The Magic Flute

Born
Grimsby

Awards
Best Production, 2005 Dublin International Theatre Festival, and 2006 Fringe First Award for Knots – CoisCeim Dance Theatre.
Herald Angel Award for Outstanding Choreographic Achievement, 2004 Edinburgh International Festival for Strictly Dandia – Tamasha Theatre Company
TMA Award – Best Production, for Tom’s Midnight Garden – Library Theatre, Manchester

Theatre and Dance
Liam is Artistic Director of Stan Won’t Dance, for whom he has created four pieces: Sinner; Revelations; Skylon Spirits and Off The Wall. Freelance directorial and choreographic work includes commissions from the Lyric Hammersmith, 4 productions for Frantic Assembly; Bare Bones Dance Co; the RSC; Northampton Theatre Royal; Cirque du Soleil; Nottingham Playhouse; BAC; Birmingham Rep; Contact Theatre, Manchester; Graeae Theatre Co; the Royal National Theatre; and 5 productions for the Library Theatre, Manchester.

Paul McGrath trained at the National Opera Studio, London, and the RNCM. A former assistant to Sir Georg Solti, he made his professional début conducting Donizetti´s L´Ajo nell´imbarazzo at the Batignano Festival, Italy.
Notable amongst his European engagements are: Jonathan Dove´s Flight for De Vlaamse Opera; the World Première of Jonathan Dove´s Siren Song for Almeida Opera, La Perichole for the Theater Basel and Orpheus in the Underworld and Die Zauberflote for Opera North. He has conducted at the BBC Proms and as Associate Conductor the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. His collaboration with Michael Nyman includes recordings of Love Counts and Man and Boy:Dada.

Chloe trained in Theatre Design at Wimbledon School of Art. She won Best Design at the 2007 TMA awards for Small Miracle. Current and recent work includes The Snow Queen (Sherman Cymru); Lola (Trestle Theatre with Increpaçion Danza, Barcelona); This Wide Night (Clean Break, Soho Theatre and tour); The Mothership (Birmingham Repertory Studio). She has designed for such operas as The Cunning Little Vixen (RCM) and La Calisto (Early Opera Company). She was associate designer on Gaddafi: A Living Myth (ENO). She was the production designer of The Full Monteverdi, a full length film for SC4 and European TV Channels.

Anne-Marie completed her undergraduate and postgraduate studies at RCM. Awards include 2006 Hampshire Singer of the Year and 2000 Bath Young Musician of the Year. Her operatic performances include Queen of the Night and Papagena/The Magic Flute (Palestine Mozart Festival); Ninfa/Orfeo (Megaron Stadium in Athens); Dialogue des Carmelites, Cosi fan tutte and Die Fledermaus (BBIOS). Oratorios include the Mozart Requiem, Fauré Requiem, Handel Dixit Dominus, Bach St. Mathew Passion, Bach Mass in B Minor and Haydn Theresa Mass. Recently, Anne-Marie covered Guan Yin and was in the chorus of Damon Albarn’s Monkey: Journey to the West (O2).

Sion trained at GSMD and the Benjamin Britten International Opera School. Operatic roles include Sarastro/Die Zauberflöte, Tiresias/Oedipus Rex, Simone/Gianni Schicchi, Claudio/Agrippina, Superintendent Budd/Albert Herring, Snug/Lion/Quince/A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bonze/Madama Butterfly, Frank/Die Fledermaus, Gremin/Zaretsky/Eugene Onegin, Sparafucile/Rigoletto, Truffaldine/Lakai/Ariadne auf Naxos, Kaspar/Eremit/Der Freischutz. He has performed with the Norwegian Royal Opera, Opera Valladolid Spain, Clonter Opera, Mid Wales Opera and Glyndebourne on Tour. Concert work includes Haydn The Creation, Scarlatti St. Cecelia Mass; Mozart Requiem, Coronation Mass and Vesperae Solennes de Confessore. He has also performed Osmin/ Die Entführung aus dem Serail with the ETO. Future plans include Pistola in Falstaff for Glyndebourne on Tour Autumn 2009.

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.

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.

