March 18, 2024 – King University’s Institute for Faith & Culture (IFC) welcomes award-winning tenor Aaron Blake for a community concert honoring President Alexander Whitaker, whose eight-year tenure at King will draw to a close at the end of this academic year.

A native Californian who now resides in Bristol, Blake has earned international recognition for his performances. He is the recipient of the 2017 George London Foundation Award, and in 2022 was recognized with a Grammy award for his role as the High Priest of Amon in The Metropolitan Opera’s “Akhnaten.”

He returned to the Metropolitan Opera for the 2023-2024 production of “Carmen,” and has also appeared at the season opening gala of the Israeli Opera, in performances with the Symphony of The Mountains, the Los Angeles Symphony, in “Henri VIII” with Bard Summerscape, “Don Giovanni” with The Cincinnati Opera, and in a debut as Pinkerton in “Madama Butterfly” with the Haifa Symphony.

Additionally, Blake was recently appointed as the vocal advisor to the Meitar Opera Studio at the Israeli Opera, a young artist program dedicated to developing the skills needed for a successful career on the stages of the world.

On Monday, April 1 at 9:15 a.m., Blake will present “Faith in Music: God-given Voices” in King’s Memorial Chapel. “An Evening with Aaron Blake” will take place that evening at 6 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Bristol, Tennessee. A reception will follow.

Thanks to a network of donors including local members of King’s Board of Trustees, these events are open to the community and free of charge.

“We’re very grateful to share in the gift of an artist whose presence and sense of generosity rises to the dynamic quality of his voice,” said Martin Dotterweich, Ph.D., director of the IFC. “It’s wonderful to be able to host Aaron as he helps students gain an understanding of artistic calling, and then demonstrates the excellence of his own calling in concert with our community.”

Since 2007, the King University Institute for Faith & Culture has welcomed widely recognized thinkers, authors, musicians, scholars, and philosophers to interact with students and a regional audience in a welcoming environment that catalyzes growth and understanding. The Institute serves as the standard bearer of the University’s long-time exploration of the liberal arts — in conjunction with King’s mission of equipping students to answer the call of excellence inherent in the Christian faith.