Drive. Discipline. Passion.
(AND THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING)
My appreciation for this art form is deeply rooted, yet it is enriched by a myriad of influences spanning various artists and genres.
This tapestry of inspiration is what I endeavor to weave into my own performances. My objective is to restore the once-celebrated splendor and exuberance of opera. It is my ambition to reveal to audiences the enthralling and extraordinary potency of opera, merging the legacy of its legends with a contemporary perspective.”
About Colin
Colin Aikins, heralded tenor from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, possessing “command and fervor in the voice” (NPR, Philadelphia), joins the International Opera Studio of the Staatsoper Hamburg in autumn 2025 for a term of two seasons and, during the 2025-26 season, he bows in productions of Salome and Lohengrin conducted by Music Director Omer Meir Wellber, Il trovatore led by Matteo Beltrami, and Ariadne auf Naxos under the baton of Johannes Debus. The handsome, young tenor makes a debut this season at Seattle Opera as Timothy Laughlin in Fellow Travelers – one of the most frequently performed new operas of the past decade adapted by composer Gregory Spears and librettist Greg Pierce from the Thomas Mallon novel recently released as a Showtime mini-series – in collaboration with New York-based artistic collective Up Until Now, staged by director Kevin Newbury conducted by Patrick Summers.
Most recently, Colin Aikins made a role debut as Prologue/Peter Quint in a new production of Britten’s The Turn of the Screw at Juilliard Opera directed by Mary Birnbaum and led by Zachary Schwartzman. Past appearances under the auspices of Juilliard Opera also include Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi, Jimmy O’Keefe in Later the Same Evening by John Musto and Mark Campbell in a production directed by Alison Moritz and conducted by Joseph Colaneri, and concert performances of Purcell’s King Arthur with Lionel Meunier leading Juilliard415.
A committed recitalist, he has collaborated with Brian Zeger at Juilliard Songfest, with Steven Blier and the New York Festival of Song, and with Pierre Vallet in Liederabend.
Highlights of recent seasons include a role debut as Alfredo in performances of La traviata with City Lyric Opera, Fenton in Falstaff with the Aspen Opera Center, and many performances with Curtis Opera Theater including Albert Herring, Dangerous Liaisons, Highway 1 USA, Sweeney Todd, and Trouble in Tahiti.
Recently graduated from The Juillliard School with a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance under the tutelage of William Burden and a recipient of the prestigious Toulmin Foundation Scholarship, Colin Aikins earned his Bachelor’s degree at the Curtis Institute of Music studying with Julia Faulkner. He has been recognized with numerous awards including the 2023 Schwab Vocal Rising Star, the 2021 Hal Leonard Vocal Competition, a 2018 Vocal Finalist in the National Young Arts Competition, and a 2018 NPR From the Top Finalist.
Colin Performs
The Rake’s Progress: “Here I Stand” (Stravinsky)
Phydilé – Duparc
Roméo et Juliette: “Ah! lève-toi soleil” by Gounod
“I am more than a singer. My voice and music are a reflection of who I am as a person.”
Photos
In the Press
On Stage at Curtis: Colin Aikins – Experience the Command and Fervor in the Voice
During this episode, Colin sings selections from Giacomo Puccini, Fernando Obradors, Ignacio Fernández Esperón, Benjamin Britten, and Antonín Dvořák.
Colin Aikins Passionate about singing – classical singer magazine
Many have experienced the joy that comes from belting it out in an empty house, but few have the dedication it takes to turn it into something more.
Pittsburgh 18-year old already making his mark in the classical music world
At 18, Colin Aikins is very young by operatic standards — opera singers’ voices typically are not fully mature until their mid-30s. But he already makes people cry.