BASS

Blake Scanlen is a baritone singer, conductor, teacher, and composer/arranger from Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. A highly sought-after choral and ensemble singer, he performs with Voices New Zealand, Auckland Chamber Choir, and St. Matthew’s Voices, where he is Leader of the Voices. He is regularly engaged as a professional guest chorister with Bach Musica NZ and is a member of the NZ Opera Chorus, making his mainstage debut in 2025 with La bohème. His recording work includes film scores for Karl Sölve Steven, the soundtrack for the hit NZ film Tinā, and Victoria Kelly’s Requiem.

As a soloist, recent engagements have included J.S. Bach’s Easter Oratorio and Reena Esmail’s This Love Between Us (NZ Premiere) with Bach Musica NZ, Mozart’s Requiem with Neotectonic and Wairua Sinfonietta, Handel’s Messiah with Scholars Baroque Aotearoa and NZ Barok, J.S. Bach’s Mass in A with Scholars Baroque Aotearoa and Opus Orchestra, and Stainer’s The Crucifixion with the Holy Trinity Cathedral Choir. Other solo repertoire includes Fauré’s Requiem, Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs, Gounod’s Messe solennelle de Sainte Cécile, Duruflé’s Requiem and Mendelssohn’s Vom Himmel Hoch. He has also appeared as a soloist at Café du Marché with Opera Factory.

Blake is the Artistic Director of Neotectonic Vocal Ensemble, a chamber choir specialising in contemporary and early music. He directs Momentum Choir at Westlake Boys’ High School, where he also coaches barbershop quartets and teaches classroom Music and English. Previously, he has directed the Pohutukawa Singers and the choirs at Sacred Heart College, in addition to various guest conducting engagements with Pakuranga Choral and Harbour Voices. As a former emerging conductor with the Auckland Youth Choir (2021–2022), he directed the New Zealand premiere of Nico Muhly’s Bight Mass with Canons.

Blake graduated from Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland, in 2023 with a BMus, GradDip (Mus), and GradDip (Sec. Tchg.). He studied composition with Chris Gendall and Leonie Holmes, conducting with Karen Grylls, classical voice with Te Oti Rakena and Robert Wīremu, and music education with Graham McPhail. He currently studies singing with mezzo-soprano Catrin Johnsson and is alumni of the 2026 New Zealand Opera School. In September 2026 will be moving to the UK to purse a Masters in Solo Voice Ensemble Singing at the University of York.