Lower Burrell tenor to perform at Oakland's Carnegie Music Hall before leaving for Juilliard
Ernie Clowes heard a familiar sound coming from across the street.
He said he thought to himself, “Wow, there must be a neighbor who loves opera like I do. They must be playing it on the radio.”
It wasn’t coming over the air waves.
The powerful voice was that of Colin Aikins, and it was the summer before he went to eighth grade.
“It just kept getting louder and louder and then I saw him,” Clowes said. “I look over, and I see Colin coming from behind a neighbor’s house (on a riding lawn mower), and he’s singing opera songs. I have been listening to tenors for years, and I know a good tenor. I thought, my God, what a voice. I said to my wife, ‘That kid is going to go places.’ ”
He was right.
Aikins, 22, of Lower Burrell was accepted into The Juilliard School in New York City this fall — on the full tuition Toulmin Foundation Scholarship in the master of music program.
Founded in 1905, Juilliard is known as a leader in performing arts education. It is located inside Lincoln Center and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, drama, which includes acting and playwriting, and music, which includes classical, jazz, historical performance and vocal arts.
It hosts more than 700 annual performances in the school’s five theaters at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully and David Geffen halls and at Carnegie Hall; as well as at other venues across New York City, the country and the world.
“It’s surreal,” said Aikins, who is one of 10 students accepted into the master of music program. “I can’t believe this is happening. To attend Juilliard and be able to perform in New York City is second to none.”
Aikins graduated earlier this month with an undergraduate degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He said Juilliard is the perfect complement to his studies.
Senior recital
Before he leaves for New York, Aikins will perform his senior recital at 7 p.m. June 8 at Carnegie Music Hall inside Oakland’s Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
The free, hour-and-15-minute show is courtesy of benefactors Mary Louise and Henry J. Gailliot and John A. and Patricia D. Staley IV. The couples have been supporters of Aikins’ music since he was in high school. Aikins’ mother, Maria, said she is grateful for the support from these couples, as well as all the love from everyone in her son’s life who has done something for him to be able to pursue his passion for music.
Aikins will be accompanied by pianist Djordje Nesic, a vocal coach at Carnegie Mellon University in Oakland who played piano for Aikins when he was taking voice lessons.
“A good pianist is a game changer,” Aikins said. “He knows my tempo, and there is a trust between the two of us. It’s like a duet. I hope it will be a beautiful evening. It’s a fabulous space.”
Aikins met Nesic through mezzo-soprano Marianne Cornetti, a Cabot native and Pittsburgh Festival Opera artistic director.
Talented at a young age
When Aikins was 14, he attended a concert of Cornetti’s and asked if he could sing for her. It was Aikins’ first time singing in front of a professional — and when he sang, Cornetti began crying.
“He was so nervous,” said Cornetti, who has performed all over the world. “He started to sing and tears flowed. He stopped and said, ‘Is it that bad?’ I said, ‘No, it’s that good. God has given you an incredible gift.’ ”
She said talent can’t be held back — it will come out. She gave him a few lessons and introduced him to Nesic and associate professor of voice, soprano Maria Spacagna at CMU.
“He is a good human being and in the right hands at Juilliard,” Cornetti said. “He has all the pieces to the puzzle of what will be an amazing future.”
The audition process
The process to be accepted to Juilliard involved several auditions. Brian Zeger, artistic director of vocal arts at Juilliard, sent a note to Aikins about the full tuition scholarship and said that is a measure of how much the school values Aikins’ talent.
“I am eager to see the growth in your work over the coming years and to support it in every way,” Zeger wrote.
Aikins said classical music is his forte. His favorite two operas are “Carmen” and “Turandot.”
He said he aspires to sing like Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti and the operatic pop tenor Andrea Bocelli. In 2018, he was invited to sing in front of Bocelli. The once-in-a-lifetime moment happened through a connection at Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Aikins’ alma mater. He attended a pre-concert dinner and met up with Bocelli to sing a favorite song at PPG Paints Arena.
When Bocelli was in town last year, he said in a Tribune-Review story that Aikins is “a young man of great talent and a very promising voice.”
Aikins has performed in various operas as an undergraduate at Curtis. He won first place in the 2015 Schmidt Vocal Competition at the National Opera Center in New York City. He also has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Miami’s New World Symphony Center, The Smith Center in Las Vegas and The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. He was a winner in the 2021 Hal Leonard Vocal Competition.
Aikins spent this past week at the Houston Grand Opera, learning about the business at the young artist vocal academy.
He said being able to perform live is definitely welcomed after not being able to because of the pandemic.
His plan is to become a recording artist and also do live concerts and traditional operas.
“To be singing in Carnegie Music Hall will be amazing,” Aikins said. “It’s a beautiful hall in a beautiful city. We feed off the energy of the audience. I will be happy to be on stage.”
And not singing on a riding mower.
St. Margaret Mary Church in Lower Burrell is organizing buses for people to attend for $35 each. A bus also is transporting residents from Longwood at Oakmont, where Aikins performed in high school.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people and a weekly column about things to do in Pittsburgh. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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