UK bass-baritone Alan Fairs began his singing career as  member of the Glyndebourne Chorus where he also performed and covered a number of roles, including Antonio/’Le Nozze di Figaro’, Starveling/’A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, Bartolo/’Il Barbiere di Siviglia’ and Magnifico/’La Cenerentola’. He then sang with Festpielchor in Bayreuth and the Chorus at the Nederlandse Opera and at Wexford.

He began to appear regularly with many of the UK companies; Diva Opera, Travelling Opera, European Chamber Opera, Mid-Wales Opera, Kentish Opera and Crystal Clear among them. He sang a wide range of roles including Sarastro/’Die Zauberflöte’, Don Alfonso/’Cosi fan Tutte’, Leporello/’Don Giovanni’, Bartolo/’Le Nozze di Figaro’, Don Pasquale, Dulcamara/’L’elisir d’amore’ and Germont/’La Traviata’.

In recent years he has become a frequent guest with many of the national companies in the UK. He has appeared regularly at Welsh National Opera, singing Sacrestan/’Tosca’, Bonzo/’Madam Butterfly’, Bartolo, Don Basilio/’Il Barbiere di Siviglia’ and Foreman/’Jenufa’. He has also covered Klingsor/’Parsifal’, Dulcamara, Don Alfonso, Swallow and Sarastro. At Glyndebourne he sang Micha in ‘The Bartered Bride’ and for Scottish Opera he has sung Kommissar/’Der Rosenkavalier’ and Bonzo. At the Royal Opera he sang Notar in ‘Der Rosenkavalier’ and last year he appeared as Pistola/’Falstaff’ and Melisso/’Alcina’ for English Touring Opera. He also sang the role of L’Avocat in Berio’s ‘Un re in Ascolto’ at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. In 2005/06 he sang Bartolo/’Figaro’ and Sacrestan at WNO and last autumn he returned to Scottish Opera for Kommissar.

Alan Fairs is an accomplished soloist with considerable experience and an extensive repertoire. He has performed for well over one hundred choirs and choral societies and festivals throughout Britain, and several appearances overseas, most recently in Nimes, Dortmund and Düsseldorf.

These include Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall, and Brahms Requiem and Elgar’s Coronation Ode with Sir David Willcocks.  He has performed with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in Gounod’s Messe Solonelle at the Three Choirs’ Festival, and with the English String Orchestra IN Messiah, Beethoven’s Choral Symphony and Mozart’s Requiem. Other recent engagements include three concerts with the Leeds Philharmonic Society. At the Istanbul International Festival he performed Haydn’s Creation and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.

Last year he sang Raimondo/'Lucia di Lammermoor' for Scottish Opera and Don Magnifico/'La Cenerentola' for WNO. He returns to Scottish Opera this year and in 2009 for Doctor/'La Traviata', Comte des Grieux/'Manon' and Lord Walton/'I Puritani'. This summer he sings Alberich at Longborough Festival Opera.

June 2008