| Roles | Cast A 6, 8, 14, 16 November 2008 Subject to confirmation |
Cast B 7, 9, 13, 15 November 2008 Subject to confirmation |
| Nemorino, an impoverished street musician (tenor) |
Robin Bailey | Tom Cockett |
| Adina, a well-off young shop-owner (soprano) |
Stefanie Kemball-Read | Hannah Sawle |
| Chief Petty-Officer Belcore, US Navy (baritone) |
Sam Queen | Thomas Kennedy |
| Dr Dulcamara, practitioner of alternative medicine (buffo bass) |
Philip Kay | Antoine Salmon |
| Giannetta, Adina’s friend (soprano) |
Becki Dale | Anna Whyte |
| Chorus: Peasants, soldiers of Belcore's platoon |
In alphabetical order: |
|
Amaia Arregui (mezzo) Kate Hobbins (soprano) Ross Hobson (baritone) Matthew Holt (baritone) Liz Hunt (mezzo) Paul Ives (baritone/lower tenor) Antonia Leach (mezzo) Martin Musgrave (baritone) Jill Noakes (soprano) Panos Ntourntoufis (tenor) Nicola Ogborn (soprano) Letitia Perry (soprano) Jonathan Rosen (tenor) Danny Smyth (bass) Gaia Staffa (mezzo) |
| Production Team: | ||
| Producer and director | Bruno Ravella | |
| Music director | Oliver-John Ruthven | |
| Assistant music director / Répétiteur | Alastair Macgeorge | |
| Répétiteur | Suzy Ruffles | |
| Choreography | Sarah Fahie | |
| Set and costume design | Madeleine Millar | |
| Orchestra | The Dionysus Ensemble |
Amaia Arregui was born in Bilbao, Spain, and moved to London in 2005 to study the Swedish-Italian School technique with the soprano Ann De Renais first, and with Cathy Pope since 2006. She obtained the Diploma in Opera Performance from Birkbeck College in 2006. A member of the Bilbao Symphonic Choir for 5 years, performing often as the choir main soloist, she also sang with the Bilbao Opera Chorus during the 2001-2004 seasons. As a soloist, she has performed small roles in Spanish operas and operettas, Abrizza (El Asombro de Damasco), Emma (Los Gavilanes), a seller (La Vida breve), Carmen (Carmen, scenes) with Birkbeck College, Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier, scenes)in a private performance at the Arts Club in London, and Filipyevna (Eugene Onegin) and a Cretan with Hampstead Garden Opera in November 2007. She will be Carmen in the next production of this opera in February 2009, with Aylesbury Opera Group.
Robin Bailey was born in Deal, Kent and is currently studying as a Tenor at The Royal Academy of Music as a third year undergraduate with Penelope Mackay. He has appeared in Concert with Sir Thomas Allen and Emma Kirkby and competed last year in the Junior Kathleen Ferrier competition. He is also a member of the international award winning a cappella group Voces8, who have recently toured France, Spain and Italy and debuted at the Wigmore hall. He has appeared with the Bournemouth Symphony chorus at the Lighthouse theatre singing Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man, and in Mozart’s Requiem at St Martin-in-the-fields with the Brandenburg Sinfonia. Most recently he has sung Haydn’s Nelson Mass with The Cambridge philharmonic society and Mendelssohn St.Paul with Burgess Hill choral society. Future engagements include a production of Street scene with Greenwich opera and Nemorino in Hampstead Garden Opera’s production of L’elisir D’amore by Donizetti. Robin is a keen rock-climber and enjoys running. Robin is supported by the Josephine Baker Trust.
Tom Cockett was born in London in 1986. A former head Chorister at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tom graduated from Royal Holloway in 2007 and now studies singing with David Lowe. Recent and future solo highlights include Evangelist and Arias in Bach’s St. John Passion and St Matthew Passion, Handel’s Messiah and the Lloyd Webber Requiem. Operatic roles include Grimoaldo in Handel’s Rodelinda and Paris the Boy in Tippett’s King Priam. Tom also enjoys singing recitals and has performed music from Cage and Barber to Purcell and Schutz. Aside from Singing Tom is a keen footballer and enjoys watching films.
