Il tabarro / Gianni Schicchi

Michael Rosewell began his career at the Vienna State Opera, assisting Claudio Abbado and working closely with many of the world’s greatest singers including Pavarotti, Domingo, Gruberova, Freni and Cappuccilli. He has conducted extensively throughout Germany, notably in the opera houses of Kassel, Wiesbaden and the Mannheim, where he held the position of Kapellmeister. Michael’s first guest appearances in the UK included some world premiere performances of Stephen Oliver’s Timon of Athens for English National Opera and since then, he has conducted for ENO, Kent Opera, English Touring Opera, and at the Aldeburgh, Bath, Perth, Buxton and Montepulciano Festivals. As Associate Conductor for the London Handel Society, he has introduced many rarely performed Handel operas to the London stage. Michael is also Director of Opera at the Royal College of Music.

In concert, Michael has appeared in Germany, Austria, France, Italy and Croatia and broadcast for Radio France Musique and Süddeutsche Rundfunk. He has conducted concerts at the Mayfield Festival with the London Mozart Players and internationally renowned baritone, Sir Thomas Allen. His recording, with Grammy-award-winning tenor Alfie Boe and the Orchestra of Scottish Opera, was recently released under the Decca record label.

Michael has been noted in the press as one of this country’s leading Mozartians and is also widely acknowledged as one of the foremost interpreters of the music of Benjamin Britten. His performances of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Bellini’s Norma, Janacek’s Katya Kabanova and Jenufa for English Touring Opera have been critically acclaimed for the style and theatricality of his interpretations, and the excellence of the orchestral playing. He was appointed Music Director for ETO, in 2009.

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).

Liam works as a freelance director and choreographer and has gained an international reputation as being one of Britain’s leading Physical Theatre practitioners having directed, choreographed or performed with most of this country’s most influential companies, including Frantic Assembly, Complicité and eight years as a core member of DV8 Physical Theatre. He is Artistic Director of his own company Stan Won’t Dance, with whom he has created five pieces to date. His experience spans productions in West End Musical Theatre, International New Circus and numerous Contemporary Dance commissions. Theatre work includes productions with Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, The Royal National Theatre, Nottingham Playhouse, The Lyric Hammersmith, Birmingham Rep, Northampton Theatre Royal, The Royal Court, Manchester Royal Exchange, The RSC, and five productions at the Library Theatre, Manchester. For ETO, Liam has previously directed Country Matters and The Magic Flute.

Born
Birmingham

Training
Birmingham University
Slade UCL
National Film & Television school

Opera
Productions for Opera Holland Park, Almedia/ENO Opera Festival, Mid Wales Opera, Opera Theatre Company Dublin, Garden Opera, ETO, Pegasus Opera and Opera North

Future
A new Opera to coincide with the Beijing Olympics at Hackney Empire, a UK tour of the play The Dresser, a new play for the Drill Hall and a production of The Shape of Things in Istanbul.

Other
Neil has also worked for both set and costume departments for BBC TV.

Simon trained at the GSMD, where he was awarded the Harold Rosenthal Prize, and the NOS. Recent operatic engagements include John the Butcher/ Hugh the Drover (New Sussex Opera); Rigoletto and Giorgo Germont/ La traviata (Opera Proejct); Belcore/ L’elisir d’amore, Pasha Selim/ Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Scarpia/ Tosca, Ford/ Falstaff and Kothner/ Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (all WNO); Alfio/ Cavalleria Rusticana (Dorset Opera); Anckarström/ Un ballo in maschera (Cork Opera 2005); Duke/ Roméo et Juliette (ON). Concert performances include work with the Armonico Consort, Hallé Orchestra and Raymond Gubbay Ltd. He also sang Howard Goodall’s Eternal Light: A Requiem for Rambert Dance Company. Recording and broadcast work includes Billy Budd (Erato). Simon has previously performed Escamillo/ Carmen and Giorgio Germont/ La traviata with ETO. Future engagements include Escamillo/ Carmen (State Opera of South Australia) and Herald/ Lohengrin (Opéra de Toulon).

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.

Charne trained at RAM, where he was the recipient of the MBF Sybil Tutton Award. Operatic roles include Don Jose/ Carmen (Mananan Festival, Isle of Mann); 1st Armed Man/Priest/ The Magic Flute (GTO, GFO and ON); Pablo/ Betrothal in a Monastery (GTO); Don Jose cover/ Carmen (GTO); Prince/ Love for Three Oranges (English Pocket Opera Company); MacDuff/ Macbeth (Warwick Arts); Rodolfo/ La Boheme (Dartington); Lensky/ Eugene Onegin (St. John’s Smith Square). Charne made his cinematic debut as Priest/Officer in The Magic Flute directed by Kenneth Branagh and conducted by James Conlon, premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Recently, he sang Eisenstein/ Die Fledermaus for London Lyric Opera at the Cadogan Hall with the RPO and Cavaradossi/ Tosca at Neuminster Abbey, Luxembourg with Opera a la Carte. Future projects include Cavardossi/ Tosca for Queens College, Cambridge and Bermuda Festival, Max/ Der Freishutz in Cambridge and Duke/ Rigoletto in Luxembourg.

