Ariodante

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 London
Training Oxford University, LAMDA
Theatre Directing credits include The Cure at Troy (BAC and Tour), Wild Raspberries (Citizens Theatre, Glasgow), Iphigenia at Aulis (Playhouse), The Monument (Finborough Theatre), Wolf Game (Union Theatre), The Baltimore Waltz (The Gatehouse), Foreground/Background (Young Vic Studio, On War Programme) and readings at Old Vic New Voices. Resident Director for The Donkey Show (West End, site specific).
Opera Staff Director Ariodante and The Turn of the Screw (ETO), Revival Director Turn of the Screw (OTC)
Other Helen is co-artistic director of award-winning new writing company, Floodtide

Jonathan is from Liverpool and studied at Exeter University and GSMD. Roles include Tolomeo/ Tolomeo (ETO), Bertarido/ Rodelinda (GFO); Amadigi/ Amadigi (Ireland, Paris, NYork); Nireno/ Giulio Cesare (ROH); Les Oiseax de passage (Teatro communale, Bologna); Trinculo/ The Tempest (Strasbourg); Orfeo/ L’Orfeo (Osaka). In concert Jonathan has performed with AAM, OAE, RLPO, RSNO, EBS, Gabrieli Consort, Ulster Orchestra under such conductors as Gardiner, Hickox, Parry, Fischer, Glover, Parrott, Mortensen, Bolton, Bicket. Recordings include Mattheus-Passion (Miller/ Goodwin); Agrippina, (Gardiner); Buxtehude Cantatas (Immerseel); La conversione di Clodoveo (Gester); Israel in Babylon (Fontaine).
Jonathan is baroque specialist at BBIOS. Conducting appearances include Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater for artist Dorothy Cross/ OTC Dublin; Teseo (ETO). Plans include Orfeo (Akademie fur Alte Musik im Saarland) and Flavio (Lucca).

Born in Lancashire, Claire studied at the RNCM and NOS. In 2005, she received the prestigious John Christie Award from Glyndebourne Opera for the most promising young singer. Other awards include a Peter Moores Foundation Major Scholarship and scholarships from ENO, the Sybil Tutton Charitable Trust and the Countess of Munster Trust. Opera engagements include Emmie/ Albert Herring (GFO and GTO); Blonde/ Entführung (Frankfurt Opera), Nannetta/ Falstaff (WNO and GPO), Barbarina/ Le nozze di Figaro (ENO and GFO). Recently her roles include Despina/ Cosi fan tutte (Ivan Fischer in Budapest and Spain); Marzelline/ Fidelio (Garsington Opera). Future plans include Blonde/ Entführung (WNO); Tytania/ A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Susanna/ Le nozze diFigaro (ETO).

Andrew studied at Royal Northern College of Music and St Petersburg Conservatoire. He has performed more than 60 opera roles including Lotario, Ariodate, Falstaff, Bottom, Bartolo, Blitch, Alfonso, Donald and Araspe (All ETO); Ben Selim (Royal Opera House), Nachtigal (Grange Park Opera), Golaud (Glyndebourne Touring Opera), Faninal (Scottish Opera), Basilio (Welsh National Opera), Sacristan (Opera North), Colline (English National Opera) etc.

Recordings include Nyman, Love Counts and Mozart 252 (MNR); Michael Berkeley, Jane Eyre (Chandos); Stravinsky, The Flood (Twentieth Century Classics).

Born
Sutton Coldfield

Education
Christ Church, Oxford University

Opera
Tolomeo (London Handel Festival); Orfeo, Semele (both ENO); Giulio Cesare (GFO); Rodelinda (OTC)

Concerts
Purcell King Arthur (Britten Pears Orchestra); Almeida La Guiditta (Remix Baroqua Orquestra/Casa da Musica); Corelli, Torelli, Handel, Bach (The English Concert, Malaga)

Recordings
Handel Arias with Angelika Kirschlager (Sony BMG); Handel Gloria with Emma Kirkby and RAM (BIS)

Other
Laurence is Music Director of the London Handel Festival and the Head of Historical Performance at the RAM.

Ashley Catling trained at GSMD and NOS, and has won the Friends of Covent Garden Award. Opera credits include Giannetto/ La Gazza Ladra, Apollo/ Orfeo_‚ Kudrjáŝ/ _Kat’á Kabanová, St Brioche/ The Merry Widow and Fenton/ Falstaff (ON); Andres/ Wozzeck (WNO); John Millar Jnr/ Friend of the People (Scottish Opera); 1st Armed Man, 2nd Priest/ Die Zauberflöte (GTO); Lurcanio/ Ariodante (ETO); Alfred/ Die Fledermaus (Lyric Opera); Don Ottavio/ Don Giovanni (Opera Zuid); Nanki-Poo/ Mikado (Nationale Reisopera); Nadir/ Der Stein der Weisen, Ferrando/ Cosi fan tutte (Garsington Opera); Gawain/ Gawain and the Green Knight (Music Theatre Wales). Concert appearances include Rossini Adelaide di Borgogna (Usher Hall); Handel Samson (St George’s Hanover Square); Handel Judas Maccabeus (Queen Elizabeth Hall). Ashley is featured on recordings for Hyperion, Chandos and Opera Rara.