Rebecca Dale began her vocal training with Cynthia Jolly and participated in regular concerts and festivals in her home county of Hampshire. She graduated with a Masters in Vocal Performance at Trinity College of Music in 2008. She is currently studying under the direction of Teresa Cahill. Roles include Johanna (Sweeny Todd), The Princess of Monte Carlo (The Grand Duke), Tatyana (Eugene Onegin), and Susanna (Marriage of Figaro). Rebecca has played a number of roles in the Trinity College Opera scenes including, Venus in Cavalli’s Egisto, Larina from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Pulcheria from Handel’s Riccardo Primo and Echo from the R.Strauss opera Ariadne auf Naxos. Rebecca has also performed in Poulenc’s Dialogue des Carmelites (Trinity College of Music) and Mozart’s Don Giovanni (HGO). Recently Rebecca has turned her hand to creating performance opportunities for the Greenwich community by producing and directing an outdoor production of the Kurt Weill American opera Street Scene.
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 students and recent graduates from the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music and is based in London. Recent productions have included The Magic Flute, Eugene Onegin, The Barber of Seville and Carmen with performances across London including the Purcell Room.
Born in Australia, Sarah Fahie trained at London Contemporary Dance School and has since worked as an independent dancer and choreographer within dance, opera and theatre. In 2003 she received a Jerwood Choreography Award for her London-based dance work. For the past two years she has worked as a staff director for Glyndebourne assisting choreographer/director teams such as Linda Dobell/Richard Jones and Kate Flatt/Daniel Slater. She has also assisted and revived opera work for choreographer Denni Sayers at ROH, Teatro Carlo Felice and Teatro Liceu Barcelona. Choreographic opera credits include: The Birds (The Opera Group), The Bartered Bride (Mid Wales Opera), La Traviata (OHP) and As I Crossed A Bridge of Dreams (Almeida).
Kate Hobbins gained a BA (Hons) in music at the University of Nottingham in 2001 and has since completed a Diploma in Concert Singing at Birkbeck College, University of London, under the direction of Hazel Wood. She recently performed in Opera London’s production of The Marriage of Figaro and Vox Lirika’s performance of La Traviata. She currently sings with a select chamber choir, Mosaic, and with the London Cantata Choir and has also recently put together and performed in solo and duet concerts.
Matthew Holt started singing with the London Welsh Chorale in 2005 and has since sung with Mary King’s Voicelab project on the South Bank. He has started taking singing lessons in order to annoy his neighbours. Matthew was a chorus member in HGO’s productions of La Traviata (2006), Don Giovanni (2007) and Idomeneo (2008) and played the role of Zaretsky in Eugene Onegin (2007). He was also recently a chorus member for Opera London (The Marriage of Figaro), Vox Lirika (La Traviata) and a community production of Kurt Weill’s Street Scene.
Liz Hunt sang in the chorus for Verdi’s Macbeth, La Traviata, Rossini’s Compte Ory, and Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann with Floral Opera. She has sung in the chorus for HGO’s productions: La Traviata, Eugene Onegin, and Idomeneo. Liz also regularly sings with the Medici Choir under the direction of John Baird. Their next performance will be Mozart’s Requiem at St Martin’s-in-the-Fields on September 18th 2008. She is looking forward to being a member of the chorus for HGO’s forthcoming production of L’Elisir d’Amore in November 2008.
Paul Ives studies with Ryland Davies. As a founder member of vocal ensembles Musicale and Originale he performed concert excerpts from more than 70 operas. Earlier stage roles included Antonio (The Marriage of Figaro) with Opera Concerts and Count Cigarillos (La Péricole) and Maestro Spinelloccio (Gianni Schicchi) with Opera Favorita. He sang with HGO in Mary Stuart; Madam Butterfly (The Official Registrar and Uncle Yakuside); The Marriage of Figaro, La Traviata (Commissionario and Domestico) and Yevgeny Onegin (Captain Petrovich). With Opera South he sang in Faust, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Elixir of Love and The Bohemian Girl.