Andrew was born in New Zealand and graduated the Australian Opera Studio with Honours and the Dux award for excellence.

Recent appearances have included Tinca, Il tabarro, Gherardo, Gianni Schicchi and cover Bunce, Fantastic Mr Fox (all ETO); Bardolfo, Falstaff, Abdallo, Nabucco (both IFAC Tokyo); Tito, La clemenza di Tito, Msr Triquet, Eugene Onegin (both New Zealand Opera); Remendado, Carmen, Un Voce, La Gioconda (both Opera Holland Park); Don Basilio, Le nozze di Figaro (Vignette Productions).

He has appeared in numerous concerts and recitals with ensembles including the Tokyo New Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra, the Perth Orchestra, the Australian Opera Studio, the NBR NZ Opera Company.

Future engagements include Vašek, The Bartered Bride.

Clarissa studiesd at GSMD. Opera engagements include 2nd Lady/ Magic Flute, 2nd Esquire, Heavenly Voice/ Parsifal (both ROH); Katerina Shratt/ Mayerling (Royal Ballet, Covent Garden); Virtu, Pallade/ Coronation of Poppea (NO, New York); Sorceress/ Dido and Aeneas; Les Noces, 2nd Maid/ Elektra (both for ON); title role/ Iolanthe (including BBC broadcast), Annie Fisher/ Friend of the People (both for SO); Madame Larina/ Onegin, Fear and Model/ 2nd Mrs Kong, Mother/ Misper (all for Glyndebourne). Concert work includes Les Nuits d’Ete with Flanders Symphony Orchestra, touring Belgium; Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Bamberger Symphoniker under Walter Weller; Elijah with RSNO; Sea Pictures in Birmingham Symphony Hall; Messiah in Hanover; concert performance and recording of Boris Godunov for Brighton Festival.

Canadian tenor Adam Tunnicliffe studied at Christ Church, Oxford and at GSMD, and studies singing with David Jones and Cathy Pope. Recent roles include Alfredo/ La Traviata (Garden Opera); Quint/ Turn of the Screw (Oxford Opera Company). Adam performed in the first ever operatic performance at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, playing the Minister of the Admiralty in the world premiere of The Burial at Thebes by Dominique Le Gendre. Other roles include Fracasso/ La Finta Semplice (New Chamber Opera); Froh/ Das Rheinegold; Albert/ Albert Herring; Don Pelagio/ La Canterina. Previous appearances for ETO include Don Basilio/ The Marriage of Figaro; Oberon in Kate Pearson’s children’s opera, The Starry Welkin; Masquerader/ The Duenna; Captain/ Promised End (world premiere).

Greg studied at Exeter University and the RAM where he performed the roles of Essex/Gloriana, Wilhiem/Mignon and Lenski/Eugene Onegin. His other roles include Acis/Acis and Galatea (Canterbury); Rinuccio/Gianni Schicchi (City Opera, London). In 2007 he gave the premiere performance of Rodney-Bennett’s Lost Songs (London Guitar Festival). Concert performances include Bach’s St Matthew and St John Passions; Stainer’s Crucifixion; Puccini’s Messa di Gloria.

Richard Mosley-Evans was born in Cardiff and trained at the Welsh College of Music and Drama. Awards include Silver Medal from the Worshipful Company of Musicians, the Sybil Tutton Opera Scholarship and twice winner of the Sir Geraint Evans Scholarship. Operatic roles include cover Gepetto/ The Adventure of Pinocchio (ON); Bosun/ Billy Budd, Doctor, Servant and Herald/ Macbeth, cover Father/ Hänsel und Gretel, Steuermann/ Tristan und Isolde (all for GFO); The Mayor/ Jenůfa (GTO); Le Dancaire/ Carmen, cover Don Alfonso/ Cosi fan tutte (both GFO and GTO); Sacristan/ Tosca (Raymond Gubbay at RAH). Recordings include DVD releases of Billy Budd, Tristan und Isolde, Gianni Schicchi for GFO, various TV/Radio broadcasts from Glyndebourne and at the Proms (RAH).

Paula received the Tagor Gold Medal from the RCM and the Karaviotis Prize at the Les Azuriales International Competition. At RCM, she was a finalist for the Young Concert Artists Trust and received the Coutts & Co. Award along with the Sir Thomas Allen Scholarship supported by a Clayton Award. Operatic roles include Norina/ Don Pasquale, Gilda/ Rigoletto (Preggio Opera Festival, Italy); Atalanta/ Atalanta (Handel Society); Bastienne/ Bastien und Bastienne (Skipton Camerata); Mimi/ La bohème, Inez/ Il trovatore (both Opus I Opera); Grasshopper/ The Cunning Little Vixen (RCM). Covers include Governess/ Turn of the Screw (Opera North). Concert engagements include Mozart Unwrapped (King’s Place with Roger Vignoles November 2011), City of Dreams (Philharmonia Orchestra concert series 2009); City Music Society series (Eric Falk Trust Award). Paula has also recorded a Peroni advert soundtrack. Previously for ETO, Paula has performed the roles of Pamina/ The Magic Flute, Clizia/ Teseo, Emilia/ Flavio, Susanna/ Figaro.

