Norma

Alwyn studied at RNCM.  Operatic roles include Fiordiligi/Così fan tutte, Donna Elvira/Don Giovanni, Liù/Turandot and Senta/Der fliegende Holländer (WNO); La Wally, Santuzza/Cavalleria Rusticana and Elettra/Idomeneo(Chelsea Opera Group); Mimì/La bohème and Agathe/Der Freischütz (ENO); Donna Elvira/Don Giovanni (GTO) Marenka/The Bartered Bride, Chrysothemis/Elektra and Tatyana/Eugene Onegin (ON); Gerhilde/Die Walküre (Edinburgh Festival), Euridice/Orfeo ed Euridice (Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria); Hanna Glawari/The Merry Widow, Ariadne/Ariadne auf Naxos (Opera Ireland); Donna Elvira/Don Giovanni and Chrysothemis/Elektra (Canadian Opera Company); Countess Almaviva/Le nozze di Figaro, Fiordiligi/Così fan tutte and Alice Ford/Falstaff (Santa Fe Opera).  Concert appearances include performances with the BBC Orchestras, the CBSO, the Hallé, the LPO and the RLPO, as well as  with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, the Orchestre National de Lyon, the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, the Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy, the Orquesta Simfonica de Barcelona, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia. Future includes title role in Tosca (WNO).

Robert studied at the University of Sheffield and GSMD. He received the 2003 Erich Vietheer Memorial Award at Glyndebourne and appeared as Mr. Gedge/Albert Herring, Marcello/La Boheme, Count Almaviva/Le Nozze di Figaro and Doctor Falke/Die Fledermaus on the Festival Tour. Other notable roles at Glyndebourne include Curo/Julio Cesare, Indian/The Bartered Bride, Guccio/Gianni Schicchi, Shepherd/Pelleas et Melisande and Guide/Carmen. He was Greek Captain in the Gramophone Award-winning production of Les Troyens at (Châtelet Theatre). Other roles include Lalo’s premiere of Verrina/Fiesque (UCL); Belcore/L’Elisir d’Amore and Sharpless/Madame Butterfly (Opera Box); Dancaïre/Carmen and Jailer/Tosca (Diva Opera). Concert performances include Monteverdi Vespers (St. Mark’s, Venice), Handel Messiah (St. David’s Hall, Cardiff), Elgar The Kingdom and Caractacus, Mendelssohn Elijah and Orff Carmina Burana.

Richard studied at the University of Kansas. Operatic engagements include Matteo/Arabella (Opera Australia); Truffaldino/The Love of Three Oranges and Witch/Hansel and Gretel (Staatstheatre Kassell); Rinuccio/Gianni Schicchi, Platon Karataeyev/War and Peace and Goro/Madame Butterfly (ENO); Pinkerton/Madame Butterfly (OHP). Concert appearances include Salome (LSO at the Barbican); Beethoven Choral Symphony (Brighton Dome); Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (Stadhalle Kassel); Mozart Requiem (RFH); Steuermann/Flying Dutchman (RPO at the Barbican). He recorded the role of Bardolf in Falstaff for Chandos Records and is the voice of the Cockerel on the BBC Films animated version of Janacek’s Cunning Little Vixen. He has recently performed Prince/Rusalka, Rudolfo/La Boheme and Steva/Jenufa with the ETO.

Patricia trained at RCM and the National Opera Studio.  She was the 2006 winner of the Alfred Alexander Prize, finalist in the 2006 Royal Overseas League Competition and a 2008 finalist in the Bruce Millar Competition.  She has received an Independent Opera Voice Fellowship, a Donald Dewar Arts Award, a Madeline Finden Award and Sir Richard Stapley Award. Operatic roles include Laura/Iolanta (OHP); Enfant/L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, Bianca/The Rape of Lucretia, Prince Orlovsky/Die Fledermaus (RCM); Tolomeo/Tolomeo (London Handel Society); Yolande/The Sofa (Independent Opera), in addition to covering Conception/L’Heure Espagnole (RCM); Flora/La Traviata and Tisbe/Cenerentola (SO); Rosina/Il Barbiere di Siviglia (ENO) and Julia/The Departed (Independent Opera). In concert, Patricia has worked with the London Mozart Players, the English Chamber Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Edinburgh Quartet. She has recently performed the Sorceress/Dido and Aeneas and Orimeno/Erismene with ETO. Future plans include Varvara/Katya Kabanova (OHP).

From Moville, Co Donegal, Niamh graduated from the RNCM in 2006 with a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance with Distinction, and currently studies with Anne Mason. Niamh’s operatic performances include Smeton/Anna Bolena, Mrs Ott /Susannah (ETO); Olga/Eugene Onegin (ETO and BYO); Cherubino/Le Nozze di Figaro, Mercedes/Carmen (Opera Brava); Eurynome/Penelope (WFO); La Maestra della Novizie/Suor Angelica, Rosina Il barbiere di Siviglia; Mistress Quickly/Falstaff’ (RNCM) ; and ensemble member in Macbeth, L’elisir d’amore, Carmen and Die Zauberflote (GTO). Concert experience includes Lieder Recitals with ETO under the direction of Richard Jackson and Mezzo soloist in Stephan McNeff’s Names of the Dead, in association with Opera North. As an oratorio soloist Niamh has performed works including Beethoven’s 9th Symphony; Handel’s Messiah and Alexander’s Feast; Mendelssohn’s Elijah; Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Mozart Requiem.