Philip Kay studied at the Guildhall school of music and drama and then at the Royal Academy of Music. Concert performances include Handel's Messiah and Mozart's Coronation mass (Dubai), Schumman's Dichterliebe (Bavarian parliament, Munich), Rossini's Petite messe solenelle (Spain) and Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical songs (Newbury festival and Ireland). Operatic experience includes Uberto (La Serva padrona) in Aldeburgh, Count Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro) for London Opera Players and Oyster Opera, Marcello (La Bohème) for Beaufort Opera, Leporello (Don Giovanni) for Hampstead Garden Opera, Blansac in Rossini's La scala di seta for Independent Opera, Guglielmo (Cosi fan tutte) in Paris and the title role in Eugene Onegin for Opera by definition.
Stefanie Kemball-Read trained at Trinity College of Music, obtaining her postgraduate diploma with distinction. Her operatic experience includes the title role in Mozart’s Zaide, Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Constance (Les Dialogues des Carmélites), Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Euridice (Orféo ed Euridice), Belinda & First Witch (Dido and Aenaes), and most recently Ilia in Idomeneo. An active oratorio soloist, she recently performed Bach’s Matthew Passion and Orff’s Carmina Burana, and gives many private recitals either solo or as half of duo SIRENE. For information on Stefanie, please see www.stefaniekemballread.co.uk. Future engagements include the role of Lady Harriet in Flotow’s Martha for Opera South.
Thomas Kennedy was a choral scholar at New College Oxford and now studies on the postgraduate course at the Guildhall, where he won last year's English Song Prize. Recent operatic roles include Onegin (for HGO), the Count and Figaro (Marriage of Figaro) for Winterbourne Opera and Opera London respectively and the villain roles in The Tales of Hoffman for Arcola Opera. This summer he sings Perichaud (La Rondine) for British Youth Opera. He is a busy recitalist and concert singer, recently appearing at the Barbican as soloist in Ives' General William Booth enters the Kingdom of Heaven with the BBCSO and Sir Andrew Davis.
Alastair Macgeorge worked for 40 years in the consumer movement - 28 years with Which? and, post-‘retirement’, supporting fledgling groups all over Eastern Europe and Central Asia from 1991 to 2003. The musical bonus from these post-Soviet travels was opera in many unlikely places, including a memorable production of L’Elisir d’Amore in Tbilisi. An early starter on the piano but never a great practiser, he infuriated his father, a gifted accompanist, by ‘strumming’ (i.e. playing what came into his four-year-old head). This led to a lifetime of music-making in many contexts – in domestic chamber music, accompanying singers and instrumentalists, and in composition, notably the score for Murder in the Cathedral in St. Michael's, Highgate, in 1991, and a few songs, choral pieces and other small-scale works. He joined HGO on day one as its rehearsal pianist, and has been deeply involved with its development ever since, latterly as Chairman.
With nearly thirty years of working for the Theatre, TV and Film it’s surprisingly only the second Opera Madeleine has designed; Mozart’s Zaide, for Opera North and Helsmley Festival. She worked for a season in the props. department at Glyndebourne, however, many years ago. Most recently she designed The Pilgrimage and The Good Person of Setzuan for the Crucible Youth Theatre and two productions with Cardboard Citizens Theatre Company. Two of the fifteen or so Short Films for which she was Costume Designer - Goodbye Mr. Snuggles and Private Life - are winning awards all over the world.
Madeleine has also exhibited sculpture at galleries such as the Christchurch Mansion and Wolsey Art Gallery, Ipswich and the Piece Hall, Halifax.
Martin Musgrave 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. Whilst at Victoria he understudied Leporello (Don Giovanni). He then joined Wellington City Opera, in 1993, performing Un Ballo in Maschera, Peter Grimes, and Bitter Calm. He joined Hampstead Garden Opera in 2006, where he has sung The Marriage of Figaro (Chorus), La Traviata (Baron Douphol), Don Giovanni (Chorus), Eugene Onegin (Captain Petrovich) and Idomeneo (Chorus and 2nd Trojan). He also sang in Opera London's debut production of The Marriage of Figaro, and Rebecca Dale's production of Kurt Weill's Street Scene.
