| Roles | Cast A Nov 11, 12 eve, 17,19 mat & 20 mat |
Cast B Nov 12 mat, 13 mat, 16, 18 & 19 eve |
Hugh the Drover |
David de Winter |
Zachary Devin |
Mary |
Elaine Tate (Nov 11, 17, 18 & 20 mat) |
Philippa Murray (Nov 12 mat, 12 eve, 13 mat, 16, 19 mat & 19 eve) |
John the Butcher |
Ed Ballard |
David Roberts |
Aunt Jane |
Camilla Bull |
Charlotte King |
The Constable |
Ian Helm |
Ian Helm |
The Showman (Act I) & The Sergeant (Act II) |
Barnaby Beer |
James Williams |
The Turnkey |
Nick Whitfield |
Nick Whitfield |
The Ballad Seller |
Robert Davis |
Robert Davis |
| Production Team: | ||
| Production Director | Angela Hardcastle | |
| Music Director | Oliver-John Ruthven | Set & Costume Designer | Charlie Tymms |
| Assistant Director | Isaac Jones | |
| Lighting Designer | Andrew Ellis | |
| Stage Manager | Emily Collin | |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Celia Lomas | |
| Fight Director | Gordon Kemp | |
| Répétiteurs | Suzy Ruffles, Yau Cheng, Michalis Angelakis , Albert Lau | |
| Orchestra | The Dionysus Ensemble |
As a child, Greek-born repetiteur Michalis Angelakis initially dreamt of becoming an opera star and kept belting out Italian canzonettas, until one day he met with the bewildered faces of peasants while strolling across a quiet olive tree field and singing Funiculi Funicula under the mistaken impression that there was nobody around. This traumatic experience made him decide to stop exposing himself so dangerously and become one of those silent rehearsal pianists instead. Since then he has trained at the National Opera Studio and Trinity College of Music. Some of his recent engagements include the Olivier-awarded production of Puccini's Boheme by Opera Up Close, Cimarosa's L'Italiana in Londra (Bampton Opera) and Menotti's the Consul, a guerilla-opera (the Wedding Collective). Michalis also accompanies the Royal Opera House Thurrock Community Chorus and works as repetiteur at the Morley College Opera School.
Ed is currently studying on the Postgraduate Course at the Royal Academy of Music under Glenville Hargreaves and Audrey Hyland. John the Butcher is the latest in a string of ‘not-such-a-nice-guy’ roles that Ed has played, including Demetrius, Guglielmo (Shadwell Opera), Baron Douphol (Go Opera), Aeneas (Dartington International Summer School), Death and Louis in Holst’s ‘Savitri’ and ‘The Wandering Scholar’ (Grimeborne Opera Festival) and backing vocals for Dizzee Rascal in the BBC Electric Proms. Ed previously studied History at Cambridge University, singing in Clare and Kings College Choirs, and specializing in the history of MI5 and MI6. No, he is not a spy.
Barnaby was born in London and grew up in Canada for the first ten years of his life. He read Modern Languages at Bristol University and was a choral scholar at Bristol Cathedral. Barnaby completed the Opera Performance course at Birkbeck, performing scenes from L'incoronazione di Poppea to Greek (Turnage). During his Gap year he sang with the Hamburg State Opera Chorus. Opera performances include Marco Gianni Schicchi, Colline La Boheme and Captain Corcoran HMS Pinafore all with Opera South East and a Menotti double-bill at the King’s Head Theatre in Islington. Barnaby works in artist management and is a lover of manly sports (well, most of them!)
Ed read music at Cambridge and has just completed his MMus in singing at Trinity College of Music. Recent roles include Friend/Chinese Opera Emperor in Opera Siam's Mae Naak and all the tenor roles in Ravel's L'Enfant et les Sortilèges for Open Door Opera. He has recently given successful recitals at Blackheath Halls and St John’s Church, Sevenoaks and will soon be appearing as tenor soloist for Blackheath Choir. An experienced choral singer, Ed sings regularly on the London church scene, as well as for consort groups like English Voices. Outside music, Ed enjoys London parks, skipping and nutella.
