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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. Last 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.

Concerts

08/28/2026 | 20:00

Opening Concert: Pastorale Loverendale

Cantate Karavaan and Loverendale ter Linde

Soloist with Cantate Karavaan at Pastorale Loverendale for Bach's BWV 208 "Was mir behangt ist nur die munte Jagd" (Pales) (Loverendale ter Linde, Oostkapelle, NL)

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08/28/2026 | 21:20

Coda - Sleeping Arias: Pastorale Loverendale

Cantate Karavaan and Loverendale ter Linde

With Cantate Karavaan at Pastorale Loverendale (Loverendale ter Linde, Oostkapelle, NL)

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08/29/2026 | 14:30

Boerencantate: Pastorale Loverendale

Cantate Karavaan and Loverendale ter Linde

Soloist with Cantate Karavaan at Pastorale Loverendale for Bach's BWV 21 "Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet" (Mieke), Weckmann's "Wenn der Herr die Gefangenen", and Schütz' SWV 408 "Es ging ein Sämann aus zu säen" (Loverendale ter Linde, Oostkapelle, NL)

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08/29/2026 | 19:30

Avond Concert: Pastorale Loverendale

Cantate Karavaan and Loverendale ter Linde

Soloist with Cantate Karavaan at Pastorale Loverendale for Bach's BWV 208 "Was mir behangt ist nur die munte Jagd" (Pales) (Loverendale ter Linde, Oostkapelle, NL)

More Info →

08/29/2026 | 21:20

Coda - Sleeping Arias: Pastorale Loverendale

Cantate Karavaan and Loverendale ter Linde

With Cantate Karavaan at Pastorale Loverendale (Loverendale ter Linde, Oostkapelle, NL)

More Info →

08/30/2026 | 14:30

Boerencantate: Pastorale Loverendale

Cantate Karavaan and Loverendale ter Linde

Soloist with Cantate Karavaan at Pastorale Loverendale for Bach's BWV 21 "Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet" (Mieke), Weckmann's "Wenn der Herr die Gefangenen", and Schütz' SWV 408 "Es ging ein Sämann aus zu säen" (Loverendale ter Linde, Oostkapelle, NL)

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08/30/2026 | 19:30

Slot Concert: Pastorale Loverendale

Cantate Karavaan and Loverendale ter Linde

Soloist with Cantate Karavaan at Pastorale Loverendale for Bach's BWV 208 "Was mir behangt ist nur die munte Jagd" (Pales) (Loverendale ter Linde, Oostkapelle, NL)

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09/06/2026 | 01:30

De Alkmaarse Hofjesconcerten

La Sfera Armoniosa

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09/12/2026 | 13:00

Korngold: Die tote Stadt

Groot Omroepkoor and Radio Filharmonisch Orkest

Chorister with the Groot Omroepkoor and Radio Filharmonish Orkest for Korngold's Die tote Stadt, under the direction of Oksana Lyniv (Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, NL)

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09/19/2026 | 20:00

Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine

Deliciæ Ensemble

Monteverdi's Vespers for the Blessed Virgin, with Deliciæ Ensemble (De Nicolaas, Brouwershaven, NL)

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10/17/2026 | 16:00

Festival Dag in de Branding

Editie 77

Calliope Tsoupaki is the guest curator of this two-day festival edition, centering on the theme of Ars Nova. She presents a wide array of the newest music from all eras: the works of her own teachers, her dreamed-of mentors from the past, and the young teachers of the future. In this line of transmission and renewal, the idea of ​​Ars Nova takes on a living meaning (De Oud-Katholieke Kerk, Den Haag, NL)

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Photos

Ai Horton in a dark green concert dress looking at the camera.
Ai Horton and Elana Cooper with her violin looking up in front of a brick wall.
Ai Horton with a white top looking to the top right off camera.

Media

"L'eraclito amoroso"

by Barbara Strozzi

with Mike Fentross - theorbo, Sarah Jeffrey - recorder, and Peter Prommel - percussion

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