Jill Noakes sang in choruses, and took small parts in ensembles, with Floral Opera, for many years. She studies singing with Carlos Aransay. With Hampstead Garden Opera she has been in the chorus of Carmen, Magic Flute, Marriage of Figaro, La Traviata, Evgeny Onegin and Idomeneo. Jill was in the chorus of Vox Lirika’s La Traviata in June 2008.
Jill studied piano in Venice, Italy with Gino Gorini and then, at the Guildhall School of Music with Robert Collet, Mary Peppin and in London with Richard Shaw. She has the ATCL in instrumental teaching. She teaches piano, and has performed as an accompanist as well as a soloist.
Panos has completed the Diploma in Concert Singing Course at Birkbeck College, London and is now embarking on a Flexible Programme of Study at Trinity College of Music in London. He has recently performed in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene at the Young Vic and as Remendado (Carmen) in the Opera class of the Ardingly International Summer School. Future engagements include Monostatos in Mozart's The Magic Flute with Village Opera and Takana in Samuel Jones’ The Geisha with Southgate Opera. Panos appears regularly with the BBC Symphony Chorus and the London Symphony Chorus, with both of which he has toured internationally and performed to the highest level. Opera concerts performed with these include Fidelio, Benvenuto Cellini, Oedipus Rex, Götterdämmerung, Billy Budd, Sonnambula.
Letitia is currently working in Kent as a performer and singing teacher whilst continuing her studies; taking a Diploma in Opera at Birkbeck College, London and learning with Julie Kennard of the Royal Academy of Music. Prior to this she completed a music degree at King’s College London University, specialising in Advanced Performance. In the past Letitia has sung as a King’s College London Chapel Choir Scholar, for Eton Lower Chapel Choir, Westminster Guards Chapel Choir and the Sackville Singers in Sevenoaks. She currently sings with the Kent-based Knole Singers and with the Hampstead Garden Opera Chorus.
Her opera appearances include Galatea (Acis & Galatea), Dido (Dido & Aeneas), Fiordiligi (Cosi Fan Tutte), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Giulietta (I Capuleti e i Montecchi) and Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier).
Samuel Queen read English at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he also studied singing with David Lowe. He currently studies with Robert Dean. He has performed in the chorus of Mahogany Opera, Opera Holland Park and Grange Park Opera, and with the early music vocal ensemble stile antico. Recent solo performances have included Mozart’s Vespers and Requiem, Haydn’s Nelson Mass and the title role in Mendelssohn’s St Paul. He appeared as Liberto/2nd Soldier (L’Incoronazione di Poppea) at the Longborough Festival 2008. Plans include recitals at Blenheim Palace, in London and Cambridge. This is the first time he has appeared with Hampstead Garden Opera.
Born in Casablanca, Morocco, of Italian and Polish parents, Bruno studied advertising in France before moving to London in 1991. He produced over 40 television commercials, 2 of which award winners at Cannes, before working in opera with directors such as John Cox, Robert Carsen, Silviu Purcarete, Annabel Arden, Nicholas Hytner and Francisco Negrin. He has worked at Glyndebourne, Garsington, the Barbican and the Royal Albert Hall in the UK, as well as Los Angeles Opera, Opera de Monte Carlo, Teatro Regio Parma and Oper Leipzig. He has been involved in community opera and has directed Hansel and Gretel and Le nozze di Figaro, as well as Robert Carsen’s Glyndebourne L’incoronazione di Poppea for the BBC Proms this year.
Suzy Ruffles began studying the piano at the age of 4. She undertook a postgraduate diploma in piano accompaniment at Trinity College of Music (TCM) in 2005, studying under Eugene Asti and Christine Croshaw, completing the course in July 2007. She now has a busy schedule accompanying many different and varied performers.
Suzy has recently worked as répétiteur on productions of Carmen (Meantime Opera), Les Dialogues Des Carmelites (TCM – Gregory Rose), The Rake’s Progress (TCM – Gregory Rose), Cosi Fan Tutte (Minotaur Music Theatre, Situation Opera), Eugene Onegin (HGO – Robin Newton) and Idomeneo (HGO – Katrine Reimers). Suzy hopes to continue working with HGO for a long time to come and wishes them every future success. For more information please visit www.suzyruffles.co.uk.
