Irish soprano, Aisling Kenny is a soloist, recitalist and ensemble singer specialising in early music. She frequently performs sacred and chamber works of the baroque and classical eras, in particular the music of J.S. Bach. She has sung as a soloist with leading Irish and European ensembles including Collegium Vocale Gent, Irish Baroque Orchestra, Balthasar Neumann Chor, Sestina, Resurgam, Camerata Kilkenny, Chamber Choir Ireland, Irish Chamber Orchestra and Staatskapelle Halle. An experienced ensemble singer, she has also sung with Vox Luminis, RIAS Kammerchor, Zürcher Sing-Akademie, Ensemble Marsyas and Atalante.
Performances as a soloist include Johannespassion in Eisenach, the town of Bach’s birthplace, with Collegium Vocale Gent, directed by Philippe Herreweghe, a solo Bach cantata concert with Irish Baroque Orchestra directed by Peter Whelan at the National Concert Hall and Mozart’s Coronation Mass with Balthasar Neumann Chor and Ensemble at the Laieszhalle, Hamburg directed by Duncan Ward.
A dedicated recitalist, highlights include Dowland’s lute songs with Thomas Dunford in Paris and Kilkenny, concerts with historical harpist, Siobhán Armstrong, at Galway Early Music Festival and East Cork Early Music Festival, and a recital at Oxford University with Cecily Lock for Clara Schumann’s bicentenary. Aisling recently curated and performed in a concert of Dowland’s songs in their original settings for multiple voices, alongside Italian madrigals by Marenzio, Monteverdi, and Barbara Strozzi at the Hugh Lane Gallery supported by a Music Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland. Aisling was artistic resident at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris in March 2019 supported by Music Network and the Arts Council.
Aisling appears as a soloist on Irish Baroque Orchestra’s recording for Linn Records, The Hibernian Muse. Music for Ireland by Purcell and Cousser, with Sestina, directed by Peter Whelan and on Sestina’s debut recording, Master and Pupil with Resonus Classics. She has recently recorded with Collegium Vocale Gent and Zürcher Sing-Akademie and has sung on BBC Radio 3’s In tune.
Aisling has performed at venues and festivals throughout the world including Salzburger Festspiele, Berlin Philharmonie, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Barbican London and Leipzig Gewandhaus. She has appeared at many of Ireland’s festivals including Dublin HandelFest, Galway Early Music Festival, Clifden Arts Festival, Sligo Baroque Festival, Ardee Baroque Festival, Kilkenny Arts Festival, East Cork Early Music Festival, Cork Choral Festival, as well as Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She performs as a soloist with choirs and choral societies all over Ireland including Dublin Bach Singers, Galway Baroque Singers and Culwick Choral Society.
Aisling studied music at Maynooth University and vocal performance at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Basel, with Evelyn Tubb and later with Ulrich Messthaler. She has participated in master classes with Paul Farrington, Margreet Honig, Emma Kirkby, Christine Schäfer and Andreas Scholl. She has been fortunate to also receive coaching from Jay Bernfeld, Ansy Boothroyd, Jörg-Andreas Bötticher, Mary Brennan, David Blunden, Florian Carré, Paul Kieffer, Valérie Guillorit, Regina Hanley, Ian Howell, Judith Mok, Heidi Moss, James Platt, Dorothea Sidow, Thomas Tacquet-Fabre, Paul Triepels, Gerd Türk and Paolo Zanzu.
When not performing, Aisling enjoys her work as a vocal coach and regularly facilitates vocal technique workshops for choirs of all ages.
Aisling is supported by an Agility Award from the Arts Council of Ireland and an Individual Artist Bursary from Galway City Council.
Concert organisers: please contact Aisling for an updated biography and high-res photo for use in concert programmes.
Photo credit: Miriam Kaczor
Aisling Kenny 