A graduate of RNCM, Michael’s operatic roles during college included Tom Rakewell/The Rake’s Progress, Sandy and First Officer/The Lighthouse and Ruggero/La Rondine. He was the 2006 winner of the Emmy Destinn Award for Young Singers and a prizewinner at the Mezzo Television International Opera Competition and Festival 2008. Operatic roles include Tamino/The Magic Flute (ENO); Boris/Katya Kabanova (SO); First Armed Man/The Magic Flute (ENO and OHP); Lensky/Eugene Onegin, Steva/Jenufa and Cavaradossi/Tosca (ETO); Judge Danforth/The Crucible (Dicapo Opera, New York); Don José/Carmen, Rodolfo/La bohème and Jenik/The Bartered Bride (Mid Wales Opera). In concert and broadcast Michael has performed with RLPO, RPO, English Chamber Orchestra and BBC Concert Orchestra at venues including Barbican Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Jane graduated from RAM with a distinction and a DipRAM for outstanding performance. Roles at college included Pamina/The Magic Flute. Awards include AESS English Song Prize, Thelma King Award, Dame Eva Turner Scholarship and Finalist in the 2006 Handel singing competition. Operatic engagements include Little Moon/A Night at the Chinese Opera (SO); Virtue/Amore/L’Incoronazione di Poppea (ENO); Marina/School for Fathers (Clonter Opera). She covered title role Savitri and Baroness/Der Wildshutz (Buxton Festival Opera). Other engagements include soprano soloist for Raymond Gubbay’s Viennese Gala (London Barbican, LPO) and Southend Proms in the Park (LSO). Jane has also performed Belinda/Dido and Aeneas, Figlia/Jephte and Jano/Jenufa with ETO.

Colin studied singing at the Guildhall School of Music. Operatic roles include Snout/A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Teatro Real Madrid); Jaquino/Fidelio (Chelsea Opera Group, SO); Remendado/Carmen, L’Incredibile/Andrea Chenier (SO); Mime/Der Ring des Nibelungen (Opera National du Rhin); Jaquino/Fidelio (ONB);  Monostatos/The Magic Flute (Theatre du Capitole Toulouse); Pang/Turandot (ROH); Third Jew/Salome (ENO); Pedrillo/Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, Truffaldino/The Love of Three Oranges, Hirt/Junge Seeman/Tristan und Isolde, Spoletta/Tosca, Venditore/Il Tabarro, Goro/Madama Butterfly and Gaston/La Traviata (Opera Cologne); Coryphee/Le Comte D’Ory and Andrew/The Last Supper (GFO); Alfred/Die Fledermaus (SO).  A series of short operas featuring Colin was recently broadcast on BBC 2. Previous performances with the ETO include the title role in Werther.

Christopher Diffey was born in Melbourne and graduated with Honours from Monash University. He also trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Awards include the Alan McArthur Memorial Award, Norman McCann Scholarship, Picker Trust Award, Rhoda Jones Roberts Scholarship, finalist in the Jackdaws Great Elm Vocal Awards at Wigmore Hall and Josephine Baker Trust. Operatic roles include Cyril/Princess Ida (Buxton International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival); Second Priest/The Magic Flute (OHP); Pane/La Calisto and Dardanus/Dardanus(RAO); Count Almaviva/Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Dartington International Summer School); Lensky/Eugene Onegin (Opera by Definition); Captain Macheath/The Beggar’s Opera (Surrey Opera). Concert experience includes tenor solos of Bach’s Mass in A Major.

Cheryl trained at Bath Spa University as a cellist then continued her studies as a singer with Janice Chapman. She currently studies with Jennie Caron and Ludmilla Andrew. Opera roles include Franzi/Wiener blut, Tatiana/Eugene Onegin, Donna Anna/Don Giovanni and Mrs. Hayes/Susannah with English Touring Opera, Rusalka/Rusalka, Countess Almaviva/Marriage of Figaro (Surrey Opera); Countess/Capriccio (The Wagner Society); Pamina/Magic Flute (Opera a la Carte); Eva/Meistersinger (The Mastersingers); Sandrina/L’Infedelta Delusa (Bampton Classical Opera). Concert engagements include Verdi Requiem (Blackheath Concert Halls); Mozart Exsultate Jubilate (QEH); Mozart Requiem (St John’s Smith Square). Recordings include In Tune (BBC Radio 3); Don Giovanni (Opera Anywhere/Channel 4); Film of Perfect Picnic (BBC 3/Opera Play).