Whilst working towards her BMus (hons) Camilla was part of the chorus in the GSMD operas 2007/8, opera scenes and the The Rake's Progress for both the Aldeburgh Festival and Opera Faber, Ponte de Lima Festival in Portugal.
Since graduating, Camilla has undertaken a number of roles such as Polinesso (Handel's Ariodante) with Scarlet Opera, Orpheus (Gluck's Orpheus and Euridice) with Opera South East and most recently Page and cover Maddalena for Bury Court's Rigoletto. Camilla supports her recent move to the freelance world by continuing as a lifeguard at hampstead heath - providing baked cakes and scones by way of apology for the loud singing practice on breaks, she maintains her passion for swimming and baking!
Hong Kong-born pianist Yau Cheng is an active piano duo sight reader, page turner, and orchestral reduction player. She earned her MMus and BMus in Piano from Indiana University Bloomington (USA) under the tutelage of Emile Naoumoff, and another MMus in Chamber Partner Recruitment with Caroline Palmer at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Her favourite place has been the Académie Internationale de Musique at Château de Rangiport (France) where she could watch swans cross the Seine River while practising. Away from the piano, Yau makes pretty wavy slurs on music notation software Finale and says ‘hi’ to every animal that walks past her.
The Back Four Tentacles of a Loopy Octopus, a corrupt Judge in Christopher Woods’ Rock Opera ‘Chains’, an opera singer in the body noise epic ‘Thunderpants’ with Simon Callow, singing Verdi, Puccini, Gluck, Poulenc, and Messaien, and conducting Mahler, Berlioz, Mozart and Handel are samples of Paddy’s varied experiences.
He gave the first performance of Christopher Woods’ miniature opera ‘Carter in Crisis’ accompanied by his wife, the pianist, Josephine Szrajbman. Paddy read Islam, Hinduism and Contemporary Music at Surrey University.
Vikki read music at Cardiff University, where she received the Sir Geraint Evans Award for singing, and currently studies privately with Wendy Eathorne. Vikki works in the Development Department of the Royal Opera House and, amongst a number of different choral performances and recordings (including the soundtrack to the BBC series ‘Merlin’ with the London Philharmonia Chorus), also provides backing vocals and percussion for psychedelic-pop band ‘The Hall of Mirrors’.
Previous theatre experience includes the world première of Brian Irvine’s opera The Taylor’s Daughter and The Mikado for Welsh National Youth Opera; La Traviata and Frasquita in Carmen for Brent Opera; Dinah in Cole Porter’s High Society; Trial by Jury and Lover in Il Tabarro for Porcupine Productions; Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro for Harrow Opera.
Emily is from Ontario, Canada, where she stage managed community theatre for the Theatre Ontario Festival and Apprentice stage managed for Equity while in Toronto. Prior to this she lived and taught Drama in Seoul, South Korea. She has a BA Honours in Theatre where she studied arts and stage management. While in the UK she has worked at the Brockely Jack Studio Theatre, assisted at Live Nation events and recently Stage Managed Anna Karenina at the Arcola Theatre. Emily currently works at the National Theatre and is pleased to be working on her first opera with Hampstead Garden Opera.
This is Robert Davis's welcome return to the operatic stage after 5 1/2 years. He has undertaken a peripatetic existence as opera singer, secondary language teacher, tv quiz demon, translator/proofreader, synagogue cantor and singing teacher. Credits include chorus with ENO, Grange Park and Dutch Touring Opera, notably as a chicken impressionist (he's no wiser than you) in Der Freischütz, First Armed Man in BYO's Magic Flute and first crack in Detlev Glanert's new opera Enigma at the Montepulciano Festival at the parts of Postman and Hanged Man, where, rest assured, his characters were useless at posting and worse at noose-making.
