Alastair Miles
Described by The Guardian as “The finest British bass of his generation,” Alastair Miles is one of the UK’s most renowned singers, returning regularly to the operatic stages and concert platforms of Europe, North America and the Far East. His career was launched when he won the Decca Kathleen Ferrier Prize at London’s Wigmore Hall and his repertoire ranges from J. S. Bach and Handel via Verdi and Wagner to Elgar and Havergal Brian.
He appears regularly at London’s Royal Opera House, where his roles have included Rodolfo La sonnambula, Le Comte des Grieux Manon, Elmiro in Rossini’s Otello, Lord Sidney Il viaggio a Reims, Poliferno in Steffani’s Niobe, Regina di Tebe, Banquo Macbeth and, most recently Le Bailli Werther. For English National Opera, his roles have included the title role in Boïto’s Mefistofele, Alfonso d’Este Lucrezia Borgia, Don Basilio The Barber of Seville, Silva Ernani, Zaccaria Nabucco and Ford Sir John in Love; for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Commendatore Don Giovanni, Speaker Die Zauberflöte, Fiesco Simon Boccanegra and Pogner Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg; for Grange Park Opera, The Grand Inquisitor Don Carlo; For Opera North, Claggart Billy Budd, Leporello Don Giovanni, Timur Turandot and King Philip 11 Don Carlos; for Scottish Opera, Arkel Pelléas et Mélisande; and for Welsh National Opera, Méphistophélès La damnation de Faust, Enrico Anna Bolena, Talbot Maria Stuarda and Fiesco Simon Boccanegra.
Elsewhere, engagements have included Giorgio I Puritani and Raimondo Lucia di Lammermoor at the Metropolitan Opera, New York; Narbal Les Troyens, Raimondo Lucia di Lammermoor, Cardinal Brogni La Juive, Figaro Le nozze di Figaro, Lodovico Nardi Die Gezeichneten and Pogner Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg for the Dutch National Opera; Nourabad Les Pêcheurs des Perles and Bertram Robert le Diable at the Opera di Salerno; Arkel Pelléas et Mélisande, Zorastro Orlando, the title role in Saul, Creonte in Mayr’s Medea in Corinto, Timur Turandot and Lodovico Nardi Die Gezeichneten for the Bavarian State Opera; Preftto Linda di Chamonix, Cardinal Brogni La Juive, Philippe Don Carlos, Padre Guardiano La forza del destino and Zaccaria Nabucco at the Vienna State Opera; Claudio Agrippina at the Opéra de Dijon and the Opéra de Lille; Melisso Alcina and Lord Sidney Il viaggio a Reims at La Scala, Milan; Melisso Alcina at the Salzburg Festival; creating Paulin in Michael Jarrell’s Bérénice at the Opera national de Paris and Leporello Don Giovanni for the Flanders Opera; Dr Bartolo / Antonio Le nozze di Figaro with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra; Filippo 11 Don Carlo for the Deutsche Oper, Berlin, and at the Teatro Real, Madrid; Nick Shadow The Rake’s Progress and Count Walter Luisa Miller at the Theater an der Wien; and Daland Der fliegende Holländer for the Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Liège.
A highly sought-after concert artist, Alastair Miles has sung with conductors including Maurizio Bernini, Ivor Bolton, Martyn Brabbins, Myung-Whun Chung, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Mark Elder, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Valery Gergiev, Carlo Maria Giulini, Daniel Harding, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Andrew Litton, Sir Charles Mackerras, Kurt Masur, Riccardo Muti, John Nelson, Sir Roger Norrington, Jonathan Nott, Seiji Ozawa, David Parry, Trevor Pinnock, Sir Simon Rattle, Helmuth Rilling, Donald Runnicles, Andreas Spering and Robin Ticciati. He has made over ninety recordings, including a recital disc of Brahms and Wolf for Signum Classics; a recital disc of Great Operatic Arias for Chandos; Raimondo Lucia di Lammermoor for Sony Classical; Alidoro La cenerentola, Tiresias Oedipus Rex and Monterone Rigoletto for Warner Classics; Le Gouverneur Le Comte Ory for DG; Beethoven Mass in C and Handel Messiah for LSO Live; award-winning recordings of Beethoven Missa Solemnis and Verdi Requiem with Sir John Eliot Gardiner for DG Archive and Philips; Berlioz L’Enfance du Christ with Robin Ticciati for Linn Records; Brian Symphony No. 1 and Elgar Caractacus with Martyn Brabbins for Hyperíon; Handel L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato for Erato; Elijah with Kurt Masur for Teledec; and Mozart Requiem for Belvedere. With Opera Rara, he has recorded Giustiniano Belisario, Dom Juam de Sylva Dom Sebastien, roi de Portugal, Gualtiero Clifford Rosomonda d’Inghilterra, Vecchio Orazi Orazi e Curiazi, Carlo Margherita d’Anjou, Orosmane Zaira, Ircano Ricciardo e Zoraide, Le Commandeur de Baeupré La Cour de Célimène and Il Salotto, Volume 1.
