Anna Bolena

James is General Director of ETO and has written original libretti for two operas and translations for three others, as well as several works of fiction.

James has directed a range of operas for ETO – including, most recently, the critically-acclaimed Il tabarro (Puccini) and Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito. In 2010, he directed the world premiere of Alexander Goehr’s opera, Promised End. His production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (performed by ETO in 2004 and revived in 2010) was nominated for an RPS Award.

Other operatic work includes Katya Kabanova, Rusalka, Susannah, Eugene Onegin, Orfeo, Jenufa, Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda, as well as Teseo and Alcina (ETO); Ariodante, Erismena, Flavio, The Cunning Little Vixen (ETO and OTC); The Marriage of Figaro (RCM and ETO); Tolomeo (London Handel Festival/ ETO); Tamerlano, Amadigi, Rodelinda, L’elisir d’amore, Katya Kabanova and The Rake’s Progress (OTC); Cinderella (De Vlaamse Opera/ Transparant); Don Giovanni (Canadian Opera Company); La Voix humaine (Teatro Nacional São João, Oporto); staging of Kurt Weill songs (Culturgest, Lisbon); La Spinalba (Casa da Musica, Porto), The Cunning Little Vixen (Moravian National Theatre, Brno).

Born
UK

Training
Wimbledon School of Art

Opera:
Saul and Hansel & Gretel (Opera North), The Shops (Bregentz Festival) Girl of Sand (Almeida Opera) A Better Place (ENO) Mary Stuart nominated for best opera production Southbank show awards and Cosi Fan Tutte (ETO) Marriage of Figaro (Opera Ireland Touring Nominated for Best Costume Design by Irish Times)

Theatre:
The Lover & The Collection (Comedy Theatre) Last Easter (Birmingham
Rep) Angels in America (Lyric Hammersmith) The Caretaker
(Sheffield/Tricycle The Evening Standard nomination for Best Set Design)
Brief History of Helen of Troy (ATC/Soho Theatre TMA nomination for Best
Touring Production) HAIR (Gate Theatre Time Out nomination for Best
Musical) Shadow of a Boy (National Theatre) Country Music (Royal Court)
Our Friends in the North (Northern Stage) When the World was Green (Young
Vic) Lovers & War (Strindberg’s Intima Theatre, Stockholm) Animal (Soho
Theatre).

Opera and theatre work: Choreographer: The Cunning Little Vixen (ETO, OTC); Sweeney Todd (RAM); Who Killed Mr Drum (Treatment Theatre), Jenufa, Eugene Onegin, Susannah and Don Giovanni ( ETO); Casanova (Told by an Idiot); Tartuffe and The Hypochondric (Liverpool Playhouse) Director: Hänsel und Gretel (Stowe Opera); Jephtha (ETO). Le nozze di Figaro and Eugene Onegin (Iford Arts)
Bernadette’s career as a dancer and performer includes working for Tanztheater Wuppertal, ARC Dance Company, Siobhan Davies, Aletta Collins, London Contemporary Dance Theatre, Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre, Corp Feasa and many leading choreographers and directors in dance, opera and theatre.

Born
Ontario Canada

Training
Queen’s University (Ontario)

Opera
Marsinah, Kismet (Arcola Theatre); Barbarina Le Nozze di Figaro (Opera á la Carte); Lisi (role)/Franzi (cover) The Spirit of Vienna (ETO); Cobweb A Midsummer Night’s Dream (ETO); Ensemble/Dance Captain Iolanthe (D’Oyly Carte); Frasquita Carmen (Kingston Symphony)

Concerts
Haydn The Creation, Mozart C minor Mass (Canterbury Cathedral); From Lamplight to Limelight (Canterbury Festival); Mozart Requiem (Whitstable Choral)

Recordings and Film
Noise Ensemble – Original Soundtrack; Reporter Exodus Channel 4 / Art Angel

