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Ai Horton

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About Ai

Currently based in The Netherlands, Canadian-Japanese soprano Ai Horton is praised for her vulnerability and versatility as a creative. With a particular interest in historical-performance practice, her varied concert repertoire spans several centuries and includes 17th-century Italian monody, music of the high French Baroque, the works of J.S. Bach, and German Lieder of the Romantic era. Ai recently made her debut with La Sfera Armoniosa—under the direction of celebrated lutenist Mike Fentross—in a recital celebrating Monteverdi’s Birthday. This summer, she returned to the operatic stage as “El Aire” in Antonio Literes’ Los Elementos with Jeune Orchestre Baroque Européen. Ai also regularly performers contemporary works and recently premiered Australian-composer Lydia Gardiner’s "Zeewijk Passion" at Het Scheepvaartmuseum Amsterdam (The Maritime Museum). Other professional highlights include Handel’s "Messiah" with Bach on the Rock (CAN), joining Early Music Vancouver for their summer festival “Women in Sight” as a 2023 Next-Generation Artist (CAN), Buxtehude’s "Membra Jesu Nostri" with Dutch Baroque (NL), Rameau’s "Quam Dilecta Tabernacula" broadcast on Radio West (NL), and a concert of Telemann solo cantatas with violinist Marc Destrubé (CAN). An avid supporter of civic engagement initiatives, Ai aims to create community and belonging through shared musical experience as both a performer and an educator. She has put together several projects that bridge her personal experiences with the music that she loves, in an effort to create a deeper connection between her artistic work and new audiences who can connect to the stories and sentiments shared. Her current project—"Nao-Chan”—follows the life’s journey of Ai’s grandmother, Naoko Fujita (藤田尚子), who left Japan when she was 21-years old to start a new life in North America. This cross-continental journey is presented as a collection of letters written to her childhood friend Yoshiko, woven together with 19th/-20th-century Japanese art songs. Filled with stories of resilience and charming glimpses into the everyday lives of Naoko, her husband Takashi, and their three children, the production captures the anxieties of facing the unknown, the strength of human-spirit, and the cyclical nature of life through the lives of a family of immigrants. Ai completed a Master in Early Music Vocal Studies as a Holland/Excellence Scholar at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague, researching the pathetic capabilities of 17th-century laments. She also holds a Bachelor of Music in Secondary Music Education and Voice from the University of Victoria. An experienced and in-demand chorister, she can regularly be seen singing with top Dutch vocal ensembles including the Groot Omroepkoor (Netherlands Radio Choir) and Consensus Vocalis.

Concerts

01/18/2026 | 14:15

Weens Operette Gala

Heuvellaan Hilversum

Op zondag 18 januari 2026 vindt de allereerste editie van het Heuvellaan Operette Gala plaats. Verwacht een middag vol muziek uit het gouden en zilveren tijdperk van de Weense operette, met werken van grootmeesters als Johann Strauss jr. & sr., Franz Lehár en Emmerich Kálmán. Tenor Ben Heinen, die tevens de presentatie verzorgt, deelt het podium met topsolisten uit het Groot Omroepkoor en het Radio Filharmonisch Orkest. De muzikale begeleiding is in handen van het speciaal samengestelde Heuvellaan theaterorkest: een 15-koppig ensemble met musici van het Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, dat ook eigen virtuozen in de spotlight zet. (Heuvellaan Hilversum, NL)

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01/24/2026 | 14:15

Betoverende koorklanken

Groot Omroepkoor

Chorister with the Groot Omroepkoor for an acapella program of Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, and Mendelssohn, under the direction of Sigvards Klava (Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, NL)

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02/21/2026 | 14:15

MacMillan: Seven Last Words from the Cross

Groot Omroepkoor

Chorister with the Groot Omroepkoor for MacMillan's Seven Last Words from the Cross, under the direction of Benjamin Goodson (Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, NL)

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04/05/2026 | 15:00

Bach: Easter Oratorio

Cantate Karavaan

Soprano soloist with Cantate Karavaan for J.S. Bach's Easter Oratorio, under the direction of Rutger Mauritz (Maria Hemelvaartkerk, Phillipine, NL)

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04/05/2026 | 20:00

Bach: Easter Oratorio

Cantate Karavaan

Soprano soloist with Cantate Karavaan for J.S. Bach's Easter Oratorio, under the direction of Rutger Mauritz (Maria Koorkerk, Middelburg, NL)

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04/06/2026 | 15:00

Bach: Easter Oratorio

Cantate Karavaan

Soprano soloist with Cantate Karavaan for J.S. Bach's Easter Oratorio, under the direction of Rutger Mauritz (Grote of Maria Magdalenakerk, Goes, NL)

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