Jacqueline, born in London, was awarded an Entrance Scholarship to GSMD where she won prizes in the Liza Lehmann and Schubert competitions. She also received a bursary to study French song at Aldeburg with Suzanne Danco and Hugue Cuenod. Operatic roles include Mimi/ La bohème; Micaëla/ Carmen; title role/ Madame Butterfly; Nedda/ Pagliacci; Gretel/ Hänsel und Gretel. She created the role of L’Apparizione in Federico Bonetti Amedola’s opera Pergolesi: L’Apparizione e Mito (Jesi Festival, Italy) and her appearances with ENO have included New Ofglen/ The Handmaid’s Tale and Adjutant de Murat/ War & Peace. She has a wide concert and oratorio repertoire and has broadcast live on BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night. Jacqueline previously sung Goneril with ETO in the world premiere of Alexander Goehr’s Promised End.

Aidan studied at GSMD and RAM. He has worked for The Royal Opera, SO, Saltzburg Festival, Bregenez Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, Garsington Opera, OHP, Longborough Festival Opera and Opera Project. He has recorded Tosca for ORF (featured in the James Bond film A Quantum of Solace); Acis and Galatea and Dido and Anaeas for BBC; Opus Arte and The Beggar’s Opera for Chandos. Future engagements include Jevons/ Ludd and Isis (Royal Opera); Van Bette/ Zar und Zimmerman (Opera South).

Sheffield born, Nicholas Merryweather studied modern languages at University College, London, before training at the Musikhochschule, Köln and on the opera course at GSMD. He was the winner of the Glyndebourne Wessex Award in 2008 and a semi-finalist in the Kathleen Ferrier Award in 2009. Nicholas’s operatic roles include Don Giovanni/ Don Giovanni and Figaro/ Le Nozze di Figaro (Longborough Festival Opera); cover Morales/ Carmen (GOT); Papageno/ The Magic Flute (BYO); Starveling/ A Midsummer Night’s Dream (ETO). Recent concert engagements include Schubert Schwanengesang (Oxford Lieder Festival) and Carmina Burana (Plymouth Philharmonic Choir). He was the soloist on the World Premiere recording of Karl Jenkins’s Armed Man Mass for Peace.

Born in London, Maciek studied History at UCL and went on to study voice at Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he was the winner of the English Song Competition in 2006.

Operatic engagements include cover Masetto, Don Giovanni, Mars, Orpheus in the Underworld (both Opera Holland Park); cover Death, Savitri (Buxton Festival Opera). Oratorio engagements include Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem, J.S. Bach B minor Mass and Mendelssohn Elijah. Recitals include Before and After Summer (highlights) for the Third English Song Weekend in Ludlow; Schumann Myrten and Brahms Die Schöne Magelone both for the Oxford Lieder Festival.

Previous roles with ETO include Physician and cover Betto, Gianni Schicchi, Bean and cover Fox, Fantastic Mr Fox, cover and played Theseus, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, cover and played First Priest and Second Armed Man, The Magic Flute, Gamekeeper, Rusalka.

Stuart Haycock is a graduate of RAM and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Recent engagements include Bardolph/ Falstaff (Mid Wales Opera); Don Curzio/ Le Nozze di Figaro (Garsington Opera); Borsa/ Rigoletto (Iford Arts Festival); the Witch/ Hansel and Gretel (Royal Academy Opera); Ferrando/ Cosi fan tutte (English Chamber Opera); cover Tom Rakewell/ The Rake’s Progress (BYO). Stuart has been an ensemble member with West Australian Opera and a full-time chorister with Opera Australia. He is a recent graduate of the Solti Accademia di Bel Canto in Italy. DVD recordings include Ben Folds Live with West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

With considerable experience as an amateur singer, Philip Spendley gave up his job as a bank manager to study music full-time. Studying with professor Robert Dean, Philip received his music degree from GSMD, where he won the 2005 English Song competition and was awarded the Wyburd award for German Lieder and the 2006 Patrick Libby drama prize. Roles include Michele/ Il Tabarro, The Earl of Dunmow/ A Dinner Engagement, Figaro/ Le Nozze di Figaro, Olivier/ Capriccio (all GSMD); title role/ Eugene Onegin, Schaunard/ La Boheme (BYO, 2006 Tour of Italy and France). He has worked with such conductors as Sir David Willcocks and Sir Simon Rattle, and his performances have taken him to Paris, Turin, Madrid and Budapest. Future plans include the role of the Sacristan/ Tosca (Grange Park Opera).