Who is Alasdair Kent?
I’m an operatic tenor, born in Perth, living in Switzerland, singing Mozart, Rossini, and lots of other music around the world. Alasdair Kent is also Frederic in West Australian Opera’s upcoming season of The Pirates of Penzance – get your tickets!
My job, in a nutshell, is to travel the world screaming impossibly complicated music written hundreds of years ago to thousands of people at a time, sometimes while standing literally on one leg. There’s not a whole lot of time for non-work things right now, but I do also enjoy a workout, a good meal and a bottle of bubbly.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
Speaking very generally, right now? I would travel a little less and spend more time with my family. But my job requires me to move around – and, of course, it’s a great blessing to have the opportunity to work in some pretty fabulous places, Vienna, Paris, Milan…
It’s cool seeing those kind of cities as more than just a tourist, you get to meet locals and kind of peer behind the curtain at day-to-day life. Career-wise, if I weren’t singing, what would I do? Lots of things. Run a laundromat. Clean houses. Run a champagne bar. Physiotherapy. Make jewellery. Write fiction. Write non-fiction. I have a lot of interests that are unrealised at this point.
Who inspires you and why?
My parents. They’ve both done pretty amazing things in their lives. In my work, I’m inspired by anyone who makes any kind of career singing opera, it’s a tough gig and there are certainly many easier ways to make a buck. Invariably, I get inspired on a day-to-day basis by my colleagues: I’m a freelancer, so I’m in a different city and with a different team basically every month, and it’s a pretty fabulous way to stay fresh, find new perspectives and explore new directions.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
International deployment of Japanese toilets and toilet paper… increased levels of state investment in the arts… inventing a kind of gin that makes your muscles grow bigger… something about national and international tax reform… guiding development of AI and quantum computing towards a more utopian model of human society… I can dream pretty big, but the world can only change as fast as humans can change their minds… which is not that fast at all…
Favourite holiday destination and why?
There’s no favourite because I enjoy the variety, and the world is full of interesting places. Plus, the best holiday is always the next one! I’ll be singing in Innsbruck, Austria this coming summer and I plan to spend as many of those days hiking as possible.
I went to Japan last summer and was blown away by the amazing people, and their fascinating culture and food. I’ve had some fabulous group holidays in houses in Piemonte and Provence, that kind of thing is great with a good group, but it gets harder as we all get older and our lives become more complex. Seville and Andalucía are fantastic. Prague, also fantastic.
But honestly, as an expat, I love coming back to Perth. Just as Europe or North America are getting unbearably grey in January, there’s no better feeling than coming to the most isolated city in the world where the sun shines, the beaches are clean and my Mum cooks.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
In Perth? The beach. We have the best beaches on the planet. But home for me at the moment is in Basel, Switzerland. Basel is a museum and art gallery city. If I’m not mistaken it has the highest concentration of museums and galleries in the world – in fact, the biggest international art event, Art Basel, is… well, in Basel. I’d take friends to the Fondation Beyeler and hope that my mate Raphael, one of the curators, is there to show us around, because it’s a fantastic gallery with incredible exhibitions and Raphael is both fun and sexy.
Then we should sit at the Rhine for a couple of hours and drink and talk – it’s summer in this hypothetical, so it’s warm and comfortable and everyone is relaxed and friendly. Then, I’d suggest a drink at my favourite bar in the Hotel Les Trois Rois which makes the best Old Cuban on the planet, and then maybe a night out at Nordstern, a techno club on a boat in the Rhine… but only if I’m not in bed early for the night.
What are you currently reading?
I can’t read. I learnt as a child but have since forgotten – though I do like looking at the pictures in Possum Magic.
What are you currently listening to?
I sing eight new roles this season, so I’m listening to the music I have to study. One of the downsides of making music your job! The latest non-professional things I downloaded are… Miles Davis & John Coltrane playing Disney tunes, Ariana Grande’s eternal sunshine, some Goldfrapp remixes… a bunch of different stuff, most of it fairly embarrassing.
Happiness is?
Keine Termine und leicht einen setzen: no appointments, and a bit tipsy.
What does the future hold for you?
Some super fun shows of The Pirates of Penzance with West Australian Opera at His Majesty’s! After that, well, one day at a time, but lots of performances, lots of travels, LOTS of high notes. I have my debut at Teatro alla Scala this season, and with the Opéra national de Paris and the Staatsoper Berlin next season. I’m looking at buying an apartment at some point soon. I want a dog about as much as it’s possible for a human to want anything. So, hopefully the future holds some puppy cuddles too.
Alasdair stars as Frederic in West Australian Opera’s production of The Pirates of Penzance – which will play at His Majesty’s Theatre from 28 March – 5 April 2025. For more information, visit: www.waopera.asn.au for details.
Image: Alasdair Kent – photo by Olivia Kahler