Oliver-John Ruthven was born in London in 1985. His musical career began as a chorister at Westminster Abbey where he sang under the direction of Martin Neary from 1992 to 1998. In 2006, he graduated with a first class honours degree in Music from the University of Manchester, and has been living and working since then as a conductor and singer in London.
Oliver-John is founder director of the Oriana Ensemble, a London based chamber orchestra set up in 2006 and comprising young professional musicians from across the UK. He is music director of Hampstead Garden Opera Company, with future productions to include L'elisir d'amore (Donizetti). Oliver-John has recently worked as cover conductor for the Royal Ballet in their production of The Dream at Covent Garden in May and June 2008, and until April, he was acting director of the Hallé Youth Choir, with whom he made his Bridgewater Hall debut. He was Music Director of a community production of Street Scene (Weill) in July 2008 at Trinity College of Music.
Born in France, Antoine Salmon read New Technologies at La Défense (Paris) and began his working life as a Multimedia Project Manager in 2001. He transferred to full-time voice training in 2004 at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under the tuition of David Pollard. He was a chorus member in The Rake’s Progress during the Aldeburgh Festival 2006 and for Opera Faber (Portugal) in 2007. Recent operatic roles include Luka (The Bear) at GSMD, Marquis and Doctor (Traviata) for Oyster Opera. In April 2008, he understudied both Luka and The Cat in Stravinsky’s Renard for Mahogany Opera. This summer he has been offered a bursary at Dartington International Summer School for the Advanced Opera Course 2008 to perform Prince Gremin (Eugene Onegin). For the academic year 2008-09 he obtained a place on the MMus in Classical Improvisation course at GSMD with David Dolan.
Hannah Sawle studied at Chethams School of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she gained a BMus(Hons) First Class in 2007. She will be returning to the GSMD in September 2008 to complete her Masters, studying with John Evans. A member of the Choir of the Academy of Ancient Music and the London Voices she is primarily a soloist, and has performed and recorded with choirs and orchestras all over the country, including the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Operatic roles include Hélène (la belle Hélène, Offenbach), Popova (The Bear, Walton ) (both GSMD), Elletra (Idomeneo, Mozart) with Hampstead Garden Opera and Second Bridesmaid (Marriage of Figaro, Mozart) with Opera East.
Danny Smyth is a Music teacher at West London Academy. He has sung as a soloist for various works including Purcell’s Come ye Sons of Art (Ambleside Choral Society), Mozart’s Coronation Mass (Leicester University Choral Society) and Haydn’s Nelson Mass (Charnwood Choral Society). Danny has appeared in Nikolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, (Mr Ford) Menotti’s The Medium (Mr. Gobineau) and Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea (Seneca) at Leeds College of Music, and Mozart’s Idomeneo (Voice of Neptune) with Hampstead Garden Opera. He has sung in the choruses of British Youth Opera and the Skipton Building Society Camerata.
Gaia was born in the London Borough of Enfield but her early years were spent in Italy. At the age of 11 she joined a choir called “Coro Polifonico Ars Nova” performing excerpts from musicals and “A Cappella” songs in various seaside resorts in Calabria (Southern Italy).
In 2003 and 2004 she joined Ardingly Summer School as a solo singer performing as the Chief Hen in excerpts from Janaceck’s The Cunning Little Vixen and as a chorus member in Britten’s Gloriana. She also sang as a chorus member for Manor Light Opera in a production of Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld in May 2005. She gained a Foundation course Certificate in Concert singing from Birkbeck College. She currently studies with Arlene Randazzo and is delighted to have joined HGO.
Anna Whyte is a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and recently completed the Advanced Postgraduate Diploma (with distinction) at Trinity College of Music, London. She studies with Alison Wells.
Although primarily a soloist, Anna is also an experienced ensemble singer and works with various groups including Cappella Nova. She has participated in masterclasses with Malcolm Martineau, Lynne Dawson and Michael Chance. Operatic roles include Mme. Lidoine (Les Dialogues des Carmélites), Amor (L’Egisto), Nannetta (Falstaff) and Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro).
Future engagements include a masterclass with Ian Partridge and a recital at the MacLaren Hall.
