La tragédie de Carmen

Conductor
Gareth was born in Worcester and studied at the Royal Academy of Music and Clare College, Cambridge. Opera conducting includes: Rape of Lucretia (RAM); The Marriage of Figaro (Savoy Opera); The Barber of Seville (Savoy Opera); Rigoletto, Eugene Onegin, Seraglio, Spirit of Vienna (ETO); Madama Butterfly (ON); Misper (Glyndebourne Education) and, as Musical Director, Serenade To Music (St John’s, Smith Square). Recording work includes Kenneth Branagh’s film of The Magic Flute and Alfie Boe (Sony BMG/Classic FM) and Puccini Highlights (Chandos).

Director
Andrew trained as an actor at Central School of Speech and Drama. In 2002 he assisted Nicholas Wright in the adaptation of His Dark Materials at the National and David Lan at the Young Vic on The Skin of Our Teeth. In 2003 Andrew established The Motion Group, a theatre company dedicated to the producing and staging of ambitious productions. He has produced and directed Over Gardens Out (Southwark Playhouse) and The Soldier’s Tale (Old Vic). In 2005 and 2006 as well as working dramaturgically on the new Iraqi play Baghdad Wedding by Hassan Abdulrazzak Andrew has assisted the German director Alfred Kirchner on Mahagonny by Kurt Weil and Das Wunderteatre by Hans Werner Henze at the international festival in Montepulciano, Tuscany; directed Reel to Reel (Theatre 503) and a staged reading of Lorca in a Green Dress (Arcola Viva Lorca Season). In 2007 Andrew directed La Tragedy de Carmen (Wexford Festival Opera) and The Lighthouse in Montepulciano, Italy. He is currently adapting and developing a stage production of the 1973 film, The Wicker Man.

Adam Mackenzie studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (GSMD) with Robin O’Neill and Meyrick Alexander and also at the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala, Milan. Whilst at GSMD he became the first bassoonist to reach the final of the prestigious Gold Medal competition and was awarded the runner up prize. Adam also won the Principal’s Prize for the highest mark in a final recital and was awarded a first in his undergraduate degree. During his Postgraduate year at GSMD he won the Friends of the Philharmonia Woodwind Prize through the Martin Music Scholarship Scheme and performed a bassoon and strings recital with the Soloists of the Philharmonia Orchestra. As a member of the Bozza Trio, Adam also won the Martin Music Scholarship Access and Outreach Award for community education and now regularly works as a workshop leader with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia and most of the other major London orchestras. Other awards include the NYOS Staffa Prize, GSMD Woodwind Prize and the Park Lane Group. Recently, Adam has recorded two solo CDs for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, given a solo performance on Radio 3, and played a role in the Soldiers Tale play at the Old Vic. He is a freelance musician and regularly works with the Philharmonia and many of the other London orchestras. Adam is currently Director of Education at English Sinfonia.

Andrew conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in June 2008 in a public masterclass with Valery Gergiev. As a Scholar at the RCM Music in London, he prepared the RCM orchestras for conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Sir Roger Norrington, Marin Alsop and Andrew Litton. He conducted the St Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra whilst studying with Alexander Polianichko in Russia. Andrew was an Assistant Conductor for all operas of the Grange Park Opera 2008 season. He has performed as concerto soloist on both the trombone and the piano. As a trombonist, he has freelanced with orchestras such as the BBC Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Philharmonia, Hallé, London Sinfonietta and Opera North. Andrew has pesented The Early Music Show on BBC Radio 3. He is the Principal Conductor of the Orpheus Sinfonia and the Assistant Conductor of the Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra. Future plans include working at the Royal Ballet as Cover Conductor for Barry Wordsworth.

Born in London, Maciek studied History at UCL and went on to study voice at GSMD, where he was the winner of the 2006 English Song Competition. Operatic engagements include Gamekeeper/Rusalka (ETO); covering Death/Savitri (Buxton Festival Opera); Daedalus/Voithia (ETO); Pinellino/Gianni Schicchi (GSMD); Fiorello/Il barbiere di Siviglia (Hand Made Opera); Adonis/Venus and Adonis (New Chamber Opera); Roger/Ciboulette (University College Opera). Concert work includes Ein deutschs Requiem with members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra; Bass soloist and Pilate in the St. John Passion at St. James’ Piccadilly; B Minor Mass with the London Mozart Players at St. John’s Smith Square.  Recital performances include songs from Finzi Before and After Summer for the Third English Song Weekend in Ludlow and Beethoven An die ferne Geliebte (Burford).

Tenor

David studied at the Royal RAM and the NOS. Some of his recent operatic appearances include creating the role of Stathis Borans in the world premier of Howard Shores opera TheFly directed by David Cronenberg and conducted by Placido Domingo for Theatre du Chatelet, Paris. Tony in the 50th Aniversary Producion of West Side Story also at Theatre du Chatelet. Fiesque in the British premier of Lalo’s Fiesque for UCL in the Bloomsbury. Marco in The Gondoliers for ENO . Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance for Carl Rosa in the West End. Hoffman in a Film version of Tales of Hoffman at the Arcola Theatres Grimeborn Festival. Concerts include BBC Last Night of the Proms and a Rosenblatt Recital at St John’s Smith Square. Future Plans include returing to Le Chatelet in Paris to sing Arindal in Wagner’s Die Feen and Frederick in Sondheims A Little Night Music. David created the part of Jose in the production of La Tragedie de Carmen at the Wexford Festival in 2007.