Blake was born in Melbourne where he attended the VCA, then moved to Sydney where he debuted at Opera Australia in 1997 before moving to the UK to study at the RNCM as a Peter Moores Scholar. A multiple prize-winner, Blake was awarded RNCM’s Gold Medal in 2003. Operatic roles include Danilo/Merry Widow (SO) Lensky/Eugene Onegin (SO on tour). Spoletta/Tosca (ETO) Jean Valjean/Les Miserables (Pimlico Opera) the Lawyer/Ensemble/Peter Grimes (Salzberg Osterfestspiele/Berlin Philharmonic) Alfredo/La Traviata (Pavilion Opera), Errand Boy/A Dinner Engagement (Lindbury Studio & CHANDOS recording), Panas/Cherevichki (Garsington) and Rodolfo/ La Boheme (Wedmore Opera). Concert engagements include Handel Messiah (English Symphony Orchestra), Beethoven Symphony No.9 (Northern Sinfonia). Blake’s future plans include Ravenal/ Showboat for Cape Town Opera.

Andrew studied at RNCM and St Petersburg Conservatoire. Opera roles include Patsy Love Counts (Almeida Festival); The House of the Gods (Music Theatre Wales); Leporello Don Giovanni (BOC); Falstaff Falstaff (ETO); Ben Selim Dom Sebastien (ROH). Recent concerts include Verdi Requiem (RLPO); Brahms Requiem (RTE Orchestra Dublin); Britten War Requiem (Orchestra de l’Ile de France). Recordings include Michael Berkeley Jane Eyre (Chandos); Stravinsky The Flood (Twentieth Century Classics); Mozart The Marriage of Figaro (BBC TV).

Stephanie was born in Leicester and trained at the RCM and RWCMD. Awards include 2006 Stuart Burrows Competition Prize, Lee Freeman Memorial Prize and Josephine Baker Trust. Operatic roles include Cricket, Frog, Chief Hen, and Woodpecker/The Cunning Little Vixen, and Barbarina/Le Nozze di Figaro (RCM and BBIOS); Cathleen/Riders to the Sea and Mercedes/The Ten Belles (RWCMD); Fairy Queen/The Tailor’s Daughter (Welsh National Youth Opera). Concert engagements include Mendelssohn Hear My Prayer (John S. Davies Singers); Haydn The Seasons (East Grinstead Choral Society); Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony (Banbury). She recently recorded a CD of John Ireland’s music with the Vivace Singers (Priory Records), as well as “Discovering Music: Extracts from The Magic Flute” for BBC Radio 3. Stephanie has previously performed with ETO as Papagena/The Magic Flute.

Paula studied at RCM and the Schwob School of Music. She has received 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 Pamina/ The Magic Flute (ETO); Gilda/ Rigoletto (Preggio Opera Festival, Italy); Atalanta/ Atalanta (Handel Society); Bastienne/ Bastien und Bastienne (Skipton Camerata); Mimi/ La bohème and Inez/ Il trovatore (Opus I Opera); Grasshopper/ The Cunning Little Vixen (RCM). Concert engagements include City of Dreams (Philharmonia Orchestra concert series 2009); City Music Society series (Eric Falk Trust Award). Additionally, Paula has recorded a Peroni advert soundtrack.

Melanie graduated with from GSMD with a BMus (Hons). Awards include winner of Allcard & Busenhart-Morgan-Evans Award and Elizabeth Sweeting Award. Operatic Roles include Mistress Quickly (excerpts)/Falstaff (RAH); title role Carmen (Swindon Opera); Bianca/La Rondine (British Youth Opera); Mazet/La Colombe, Ernestina/L’Occasione fa il ladro and Metella/La Vie Parisienne (GSMD), 3rd Lady/Die Zauberflöte (Opera Loki and GSMD); covers and performances of Mrs. Herring/Albert Herring (BYO). Concert experience includes two Mahler recitals (Barbican), a recording of Zigeunerleben on The Songs of Robert Schumann Vol. 10 (Hyperion) with Graham Johnson, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony at St.Pancras Church and performances of Peter Grimes at the Salzburg Festival (Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle).

