Rowan Gillard

About

Rowan Gillard is an English tenor currently studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Iain Paton having previously completed his undergraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music with Paul Nilon.

On the operatic stage, Rowan has performed a diverse range of roles in opera scenes, including Baron Kronthal (Der Wildschütz), Tapioca (L’étoile), Idomeneo (Idomeneo), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), and Iago (Otello). His experience as a chorister includes performances in Die Fledermaus (Strauss), Dialogues des Carmélites (Poulenc), and The Pilgrim’s Progress (Vaughan Williams) at RNCM, as well as La Rondine (Puccini) and Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky) with Dorset Opera Festival, and Madama Butterfly (Puccini) with The Hallé. In August 2024, Rowan was awarded a full scholarship to study Italian Opera at the Vox Integra Summer School in Feltre, Italy.

On the concert platform, Rowan has completed two tours to Bergen, Norway, appearing in Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms and the world premiere of Ryan Wigglesworth’s Magnificat with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Edvard Grieg Kor. Other highlights include singing in the Petite-Chœur of Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette with The Hallé, as well as performing in the semi-chorus for Elgar’s The Apostles as part of Their 2023 season finale. As a soloist, Rowan is equally at home with Oratorio, having performed the tenor solos in Bach’s Magnificat in D, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria, and Schubert’s Mass in G.

Outside of performing, Rowan is passionate about music education and has received his ARSM Diploma in Music Teaching.

Rowan is generously supported in his studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland by the Split Infinitive Trust, the Michael-James Music Trust, the Hope Scott Trust, the Denne Gilkes Memorial Fund, the McGlashan Charitable Trust, and the Black Heart Foundation Scholarship Fund.