Kate Aitken
Kate joined St Mary’s Music School in August 2022 as Music Department Manager and has recently been appointed as Head of Voice, leading the newly launched Vocal Programmes starting in September 2024. Having graduated from both the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy Music, Kate has spent the last 7 years working as a professional opera singer. After completing her formal education, Kate went on to become a member of Studio Opera de Lyon, France, where she discovered a love for French repertoire and learnt to speak the language fluently. She is also a Samling Artist.
Recent operatic highlights include Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte by Mozart) and Carmen (Carmen by Bizet) for Diva Opera, The Woman (The Soldier’s Return by Marcos Fernandez-Barrero) for Opera Sunderland and Charles Grey (Georgiana compiled by Mark Tatlow) for Buxton Opera Festival. For Opéra de Lyon, Katherine has sung the roles of Witness 2/Singer 2/Woman 2 (Lessons in Love and Violence by George Benjamin), Tisbe (La Cenerentola by Rossini) and Pippetto (Donizetti’s Viva la Mamma!). Katherine recently sang Pippetto (Donizetti’s Viva la Mamma!) for Grand Théâtre de Genève, Tisbe (La Cenerentola by Rossini) in the Edinburgh International Festival and Cherubino (The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart) for English Touring Opera as well as premiering the role of Beauty in Beauty and the Seven Beasts by The Opera Story, a role which was written for her.
On the concert platform, recent highlights have included Is The Rose by Caroline Shaw with the Royal Northern Sinfonia as well as concerts with Edinburgh Bach Choir, Brandenburg Choral Festival, Southern Cathedrals Festival and Opera de Lyon.
Kate has always had a passion for music education. She has taught singing and music theory privately since 2010 and has been heavily involved in outreach projects with companies such as Samling Institute for Young Artists and Edinburgh International Festival. In her new role at St Mary’s Music School, Kate hopes to bring her musical and professional experiences to the next generation of artists so they can emerge into the industry with all the tools they need to succeed.