Helen received her postgraduate degree from Trinity College of Music with support from Malpas and Palamkote, Joan Greenfield Trust Award, Lloyd Scholarship. She studies with Anne Mason and was a finalist in the 2008 Wagner Society Bayreuth Bursary Competition. Opera roles include Bianca/Lucretia and Marcellina/Marriage of Figaro (Opera East); Jezibaba/Rusalka (Iford Arts); Mrs. Goodbody/Parson’s Pirates (Opera Della Luna); Marguerite/Faust (Pigotts). Helen covered Hatred/Armide and Boulotte/Bluebeard (Buxton) and recently sang with ENO chorus in Boris Godunov, Cav&Pag and Aida. Helen has previously performed with ETO as Kolusina/Jenufa, Filipyevna/Eugene Onegin, soloist in Spring 2008 Lieder Recitals, Cover Buryja/Jenufa, Cover Larina/Eugene Onegin and Cover Jane Seymore/Anna Bolena.

Charne trained at the Royal Academy of Music, where he was the recipient of the Sybil Tutton Award. Operatic engagements include Don Jose/Carmen (Mananan Festival, Isle of Mann); Armed Man/Priest/The Magic Flute (Glyndebourne Touring Opera and ON); Prince/Love for Three Oranges (English Pocket Opera Company); Macduff/Macbeth (Warwick Arts); Tamino/The Magic Flute (Clonter Opera); Apprentice/Die Meistersinger (ROH); Lensky/Eugene Onegin (St. John Smith Square); Rodolfo/La Boheme (Dartington). Additionally, Charne performed Priest/Officer in a film production of The Magic Flute directed by Kenneth Branagh.

A graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music, Yvonne’s early operatic roles include the title role La Cenerentola (ETO); Marcellina/The Marriage of Figaro (Glyndebourne); Fricka/Waltraute/Ring Saga (CBTO). Other operatic roles include Ludmilla/The Barted Bride, Mercedes/Carmen, Karolka/Jenufa‚ 2nd/3rd Lady/Die Zauberflöte, Suzuki/Madama Butterfly and title role Fidelio (ROH); Maddalena/Rigoletto‚ Eboli/Don Carlos‚ Evadne/Troilus and Cressida, Hippolyta/A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Verdi’s Lady Macbeth/Macbeth (ON); Eduige/Rodelinda (OTC); Marcellina/The Marriage of Figaro, Meg Page/Falstaff, 3rd Lady/The Magic Flute (ENO); title role Fidelio and Laura/La Gioconda (OHP). Yvonne also played Marilyn Klinghoffer in the film The Death of Klinghoffer. Recital and oratorio work includes Strauss Four Last Songs, Elgar Sea Pictures and Dream of Gerontius as well as song cycles of Mahler, Wagner and Berlioz.

Operatic engagements include Nadir/The Pearl Fishers (Sydney Opera House); Arnold/William Tell (ROH); Tamino/The Magic Flute (Vienna State Opera); Count Ory/Count Ory (La Scala); Faust/Faust (ROH); Don José/Carmen (WNO); Florestan/Lenore (Chelsea Opera Group); Loge/Das Rheingold (Latvian National Opera and Norway’s Bergen Festival); Duke/Rigoletto (Florida Grand Opera); Don Ottavio/Don Giovanni (Teatro La Fenice); Belmonte/Il Seraglio (Vienna and Berlin State Operas); Ferrando/Cosi fan tutte (Teatro la Fenice); Almaviva/The Barber of Seville (Pittsburgh Opera House and ROH); Faust/Damnation de Faust (Helsinki, Paris, Bordeaux). Having worked with conductors such as Solti, Haitink, Giulini, Runnicles, Hickox, Dutoit, Sinopoli, Elder and Abbado, Mr. Lavender is well-known on the concert platform, especially for performances of Edgar Gerontius, Verdi Requiem, Mahler 8th Symphony and Schmidt Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln. He has made many commercial recordings and is a Professor of Vocal Studies at the Royal College of Music.

Michael performs a wide and varied operatic repertoire, working at the ROH, Covent Garden, ENO and ETO with regular appearances at festivals including Aldeburgh, Buxton and Montepulciano. As a member of the music staff of the Wiener Staatsoper, he assisted Claudio Abbado and worked closely with many of the world’s leading singers. He has conducted extensively throughout Germany notably Kassel, Wiesbaden and Mannheim, holding the position of resident staff conductor and as Associate Conductor for the London Handel Society, he has introduced many rarely performed Handel operas to the London stage. His recording with tenor Alfie Boe and the Orchestra of SO will be released this autumn.
Michael is Music Director for ETO and Director of Opera at RCM.