David was born at an early age to mixed race parents – his father was 800m runner whilst his mother specialised in the 200m. He recently graduated from the Royal Academy of Music (MA), and is currently studying under Ryland Davies. On the stage, David has played the roles of Mayor in Britten’s Albert Herring, Fenton in Nicolai’s Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Remendado in Bizet’s Carmen, Flute in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Torquemada in Ravel’s L’heure espagnole, and Gérard in the British première of Philip Glass’ Les enfants terribles. This production is David’s début with HGO.
American Tenor Zachary K Devin hails from a small town in the Midwestern United States where he grew up in a log cabin surrounded by corn fields (Seriously). Since the nearest opera house or symphony was over five hours away, his first classical inspirations were courtesy of Bugs Bunny in such masterpieces as “The Rabbit of Seville” and “What’s Opera Doc?” He received a Bachelors Degree in Vocal Studies from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois and a Masters Degree from the prestigious Rice University in Houston, Texas. Zachary is currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music under the guidance of Mr. Phillip Doghan. Despite his rural upbringing, this is his first foray into "droving". His recent roles include Tamino (Mozart: The Magic Flute), Ralph Rackstraw (Gilbert and Sullivan: HMS Pinafore), Don Ottavio (Mozart: Don Giovanni), Mr. Erlanson (Sondheim: A Little Night Music), Jupiter (Handel: Semele) with HGO, and The Witch (Humperdinck:
Hansel and Gretel).
Andrew trained at Central School of Speech and Drama. Recent design credits include "Void" for Balletboyz on national and international tour and at Sadlers Wells, "Ballet Chocolat" for National Youth Ballet at Sadlers Wells, "Dance 2011" for Lewisham College, "The Wiz" and "Carousel" for Urdang Academy, "Ternion" for Antique Dances at The Place, "IDK" for Robert Hylton in Rotterdam, "Rush" for Pair Dance at the Lilian Baylis Studio, "Adventures in Anti-Cool" for Makin Projects on national tour, "Charlie's Empire" for Surrey Youth Theatre and relights for Company Chameleon's "Kith/Kin' at DanSAT in Barcelona.
Andrew has recently returned from Ethiopia where he used candles, torches and fairylights to create some atmospheric lighting for a performance by Balletboyz in Adis Ababa. The results will be seen in an upcoming documentary on More4.
Nick's first public performance was on BBC TV News peforming 'Handel in the style of Jimi Hendrix' at the opening of the Handel House Museum, London... He is delighted to make his début for HGO, as The Fool, having solemly assured them there will be no repetition of his former Hendrix impersonations!
Nick studied opera performance at Birkbeck Universtity, Morley Opera and City Lit Opera and has performed a variety of baritone roles for various opera companies, including; Riverside Opera, Surrey Opera, Scarlet Opera and Opera Nova. Recent roles have included; Gianni Schicchi, Schaunard, in La Boheme for Opera South East in 2010 and, in 2011, Figaro for Harrow Opera and Frank in Brent Opera's Die Fledermaus.
Future plans include; Raoul in La Vie Parisienne, for Southgate Opera in February 2012.
At 12, I was dancing in pantomime at Windsor Theatre Royal and my fate was sealed. Professional training was at Rambert and choreography began with a dance for Sian Phillips in The Cardinal of Spain, at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford. Later- Romeo and Juliet Colchester , Blood Brothers , Mr.Cinders York , A Doll’s House Oxford, Oklahoma Perth, Guys and Dolls Northampton, The Gondoliers Nottingham, Barnum Tour, Jesus Christ Superstar Athens, Jumpers, Leatherhead. A Funny Thing…LAMDA, Belshazzar Handel Opera,
The Cunning Little Vixen Dorking, The Mastersingers, A Night in Venice, Rigoletto ENO, The Queen of Spades WNO, Eugene Onegin Holland, Dons Giovanni and Pasquale, Le Nozze di Figaro Pavilion Opera.
