Irish soprano Aisling Kenny discovered her love of singing in the Cathedral Choir of her native Galway and later as a music student in the choirs of Maynooth University. She is now a versatile soloist, recitalist, and ensemble singer specializing in historical performance. She has sung as a soloist and ensemble singer with prominent Irish and European ensembles including Collegium Vocale Gent, Irish Baroque Orchestra, Resurgam, The Norwegian Wind Ensemble, Balthasar Neumann Chor, Camerata Kilkenny, Chamber Choir Ireland, Ricercar Consort, Ensemble Passio, Sestina Staatskapelle Halle, and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. She has worked with renowned conductors such as Philippe Herreweghe, Peter Whelan, Grete Pedersen, Monica Huggett, Christian Curnyn and Teodor Currentzis.
As an ensemble singer Aisling has sung with Gabrieli Consort, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Academy of Ancient Music, Instruments of Time and Truth, the Hanover Band, Vox Luminis, RIAS Kammerchor, Utopia Choir and Zürcher Sing-Akademie, and Ensemble Marsyas, working with directors including David Brophy, John Butt, Laurence Cummings, Ivan Fischer, Edward Higginbottom, David Hill, René Jacobs, Paul McCreesh, Lionel Meunier, Paavo Järvi, and Erin Headley, Patrick Ringborg and Masaaki Suzuki.
Aisling has appeared a soloist in several projects with the Irish Baroque Orchestra directed by Peter Whelan, including a solo Bach cantata concert at the National Concert Hall and Handelfest at Dublin Castle. International performances as a soloist include Johannespassion in Eisenach, and BWV 73 at the Thomaskirche Leipzig with Collegium Vocale Gent, directed by Philippe Herreweghe, Spirit and Second Witch in Dido and Aeneas with Collegium Vocale Gent and Ricercar Consort, directed by Philippe Pierlot at Le Rivage de Voix festival, and a recital at the Finding a Voice Festival at University of California, Irvine with pianist Lorna Griffitt.
As a dedicated recitalist, Aisling performs a diverse range of repertoire, including Lieder and art song recitals with pianists Judith Gannon and Una Hunt, Dowland’s lute songs with Thomas Dunford in Paris and Kilkenny, Frottole with lutenist Andrew Maginley at the National Gallery in London, and several collaborations with historical harpist Siobhán Armstrong.
Aisling appears as a soloist on acclaimed recordings including Weelkes anthems and services (Resonus, 2023) with Resurgam and Cousser/Purcell (Linn Records, 2022) with IBO.
In 2022, Aisling curated and performed a concert at the Hugh Lane Gallery, featuring Dowland’s songs in their original settings for multiple voices, alongside Italian madrigals by Marenzio, Monteverdi, and Barbara Strozzi, supported by a Music Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland. This project led to the launch of the collaborative vocal ensemble, Anois, at Kaleidoscope in 2023, with a recent performance at Fuddlefest in Co. Wexford.
Aisling has performed at venues and festivals around the world, including Salzburger Festspiele, Bachfest Leipzig, Berlin Philharmonie, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Barbican London, and Leipzig Gewandhaus and LaScala. In Ireland, she has appeared at festivals such as Galway Early Music Festival, Kilkenny Arts Festival, and the Cork Choral Festival. Aisling performs regularly with choirs and choral societies across Ireland, including the Dublin Bach Singers, Galway Baroque Singers, and Culwick Choral Society.
Aisling studied music at Maynooth University and vocal performance at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel with Evelyn Tubb and Ulrich Messthaler. She has participated in masterclasses with Paul Farrington, Margreet Honig, Emma Kirkby, Christine Schäfer, and Andreas Scholl, and has recently studied with James Platt and Janice Chapman. When not singing herself she enjoys her work as a vocal coach and helping amateur choirs develop their vocal technique.
Aisling Kenny 