Michael Chance ranks among the foremost countertenors internationally, sought after across opera houses, recital platforms, and chamber ensembles. He serves as artistic director of the Grange Festival, placing him among the small number of vocalists who helm a prominent opera organization.
Born on March 7, 1955, in Penn within England's Buckinghamshire county, Chance began as a chorister at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. He received his schooling at the associated St. George's institution and later at the Eaton College boarding school. He advanced to King's College, Cambridge, performing as a choral scholar in the Choir of King's College; this position funded his daily chapel services, vocal instruction, and coursework in English literature. Following graduation he trained under Rupert Bruce Lockhart.
His professional entry came at the Buxton Festival in 1983, singing in a staging of Cavalli's Giasone. He remained with the Kent Opera Company for three seasons. The year 1985 marked his first European appearance, in Lyon, France, performing Handel's Tamerlano. Countertenor casting in Baroque opera was then gaining acceptance, and his profile rose swiftly. He has since sung at leading venues such as Covent Garden, La Scala, and principal houses throughout the Americas. Beyond core Baroque repertoire, he has promoted twentieth-century and new opera through Benjamin Britten roles and commissions from Richard Rodney Bennett, John Tavener, and Elvis Costello. Chamber recitals have formed a steady part of his activity. In 2015 he assumed artistic direction of the newly founded Grange Festival in Hampshire, becoming one of the rare globally recognized singers—and likely the sole countertenor—to lead a major opera company.
His recorded output, launched in 1988 with an album of Purcell and Blow duets alongside veteran countertenor James Bowman, encompasses many releases. Labels include Hyperion, Chandos, and Harmonia Mundi; the range stretches from lute songs to contemporary opera. In 2021 he appeared on Proud Songsters: English Solo Song, issued by the King's College Choir label.