As Director: Finian’s Rainbow, Jack The Ripper and Sing Happy! at GSA, The Great Big Radio Show, Watermill Newbury, A Kid for Two Farthings, Bridewell, and 24 productions for Surrey Youth Theatre, from Mel Brooks’ Archy and Mehitabel to As You Like It. Heartfelt thanks to Alastair, O-J, the production team and HGO’s talented cast for my opera directing début.
Milo has come to HGO almost directly from Cambridge, where, having given two recitals at Emmanuel College and performed (with permission) on Trinity College May Ball’s main stage, he took a first class honours degree in English. Past dramatic paraphernalia includes a flying bike (in Glyndebourne Festival Opera’s 2004 production of Die Zauberflöte), a pink sequined dress (as Mabel in a school production of The Pirates of Penzance), and a rather fetching gold bolero jacket that the London Children’s Ballet wouldn’t let him keep.
Ian makes his opera debut in this HGO production having previously sung in many church choirs and choral societies in UK venues and abroad. He puts the delay down to a misguided perfectionism. Early solo performances included the Youth in Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Hear My Prayer, the latter broadcast in Canada (on cassette at his Great Aunt’s house). Ian studied philosophy at the University of Essex completing a doctoral thesis on Theodor Adorno in 2008 since when he has worked in education management.
Matt has returned to HGO after a couple of years doing the opera performance courses at Birkbeck College. Before that he was a regular chorus member, taking part in La Traviata, Don Giovanni, Eugene Onegin, L'Elisir d'Amore and Idomeneo and thoroughly enjoying himself. He even managed to get the small role of Zaretsky in Yevgeny Onegin and remembered all of his lines. Outside HGO he has also appeared in productions of Street Scene, the Marriage of Figaro and Curlew River and sings with the London Welsh Chorale.
A holder of the Birkbeck Opera Diploma, Jill enjoys exploring the mezzo-soprano operatic repertoire – mostly bitches or witches, but occasionally breeches – and is making her third appearance with HGO. She has also sung with Guildford Opera, Floral Opera and various summer schools; recent roles include Kostelnicka (Jenufa), Zelatrice (Suor Angelica), Mrs Maclean (Susannah), Stephanie (The Tempest), Gertrude (Hamlet). She is currently attending a Lieder class with Richard Jackson at Morley College, and preparing to sing Xenakis at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival with New London Chamber Choir. Her varied singing activities have been combined with an academic career in phonetics.
Liz has been a member of HGO’s chorus for several years, singing alto in La Traviata, Yevgeny Onegin, Idomeneo, Dido& Aeneas/Venus and Adonis, The Clemency of Tito, Susannah, L’Elisir and Magic Flute. She is looking forward to being part of the chorus of Hugh the Drover by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
She has sung with Floral Opera in Macbeth, La Traviata, Ballo in Maschera, Tales of Hoffman, and Le Comte Ory.
Liz is a member of the Medici Choir under the direction of John Baird, and enjoys dabbling in watercolour painting.
Paul embarked on musical comedy at four, progressing later to Gilbert & Sullivan before developing an engineering career in naval and airborne command systems. In the 1980s and 1990s he was a founder member of the vocal ensemble Musicale, studying privately with Pamela Bowden. Stage roles at that time included Antonio (The Marriage of Figaro); Count Cigarillos (La Périchole) and Maestro Spinelloccio (Gianni Schicchi). He first sang with HGO in Mary Stuart (2004) and has appeared in eight subsequent HGO productions. Paul studies with Ryland Davies and has also sung with Opera South since 2005 (Faust).
