Performance Year: 2018
GRAMMY AWARD-WINING AMERICAN TENOR AARON SHEEHAN has established himself as a first-rate singer in many styles ranging from oratorio and chamber music, to the opera stage. He regularly performs in the United States, South America and Europe. He sang the title role in Boston Early Music Festival’s recording of Charpentier’s La Descente d’Orphée aux Enferswhich won Best Opera Recording at the 2015 Grammy Awards.
Known especially for his Baroque interpretations, Aaron Sheehan’s voice has been described by the Boston Globe as “superb: his tone classy, clear, and refined, encompassing fluid lyricism and ringing force” and the Washington Post praised his “Polished, lovely tone.”
His singing has taken him to many festivals and venues including; Tanglewood, Concertgebouw, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Washington National Cathedral, the early music festivals of Boston, San Francisco, Vancouver, Houston, Tucson, Washington DC, and Madison, as well as the Regensburg Tage Alter Musik.
Aaron Sheehan made his professional operatic début with Boston Early Music Festival as Ivan, in the world premiere staging of Mattheson’s Boris Gudenow, a role for which Opera News praised his voice as “sinous and supple“. He has since performed with BEMF in such leading roles as Orphée in Charpentier’s La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers, L’Amour and Apollon in Lully’s Psyché, Actéon in Charpentier’s Actéon, and Acis in Handel’s Acis and Galatea. He has also performed with Opera Lafayette, Boston Baroque, American Opera Theater and Intermezzo Chamber Opera in leading roles of operas by Cavalli, Rameau, Monteverdi, Handel, Weill, and Satie.
On the concert stage, Aaron Sheehan enjoys a reputation as a first rate interpreter of the oratorios and cantatas of Bach and Handel and the oratorios and masses of Mozart. The San Diego Classical Voice said, “Tenor Aaron Sheehan performed the role of Evangelist, and sang with assured vocal and linguistic fluency, tasked with telling the audience the story while imparting its drama. In this regard, he was superb.”
Aaron Sheehan has performed concerts with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, Seattle Symphony, Nova Scotia Symphony, Handel and Haydn Society, San Juan Symphony, Boston Baroque, North Carolina Symphony, New York Collegium, Charlotte Symphony, Boston Cecilia, Carmel Bach Festival, Baltimore Handel Choir, Les Voix Baroque, Pacific Chorale, Boston Early Music Festival, Ars Lyrica Houston, Tempesta di Mare, Aston Magna Festival, Bach Collegium San Diego, Washington National Cathedral, Pacific Music Works, Boston Museum Trio, Magnificat, Tragicomedia, the Folger Consort, and Concerto Palatino.
Aaron Sheehan also works extensively in chamber music. He has sung with Theater of Voices, Blue Heron Choir, Tenet, Fortune’s Wheel, La Donna Musicale, Folger Consort, Newberry Consort, Dünya, The Rose Ensemble, and the Pro Arte Singers.
He has appeared on many recordings, including the Grammy nominated operas Thésée and Psyché of Lully, and Agostino Steffani’s Niobe, recorded with BEMF on the CPO label, as well as Il ritorno d’Ullise in Patria with Boston Baroque. He also sings Acis on BEMF’s recently released recording of Acis and Galatea.
A native of Minnesota, Aaron Sheehan holds a BA from Luther College and a MM in Early Voice Performance from Indiana University. He is currently on the voice faculties of Boston University and Wellesley College.
