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David AikenAmerican operatic baritone
Date of Birth: 04.10.1917
Country:  USA |
Content:
- David Aiken: American Opera Legend
- Military Service
- Opera Debut and Broadway Success
- Collaboration with Gian Carlo Menotti
- Teaching and Directing
- Personal Life
David Aiken: American Opera Legend
Early Life and EducationDavid Aiken was born on October 4, 1917, in Benton, Illinois. His father passed away when he was just four years old. In 1935, he enrolled at Southern Illinois Normal College, where he majored in English. During his undergraduate studies, he sang in the university choir and took private voice lessons with Grace Duty in Marion, Illinois.
Military Service
After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in 1939, Aiken worked as an English teacher and high school track coach. In 1942, he unexpectedly received an offer from the St. Louis Municipal Opera. However, his burgeoning career was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II.
Aiken joined the United States Army Air Corps and trained as a fighter pilot. He flew as a B-24 Liberator pilot in Germany and Italy during the war. After the war ended, Aiken retired from active duty but remained in the Air Force Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel until 1972.
Opera Debut and Broadway Success
Following his military service, Aiken continued his musical studies at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. In May 1950, he made his Broadway debut in Gian Carlo Menotti's "The Consul," replacing another performer. After the show closed in November, Aiken toured with several cast members in Paris and London. He returned to Broadway in 1954 to play the role of Salvatore in Menotti's premiere of "The Saint of Bleecker Street."
Collaboration with Gian Carlo Menotti
Menotti's success with "The Consul" led NBC to commission him to write an opera specifically for television. The NBC Opera Theatre was formed in 1949 and produced both new and classic operas. Menotti's Christmas-themed "Amahl and the Night Visitors" premiered on national television on Christmas Eve 1951 and was a huge success. At Menotti's insistence, many cast members from "The Consul" were reprised in "Amahl," including Aiken as King Melchior. He continued to perform the role in annual live television broadcasts and concert performances with the original cast until 1962.
Teaching and Directing
In 1968, Aiken joined the faculty of his alma mater, the Jacobs School of Music. He taught there for many years and also managed the David Aiken Touring Opera Company, which toured "Amahl and the Night Visitors" with Aiken as both Melchior and director.
Personal Life
In 1982, Aiken married Mary Matteson, who was then the General Manager of the Duluth Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota. They currently reside in Bloomfield, Indiana.
