYR, on their album Call in the crash team and also features on the upcoming album from Haunt the Woods.

 Through his career, Alex hopes to be an ambassador for opera, widening access to the music he loves, and to help spread the message that the arts are for everyone.