Julie Unwin studied at GSMD and NOS, and currently studies with Jacqueline Bremar. Operatic roles include Elsa/ Lohengrin (Wagner Society); Cio Cio-san/ Madama Butterfly (OHP); Countess/ The Marriage of Figaro (GTO, OHP); Donna Anna/ Don Giovanni (GTO); Mimì/ La bohème (Opera Zuid); Cleone Ermione (GFO); Micäela/ Carmen (RAH, WNO); Pamina/ The Magic Flute (ENO); Nancy/ Silas Marner (City of Birmingham Touring Opera); Tatyana/ Eugene Onegin (OHP). Awards include John Christie Award and Esso Singer’s Prize (Glyndebourne), International Singer of the Year at the Llangollen International Eistedfodd and Harold Rosenthal Opera Award. Previous concert appearances include Berlioz L’Enfance du Christ (Helsinki Philharmonic), Beethoven Symphony no. 9 (Helsinki Philharmonic) and Mahler Symphony no. 2 (Kaplan and London Philharmonic). Julie has previously performed with ETO as title role/ Anna Bolena; Alice Ford/ Falstaff; title role/ Tosca; Countess/ The Marriage of Figaro.

Born
Lancashire

Training
RNCM

Awards
Anne Ziegler; ESSO Award

Opera
Don Giovanni Don Giovanni (Cork Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera); Belcore The Magic Flute, Belcore The Elixir of Love (ON); Kramer Tangier Tattoo (Glyndebourne On Tour); Pish-Tush The Mikado (La Fenice)

Concerts
Handel Messiah (Guildford Philharmonic); Orff Carmina Burana (Symphony Hall, Birmingham); Rachel Portman The Water Diviner’s Tale (BBC Proms)

Recordings
Puccini La Rondine (EMI); Verdi Il Trovatore (EMI)

Radio
The Proms; Friday Night is Music Night (BBC)

A graduate of the National Opera Studio in London, Julia began her studies at RAM. Awards include 1st Prize in the 2007 Mozart Singing Competition. Her operatic roles include Nancy/ Albert Herring, Cherubino/ Le Nozze di Figaro, 2nd Lady/ The Magic Flute (all for GTO), staged excerpts from Jonathan Dove’s mezzo song cycle All you who sleep tonight (Glyndebourne Festival 2006), Flora/ La Traviata (OHP), Nancy/ Albert Herring (Rouen, Opéra Comique de Paris). Recent engagements include Zulma/ L’Italiana in Algeri (SO), her debut at the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse singing 2nd lady in The Magic Flute and a CD recording of songs by Brahms and Clara Schumann. Julia has previously sung Giovanna Seymour/ Anna Bolena and Donna Elvira/ Don Giovanni for ETO.

Born
Brazil

Training
Cardiff International Academy of Voice; GSMD; University of Rio de Janeiro

Opera
Tamino Zauberflöte (Teatro Amazonas/TMRJ); Don Otavio Don Giovanni (Teatro Amazonas); Le Comte Ory Le comte Ory (Nantes/Angers); Giannetto La Gazza ladra (Massy); Don Ramiro La Cenerentola (Belgrade National Theatre); Il conte d’Almaviva Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Teatro Amazonas) Nemorino L’Elisir d’Amore (TMRJ); Fenton Faltaff (Palácio das Artes/GSMD); Fadinard Il Cappelo di Paglia di Firenze (TMSP); Orfeo Orfeo (TMRJ/TMSP); Tebaldo I Capuleti ei Montecchi (TMRJ); Rinuccio Gianni Schicchi (GSMD) Nadir Les Pecheurs des Perles (TMRJ)

Concerts
Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (Teatro Amazonas); Britten Les illuminations (Teatro Amazonas); Rossini Stabat Mater (Ravenna); Mozart Requiem (TMRJ) Carl Orff Carmina Burana (TMRJ) Bach Magnificat (Sala Cecilia Meirelles)

Recordings
Gianni Schicchi (Radio Cultura SP); Stabat Mater (RAI 3) Il cappello di paglia di Firenze (Radio cultura SP)

Born
London

Training
RCM; BBIOS; Guildhall

Awards
Rosemary Bugden Junior Fellowship (RCM); Veronica Mansfield Scholarship (RCM)

Opera
Hansel Hansel & Gretel (OTC); Rosina Barber of Seville (Grange Park, Pimlico Opera); Nancy T’Ang Nixon in China (ENO); Hermia Midsummer Night’s Dream (ETO); Second Lady The Magic Flute (ON); Tisbe La Cenerentola (WNO)

Concerts
Wagner Wesendock Lieder (Metropolitan Orchestra of Lisbon); Handel Messiah (Huddersfleild Choral); Remembrance Day Concert (St David’s Hall, Cardiff)

Recordings
Earth Story – Soundtrack (BBC)