Allan Clayton (tenor) is established as one of the most exciting and sought-after singers of his generation. He studied at St John’s College, Cambridge and at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2007 he became an Associate Artist of Classical Opera and a BBC New Generation Artist, and his numerous awards include ‘The Queen’s Commendation for Excellence’ at the Royal Academy of Music, the John Christie Award for his Glyndebourne Festival début as Albert Herring, and a Borletti- Buitoni Trust Fellowship.

His opera roles have included Ferrando (Così fan tutte) for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Opera North, Tamino (Die Zauberflöte) for Welsh National Opera, English National Opera and the Komische Oper, Berlin, Castor (Castor et Pollux), Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Cassio (Otello) for English National Opera, and Third Angel/ John in George Benjamin’s award-winning opera Written on Skin at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, The Royal Opera, Netherlands Opera and the Bayerische Staatsoper.

He is equally in demand on the concert platform, and recent engagements have included Britten’s Spring Symphony with both the Philharmonia and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the title role in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex at the BBC Proms, and the Salzburg première of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius. A consummate recitalist, Allan has worked with many outstanding pianists, including Paul Lewis, Malcolm Martineau, Roger Vignoles and Julius Drake. His recordings have included Handel’s Messiah with both the Academy of Ancient Music (EMI) and the Britten Sinfonia (Hyperion), Belshazzar with Les Arts Florissants and William Christie, Britten’s St Nicolas with the City of London Sinfonia (Hyperion), Cassio in Verdi’s Otello (LSO Live), and ‘The A-Z of Mozart Opera’ and Der Christ in Mozart’s Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots with Classical Opera and Ian Page (Signum Classics).

Driven by the belief that orchestral music is for everyone, Aurora Orchestra has established itself as an innovative and boundary-breaking ensemble, creating musical experiences beyond the ordinary.
Under its Principal Conductor Nicholas Collon, Aurora Orchestra has grown since its first concert in 2005 into an established name on the UK and international orchestral scene. Aurora is the pioneer for memorised orchestral performance: it is the first orchestra worldwide to break down physical barriers to music by removing sheet music and stands for large-scale works. Beginning with Mozart’s ‘Jupiter’ Symphony in 2014, Aurora has since performed many orchestral works in this way, including Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique and Stravinsky’s The Firebird and The Rite of Spring, as well as commissions by Max Richter and Héloïse Werner.
Over recent years, these memorised performances have developed into cross-genre dramatic and musical explorations that reach deeper under the skin of the music, devised by Aurora’s Creative Director Jane Mitchell. Aurora has collaborated with an exceptional range of artists across different artistic disciplines.
Aurora inspires audiences of all ages and backgrounds to develop a passion for orchestral music. Through Aurora Classroom, its award-winning Creative Learning programme, Aurora regularly offers workshops and storytelling concerts for families, schools and young people, including children with special educational needs and disabilities. Aurora Classroom also encompasses a free pioneering online learning platform for schools, which includes teacher training and a wide range of resources to help teachers deliver music activities in the classroom, including bespoke activities for SEND settings.
In the 2024/5 season Aurora Orchestra celebrated its 20th anniversary, with a new season of concerts as Resident Orchestra at the Southbank Centre and Resident Ensemble at Kings Place, as well as debuts in Berlin Konzerthaus and Alteoper Frankfurt. As part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, Aurora has launched the Life-Changing Music Campaign, which aims to raise £500,000 to secure its next 10 years.