Eleanor Janes is currently a postgraduate student at Trinity College of Music where she studies with Laureen Livingstone and Rianka Bouwmeester, having graduated in 2010 from The University of Manchester, where she read music, . Eleanor has recently worked with Go Opera on their début production of La Traviata, and is very excited to work with Hampstead Garden Opera for the second time. Eleanor has sung a variety of roles with Trinity and Manchester University opera scenes, including Countess (Marriage of Figaro); Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus); Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier); First Lady (Die Zauberflöte); Musetta (La Bohème); Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel). Eleanor has really enjoyed working on Hugh the Drover and has made lots more HGO friends.
Clara graduated from Cambridge in 2010, where she sang and recorded with the choirs of Clare and Trinity colleges. Roles at university included Zita (Puccini: Gianni Schicchi), La Zelatrice (Puccini: Suor Angelica) and Queen (Cox: Svrsvm Corda). Since graduating she has sung in numerous professional ensembles including the Armonico Consort and London Voices, with whom she recorded the music for the final two Harry Potter films. Clara’s highlight of the past year was a brief tour of Germany as part of Bobby McFerrin’s backing choir, where she got to sing soulfully into a microphone.
Nina comes from north London, and made an auspicious stage debut as Aeneas in her (all girls) school’s production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. She gained a First in Music as a choral exhibitioner at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, and has since completed the Birkbeck Opera Certificate course. She has sung Princess/Cat in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges with Open Door Opera at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and St John’s, Smith Square, and is a member of the Philharmonia Chorus’s Professional Singers' Scheme. When not singing, Nina especially enjoys eating cake whilst watching America’s Next Top Model.
The youngest of four brothers, Gordon learned how to fight at an early age. However, it was only when he attended drama school in his early twenties that he was introduced to the idea of theatrical violence. Finding it much more to his liking, he went on to serve an apprenticeship at Shakespeare’s Globe and qualified as a teacher with both the British Academy of Dramatic Combat and the British Academy of Stage & Screen Combat. He now works as a professional fight director for both theatre and film and also teaches stage combat at various drama schools and universities across the country.
Charlotte King hails from Essex and attended Goldsmiths College for both her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Music, under the tuition of Nan Christie. Whilst at Goldsmiths, Charlotte sang roles including Third Lady (The Magic Flute), the title role in Carmen, Mrs Sedley (Peter Grimes), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Maddalena (Rigoletto). Charlotte has recently qualified as a secondary school teacher and finds that her acquired sharp tongue from this experience has proved very useful for the role of Aunt Jane. Additional operatic experience includes performances with Opera Italiana, British Youth Opera (The Rake’s Progress), Hampstead Garden Opera (Dido and Aeneas, The Magic Flute) and “Hojotoho-ing” as Siegrune in Die Walküre (St. Endellion Festival) alongside acclaimed Wagnerians Susan Bullock and Sir John Tomlinson. Charlotte is grateful for the support she receives from The Worshipful Company of Innholders for her studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she continues her training with John Evans.
Born in Hong Kong, pianist Albert Lau is currently pursuing his Master of Music at the Royal Academy of Music, under the tutelage of Joanna MacGregor. He had previously studied with Emile Naoumoff at Indiana University, where he obtained his Bachelor of Music with high distinction. In the past summers, Albert participated in master classes and competitions in France, Germany, and the United States. He has won the ‘Indianapolis Matinée Musicale’ and was the state winner in the MTNA collegiate competition 2010. Albert constantly finds himself fascinated by French culture. In his spare time, he daydreams about living in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
Having recently graduated from Leeds University with a degree in Chemistry, Celia is now venturing in to the world of stage management. She has recently been working in an arts administration role at the Northern Aldborough festival and the Ryedale festival, in Yorkshire. It was while working at the Ryedale festival that she had her first ASM role, for the festival's production of Janacek's Cunning Little Vixen. She is happy that her chosen career keeps her safely away from Chemistry.
