Robert Anthony Gardiner - tenor
British tenor Robert Anthony Gardiner was a member of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme from 2008-10 and made his Royal Opera debut as Egoldo Mathilde di Shabran, followed by Filch The Beggar’s Opera, Count de Lerma Don Carlo, Major Domo I Der Rosenkavalier, Second Croupier The Gambler, Gastone La Traviata and Second Jew Salome. He also covered Pane Calisto, Nathanael Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Borsa Rigoletto, Steuermann Der fliegende Holländer, First Sailor Dido and Aeneas, Damon and Coridon Acis and Galatea, Ruiz Il Trovatore, Panas The Tsarina’s Slippers, Bajazet Tamerlano and Tom Rakewell The Rake’s Progress. He performed Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings during the “Meet the Young Artists Week” in the Linbury Theatre. In 2011 he returned to the Royal Opera as a guest artist to sing the role of a Lover Il Tabarro.
Other roles include Eurimaco Il ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria for Opera Frankfurt, Aubrey Maria di Rohan and Ctesippe Penelope for Wexford Festival, Testo Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda for St Pompont, Ferrando Così fan tutte for the Ryedale Festival, Belmonte Die Entfürung auf dem Serail for Iford Arts and Alonze in Gretry’s L’amant jaloux and the title role in Philidor’s Blaise le savetier for Bampton Classical Opera.
He has given several solo recitals and sung with choirs and choral societies all over the UK. These include Haydn’s Nelson Mass with the Manchester Camerata under Douglas Boyd and Stravinsky’s Mavra with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Sakari Oramo.
Robert Anthony Gardiner studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, Frankfurt Opera School and the National Opera Studio, after gaining a BSc Honours in astrophysics at Durham University and a Certificate of Education at Manchester University. Awards include Elizabeth Harwood Memorial Prize, Wexford Festival Rosenblatt Award, Peter Moores Foundation Scholarship, Gwilym Gwalchmai Jones Award, Mario Lanza Educational Award and Middlemore Educational Foundation Award.
In 2010/11 he has sung Strážnik in Hubička by Smetana, Joe in Winners by Richard Wargo and Britten’s St Nicholas for Wexford Festival Opera, Messiah in Gloucester Cathedral, St Matthew Passion with the Leicester Bach Choir, Britten’s Serenade for tenor, horn and strings with the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, Zakok in Handel’s Solomon at the Stour Festival in Kent, and the lead role in John Barber’s community opera We are Shadows for the Spitalfields Festival in London. Last season he took part in Scottish Opera’s Highlights Tour.
The current season includes Siebel Faust (Opera North/Tallinn), Lensky (Grange Park Opera), Polidoro La finta semlice (Bampton Classical Opera) and a Britten recital at the Teatro Rossini in Lugo, Italy.