The Cunning Little Vixen

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).

Designs for theatre, opera and dance. Joanna’s opera engagements include The Rape of Lucretia (RCM); Flavio, Eugene Onegin, Falstaff, Alcina, Le nozze di Figaro, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Cunning Little Vixen (all ETO). She has also worked with the ROH, SO, and OTC Dublin.

Joanna’s designs for theatre include The Young Vic, Hampstead Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Salisbury Playhouse and The Lyric Hammersmith. She designed The Noise of Time for Theatre de Complicité at the Lincoln Centre NY, Barbican Centre London and European Festivals.

Dance designs include Cholmondeleys, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company and London Contemporary Dance Theatre. She is Senior Lecturer in Scenography at Central School of Speech and Drama.

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.

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)

Roderick Earle, born in Winchester, graduated from St. John’s, Cambridge and then studied at RCM and with Otakar Kraus. He made his debut with the ROH, Covent Garden in 1980 as Antonio/ Le Nozze di Figaro, and went on to sing more than sixty roles with the company, most recently Police Inspector/ Lady Macbeth of Mtensk and Dancaire/ Carmen. Other operatic roles include Nekrotzar/ Le Grand Macabre (Adelaide Festival); Jack Hubbard/ Dr Atomic (ENO); Klinghoffer/ Death of Klinghoffer (Wuppertal); Ford/ Falstaff (New Zealand Opera); Rigoletto (Opera Zuid); Flying Dutchman (Opera de Massy); Rangoni/ Boris Godunov (Turin); Theseus/ Midsummer Night’s Dream (Rome). He has sung with all the major British companies. Future engagements include Le Grand Macabre at the Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires.

Soprano
Born Halifax, Canada
Training University of Regina, Canada, Wilfred Laurier University, Canada, RNCM
Awards Guelph String Festival Edward Johnson Competition Grand Prize Winner, Peter Moores Foundation Major Scholarship
Opera Susanna The Marriage of Figaro, Frasquita Carmen (Opera Brava), Cricket, Jay and Pepik The Cunning Little Vixen (ETO), Blondchen Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Diva Opera), Norina Don Pasquale, Lucia Lucia di Lammermoor (Pavilion Opera), Zerbinetta Ariadne auf Naxos (Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme
Concert Orff Carmina Burana (Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra), Mendelssohn Lobgesang (Britten-Pears Orchestra, Snape Maltings), Poulenc Gloria (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra), Wigmore Hall recital with Graham Johnson, John Corigliano’s Mr Tambourine Man
Recordings The Seasons in Zurich (Guild Records), Raw Fear Soundtrack (produced by KK)