Anna McLachlan is currently studying at Trinity College of Music under the tuition of Alison Wells and Robert Aldwinckle. She graduated from Southampton University where she read English and Music. She was a choral scholar with Cantores Michaelis, singing regularly in St Michael’s Church, Southampton. She has sung frequently with Southampton University’s Light Opera Society, playing flighty women, such as Jenny Diver (The Beggar’s Opera) and the title role in ‘Iolanthe’. Operatic roles include Dorabella (Così fan tutte) in the Nuffield Theatre, 3rd Spirit (Die Zauberflöte) and un pâtre (L’enfant et les sortilèges) for Trinity Opera Scenes and chorus (Semele) for HGO. Anna is thrilled to be back singing with HGO!
Having been privileged enough to sing in a number of professional opera productions as a young treble and as a keen clarinettist, Gregory now enjoys passing on his passion and interest in music to the younger generation whilst continuing his vocal studies privately and being involved in the hugely professional HGO productions. Having sung in the chorus of Tito and Flute, in addition to 1st Priest he has relished the opportunity to explore his ‘alter ego’ in ‘Hugh’. Not so much ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ but rather, ‘Monk and Auctioneer’. I promise you…my wares are the finest in any Cotswold town…come ‘Buy, buy buy'
Philippa sings with Academy of Ancient Music, Gabrieli Consort, Oxford Camerata,Tenebrae and many other consort groups. Recent solo engagements include Bach's Mass in B Minor, Lotti's Requiem, Vaughan Williams Seranade to Music, Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, Bach's Magnificat, Bach's Ascension Oratorio (BWV 11) with the choir of St John's College, Cambridge and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and Graupner's Ach Gott und Herr in the London Handel Festival with Adrian Butterfield. Roles include Second Lady (Magic Flute), Belinda (Dido and Aeneas), Sandrina (La Finta Giardiniera), Galatea (Acis and Galatea), and First Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Larina (Yevgeny Onegin) and Leonora (Fidelio) in Guildhall opera scenes. Most recently she performed Cupid in Blow's Venus and Adonis and Peep-Bo in The Mikado, both in concert performances with fellow students from Guildhall, and sang Belinda in Dido and Aeneas in a sell-out production at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden, with the Iris Theatre Group and Orchestra of St Paul's. Philippa graduated from Guildhall last year and is now studying privately with Eizabeth Ritchie and Mhairi Lawson.
Martin started singing with the New Zealand National Youth Choir at age 16 in 1988, and then went on to study singing at Victoria University of Wellington with Emily Mair. He then joined Wellington City Opera, in 1993, performing Un Ballo in Maschera, Peter Grimes, and Bitter Calm. He joined HGO in 2006, where he has sung in every opera apart from one, roles include;
Baron Douphol - La Traviata, Elder MacLean - Susannah,
and 2nd Armed Man - The Magic Flute. He keeps coming back primarily because of the talented, warm, and friendly people that HGO attracts. All this serves as a welcome distraction from his more mundane day job of selling telecoms in the City. He currently studies with Berty Rice.
Claudia Myles, born in London, is studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama on their MMus Vocal Studies Programme, under the instruction of John Evans; she graduated with a BMus (hons) from GSMD in July 2010. She has been performing regularly in concerts and masterclasses at the Barbican, Guildhall School, Darwin College, Cambridge and St Peter’s Eaton Square, and had the privilege to tour with GSMD in the opera Mascagni’s ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’, performing around Italy. She won 1st Prize of The Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors Ensemble Prize and did a season with the British Youth Opera doing La Boheme at ‘The Peacock Theatre’, London. This year she has done a series of Opera Scenes in nationwide concerts, as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Leonora in Fidelio, Agatha in Der Freischutz and Suor Angelica in Suor Angelica with the GSMD Opera Ensemble and was chosen to sing the GSMD main Opera's - Dialogue Des Carmelites and Iolanta. In addition, she had her début at Wigmore Hall in May 2011. Claudia also has been known to indulge in ballet and karate in her spare time - she holds the silver medal in the BTKA Nationals for Karate Fighting!
