Next on the blog we have Isaac Tolley.
Please get in touch if you wish to share your story ‘after Heriot’s’.
What is your current role?
Opera Singer. Ensemble Bass-Baritone Soloist at Augsburg State Theater, Bavaria—occasionally performing elsewhere.
What was your journey to get there?
A long one! I studied trumpet at the conservatoires of Amsterdam and Aarhus before transitioning to vocal studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London and Munich’s Theater Academy.
What are your achievements?
I like to boast in threes. Surviving my very first opera outing in 2021—stepping on stage as Martino in Rossini’s L’occasione fa il Ladro included a lot of firsts. Looking down at The Munich Radio Orchestra in the pit for one of the first productions to open in Munich after COVID, broadcast live on German radio felt completely surreal. Secondly, being accepted into the Royal Academy in London after a pretty fruitless dash through my early 20s. And most recently, returning to Edinburgh as a Young Artist with the Dunedin Consort last season. Oh, and I recently came to the personal realisation that I do, in fact, need glasses.
What are your favourite memories of Heriot’s?
My friends, who I still cherish to this day, and our production of Les Misérables. It was my first—and last—appearance as a tenor.
Any top tips for current pupils when planning their future?
Have a sense of Humor. Be patient. Take risks. Get humbled. Notice what makes you happy, and repeat it. Unless it’s illegal. Then stop that.
(Photo credit: Jan-Peter Führ)