Recent engagements have included Stromminger La Wally at the Theater an der Wien (now available on Unitel DVD / Blu-Ray), Arkel Pelléas et Mélisande for the Orchestre national de France, Melisso Alcina and Father Trulove The Rake’s Progress for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, further performances as Le Bailli Werther and Crespel Les contes d’Hoffmann for London’s Royal Ballet & Opera, Commendatore Don Giovanni at Zurich Opera, Prospero Miranda for Oper Köln, Don Basilio The Barber of Seville for English National Opera, Silva Ernani at Buxton International Festival and Pistola Falstaff for Scottish Opera.
Engagements during 2025 / 2026 include Lord Gordon Mary, Queen of Scots for English National Opera, Claudius Hamlet for Buxton International Festival, Le spectre du Roi Hamlet at Teatro Regio di Torino and King Marke Tristan und Isolde for Longborough Festival Opera. In concert, he sings Arkel Pelléas et Mélisande with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis at the Enescu Festival in Bucharest, Berlioz’s L’Enfance du Christ for Cambridge Philharmonic Society, Schumann’s Szenen aus Goethes Faust with with Orquesta y Coro nacionales de España and Verdi Requiem with Royal Choral Society.
Alastair Miles received a 2024 Santley Award from The Worshipful Company of Musicians.
“Alastair Miles’ deep voice and maturity are perfectly suited to the Ghost of the Dead King.” Hamlet, Teatro Regio di Torino Forum Opéra
“The key figure in advising Mary to cut her losses is Lord Gordon, a stentorian, crystal-clear Alastair Miles, who packs all his considerable Verdian experience into the role.” Mary, Queen of Scots, English National Opera Daily Telegraph
“Alastair Miles as Crespel, Antonia’s father, delivering wonderful phrasing and dark colours, embodying all the qualities needed to depict a heartbroken father presiding over his daughter’s demise.” Tales of Hoffmann, Royal Ballet and Opera OperaWire
“Alastair Miles is in rich form for his Infelice! and in the succeeding finale of Act One his voice is the foundation of the whole tonal spectrum.” De Silva/Ernani, Buxton International Festival The Arts Desk
“But with the great Verdi bass Alastair Miles on the bill, it’s little surprise that his Silva takes top honours: a masterclass in Italianate legato, diction and patrician nefariousness which earns him the evening’s loudest cheers…” The Guardian
“Alastair Miles was immense; his voice sulphurous and rasping with fury as he took his long-delayed revenge.” The Spectator
“Alastair Miles’ bass has an opulent warmth, a vibrant yet pleasing assuredness. His role of the widowed father of a large family could easily fall prey to cliché but he produces an accomplished and convincing performance here as compassionate guardian to his children.” Le Bailli/Werther, Royal Opera OperaWire
“Alastair Miles (Prospero), on the other hand, emphasizes his anger and aggressiveness with his sombre bass and sharp, accentuated vocals. He uses his powerful voice skilfully to illustrate his position of power as a father and head of the family.” Prospero/Miranda, Oper Köln OperaPoint
“As Prospero, Alastair Miles, one of the most respected and sought-after British basses in the world, sings at a world-class level.” Das Opernmagazin
“Alastair Miles was deluxe casting in the part of Melisso…” Alcina, Glyndebourne Festival Opera
“…a true world-class bass of the colour the villain needs…” Claggart/Billy Budd, Opera North The Arts Desk
“Alastair Miles’ Claggart is darkly powerful without being too black of voice, convincing in his evil while avoiding parody.” Seen and Heard International
“Alastair Miles’ Arkel is yet another superb achievement, more actively engaged than usual” Pelléas et Mélisande, Scottish Opera Critics’ Circle
“Alastair Miles turns in one of his best performances as a thuggish Enrico.” Anna Bolena, Welsh National Opera The Financial Times
“Alastair Miles’ Enrico is a tour de force of gritty, granite bass characterization…” The Times
“The English basso Alastair Miles was excellent as Raimondo…” Lucia di Lammermoor, Metropolitan Opera Huffington Post
“Alastair Miles as des Grieux (senior) was not just in fine voice: he brought a sureness of touch to every phrase.” Manon, Royal Opera The Arts Desk
“Best of all, the inky bass of Alastair Miles sends shudders down the spine in the fiercer morality of his presence as the Comte des Grieux.” The Times
“This of one of the great comic roles, and he plays it to perfection. You will not see a better Leporello any time soon.” Don Giovanni, Opera North The Independent
“The luxury casting of Alastair Miles as Don Basilio paid dividends…” The Barber of Seville, English National Opera Opera
“…he is magnificent, making you wish, as all great Pogners do, that he didn’t have such long absences form the stage. His scene with his daughter Eva at the start of Act 11 was as moving as anything in opera, as it should be.” Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Glyndebourne Festival Opera The Spectator