The height of my operatic career (literally) was at the age of thirteen suspended high above the stage in a boat in the Magic Flute at Covent Garden .Other early triumphs included solos on Christmas day radio 2 and at the Wigmore. As an adult (baritone) I trained at the Guildhall and sang operatic roles around London. After phases of folk, lieder and theatre I have now launched an operatic comeback singing Belcore in l'Elisir, the Lieutenant in Yeoman and Counsel in Trial by Jury. Along the way I have managed family life (four children) and earning a living.
Suzy studied piano accompaniment at Trinity College of Music under Eugene Asti. She plays at AIMS International Music School and has worked as repetiteur for several London and European based operatic productions. She works as a staff accompanist for Trinity College of Music and is the accompanist for the Godalming Choral Society and the Greenwich University Choir, the latter under Nicholas Jenkins.
A part-time accountant, Suzy reads wherever she travels, attempts to keep her tropical fish (and new husband) alive and is a big fan of Southampton FC.
For more information please see: www.suzyruffles.co.uk
Oliver-John began his musical career as a chorister at Westminster Abbey. He graduated in 2006 with a first class honours in Music from the University of Manchester. He has been Music Director of Hampstead Garden Opera since 2008. He has recently completed a year as keyboards apprentice to the Monteverdi Choir under Sir John Eliot Gardiner and has performed at the Proms and across Europe as a member of the English Baroque Soloists. He has previously held positions as cover conductor to the Royal Ballet and Acting Director of the Halle Youth Choir. Oliver-John is in demand as a continuo player, and is harpsichordist and co-director for Musica Poetica London. He is also busy as a freelance tenor, singing for Philharmonia Voices and as a tenor deputy for Stile Antico. O-J is also a keen rock climber and cyclist, and one day hopes to have time to play cricket!
James started singing at the age of eleven with the Tiffin Boys’ and Kingston Parish Church Choirs. By fourteen, he had sung two seasons at the Royal Opera House as the Shepherd Boy in Tosca, alongside such minor celebrities as Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu and Antonio Pappano. Then his voice broke and he went slightly off the rails, becoming a washed-up, oboe-playing countertenor.
Thankfully it was just a phase. He went on to read Music at Cambridge and London, and has recently worked at Opera Holland Park and appeared as chorus soloist in a production entitled Too Hot to Handel with the Armonico Consort.
He has promised to get his five-word solo off copy by the final performance.
Rose graduated from University of Sussex last year where she studied Music and is now training under Sarah Pring . Her first encounters with opera were as a child when she was lucky enough to be in the children’s chorus for ENO productions playing roles such as ‘ a lama’ and ‘zombie child’. Operatic roles since have included Belinda (Dido and Anaeus), Orestes (La Belle Hélène). She has sung with the London Philharmonic Choir for the last year and is currently setting up a community choir. This is Rose’s first production for HGO and she has loved singing with such a warm and talented group of people.
Born in Doncaster, Jonathan is a Bass, currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music under the tutelage of Alexander Ashworth and coach Mary Hill. He has performed in scenes for Oxenfoord International School of Singing for three summers performing roles such as Don Alfonso (Cosi fan Tutte) to the Forester (Cunning Little Vixen.) Jonathan has also sung for Midsummer Opera’s “Don Carlo” and “Götterdämmerung” as well as understudying the Loud Speaker in Ullamn’s opera “Der Kaiser von Atlantis for Dianeo Opera. Recent engagements have been singing in the chorus for Opera Holland Park’s Rigoletto and La Wally in which he enjoyed learning how to dance a Ländler.
Elaine has just graduated with distinction from the RAM and is currently on the ENO OperaWorks course. Recent rôles include Semele (Handel Semele) with HGO, Manon (Massenet Manon), Laurette (Bizet Le Docteur Miracle) and as many Vikings as one woman can (un)reasonably be expected to play in ten minutes (Weir King Harald´s Saga).
Upcoming engagements for 2011/2012 Handel Messiah (Glasgow), and a staged version from Merry Opera; Brahms German Requiem (Gravesend) and ENO OperaWorks showcase (London). Elaine studies with Noelle Barker and is supported by the Josephine Baker Trust.
Elaine is delighted to return to HGO, this time sans bubblewrap.
www.elainetate.com
Having worked for many years as a designer/maker in Theatre, Film and Public Art recent projects include puppet and armature making for the forthcoming animation film “Frankenweenie” by Tim Burton, Stage and Costume design for “First Impressions” at Theatre Royal Margate, Stage and Costume design for “The Baby” an Inside Job project at East Sutton Women’s Prison, Art Director for a three part series “Stephen Hawking’s Universe” on Discovery Channel, Prop maker for the Globe Theatre. Charlie lives on a Dutch Barge on the Thames and supplements her income mud larking and toshing.
Japanese Soprano Masami Uehara studied at Trinity College of Music, where she gained a Postgraduate Diploma. Operatic roles include Pamina in The Magic Flute, Mrs. Ford in Falstaff, Nella in Gianni Schicchi and Fifth Maid in Elektra. She most recently performed The Secretary in The Secret Consul, a guerrilla opera based on Menotti’s The Consul. She has also coached The King’s Singers for their recording of Landscape and Time in 2006. In addition to singing, she loves cooking, cycling and watching Formula one. This is Masami’s second appearance in an HGO production and she is delighted to be involved again.
Nick studied Classical Drama in Liverpool before training at The Royal Academy of Music. His previous sung roles include; Sam (Street Scene), Monostatos (The Magic Flute), Sam (Susannah), Jamie (The Last 5 Years) Nicely Nicely (Guys and Dolls), Sammy (Blood Brothers) and Jesus (Jesus Christ Superstar). Apart from enjoying the portrayal of characters named Sam, Nick has performed several spoken roles, these include; Tybalt (Romeo and Juliet), Richard (Hay Fever), The Duke (Comedy of Errors), Leonidik (The Promise) and Osric (Hamlet). Nick plays the piano, guitar and, despite his rotund appearance, does not like chocolate.
Lyric baritone, James Williams, is currently a student at Trinity College of Music (TCM) under the tuition of Ameral Gunson. During his time at TCM, James was awarded First Prize in the TCM Elisabeth Schumann Lieder Competition and has performed the operatic roles of Masetto (Don Giovanni), Falke (Die Fledermaus), Schaunard (La Bohème) and Ned Keene (Peter Grimes) among many others. James has also worked as assistant conductor and choral scholar at the Old Royal Naval College Chapel and often collaborates with singers and instrumentalists whilst being an ardent composer. Other interests include British political history and foreign languages.
Marianne has recently graduated with a first class honours degree from Trinity College of Music, studying under Wendy Eathorne. Roles include 1st & 2nd Boy/Magic Flute (AIMS, HGO), Cis/Albert Herring (TCM), Barbarina/Figaro (Harrow), Zerlina/Don Giovanni (Puzzle Piece Opera - scenes), Papagena/Magic Flute. Marianne also frequently performs with duo partner Gabriel Jones exploring song repertoire as well as opera. Despite often being typecast as a small child or coquettish maid, Marianne is in fact old enough to be on her 3rd gap year (the first two of which were spent working in Aerospace and learning how to pole dance) and is now studying privately with Susan McCulloch.
The Dionysus Ensemble was formed by cellist Léonie Adams in 2003 and specialises in reduced orchestration opera performance and chamber orchestral concerts. It is comprised primarily of recent graduates from the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music and is based in London. Recent productions have included The Barber of Seville, Carmen, and The Clemency of Titus, with performances across London including the Purcell Room. They are very much looking forward to performing the world premiere of the new chamber version of Hugh the Drover by our MD Oliver-John Ruthven.
|