Mark trained at the University of East Anglia and RCM. Operatic roles include Ferrando/Così fan Tutte (GFO and WNO); Second Soldier/Coronation of Poppea and Tamino/The Magic Flute (ENO); Cat/Pinocchio (ON); Jacquino/Fidelio (GTO); Don Ottavio/Don Giovanni (Barbican); Alfredo/La Traviata and Idamante/Idomeneo (Birmingham Opera Company); Giannetto/La Gazza Ladra (Garsington); Rudolf/Euryanthe (Netherlands Opera). Recent concert engagements include Messiah (RSNO), Carmina Burana (RPO), St. John Passion (Bath Abbey and the Irish Chamber Orchestra). Concert recordings include Corrado d’Altamura (Opera Rara); B Minor Mass (Bridgewater Hall); Mozart Requiem (Mostly Mozart Festival).Studio recordings include Handel Ode to St. Cecilia’s Day for Naxos, ‘Ancient Melodies’; Arthur Sullivan’s The Golden Legend and The Prodigal Son for Hyperion.

Laure has a keen interest in contemporary works and recently covered Ariel in Thomas Ades The Tempest (ROH). She has performed in American Premieres of Paula Kimper Patience & Sarah (Lincoln Center, NY) and John Metcalf Kafka’s Chimp. She covered Madame Mao/Nixon in China, Tytania/A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the title roles in Lulu and The Cunning Little Vixen (ENO). Additionally, she has been a soloist in Carmina Burana and Mozart C Minor Mass. She has also covered Marie/La Fille du Regiment (ROH). Laure is known for her role as Queen of the Night/The Magic Flute, which she has recently performed with the English National Opera and Welsh National Opera.

Heather trained as an actress at the Italia Conti and Rose Bruford drama schools before studying music performing arts at the BRIT school. She received the St. Clare Barfield Memorial Bowl for Operatic Distinction at the Birmingham Conservatoire as well as 2nd Prize at the Mario Lanza Opera Competition 2008. Operatic roles have included Amore/The Coronation of Poppea, Ophelia/scene from Hamlet and Pia/scene from Pia di Tolomei (Birmingham Conservatoire); Sara/Tobias and the Angel (Buxton Opera Festival). Heather also sang in And Now the News by Michael Wolters and in a live BBC4 broadcast in June 2008. She also appeared on Operatunity, Channel 4 March 2003.

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.

Daniel was the recipient of the 2005 Madeline Finden Memorial Trust Award as well as the 2006 Leverhulme Trust Bursary. Operatic roles include Medico/Sicario/Servo/Macbeth (Chelsea Opera Group); Dulcamara/L’elisir d’amore (Opera Della Luna and Iford Opera); Bogdanowitsch/Merry Widow (SO); Flemish Deputy/Don Carlo (ROH); Figaro/Le Nozze di Figaro and Papageno/The Magic Flute (Armonico Consort); Leporello/Don Giovanni, Father/ Hänsel und Gretel and Luka/The Bear. Concert engagements include Bach Lutheran Masses and Purcell Dido and Aeneas (Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment). Forthcoming engagements include a return to ROH to sing revival of Don Carlo in addition to recitals at ROH Crush Room of English Song with Mark Packwood.

Bridget received her degree in Music, Drama and Dance from the University of Birmingham. Operatic roles include Dorabella/Così fan tutte (Hays Symphony Orchestra); Cousin Hebe/H.M.S. Pinafore (Carl Rosa Opera Company); Annina/La Traviata (OHP). She has sung in the chorus for Boris Godunov, Aida and Carmen (ENO) as well as The Flying Dutchman (WNO). Concert engagements have included Finzi In Terra Pax (English Sinfonia), Berlioz Les Nuits d’Été (Stamford Arts Centre) and Elgar Sea Pictures (Blackburn Cathedral).

Born Colchester
Training Welsh College of Music and Drama
Awards De Vine Voix 2nd Prize (Vivonne, France), Young Welsh Singer finalist
Opera Zurga The Pearl Fishers (Opera Baugé), Falke Die Fledermaus (Clonter Opera), Escamillo Carmen (Kentish Opera), Marullo Rigoletto, Kuligin Katya Kabanova (both WNO)
Concert Karl Jenkins Mass for Peace (S4C), Berlioz Les Nuits d’été (BBC Now), Mozart Requiem (St. David’s Hall, Cardiff)
Recordings Karl Jenkins Mass for Peace for S4C

Born
Brackley

Training
BC, RCM, NOS

Opera
Dancairo Carmen (CBSO); English Clerk Death in Venice (ENO); Angelotti Tosca and Nachtigall Die Meistersinger (ROH); Faber The Knot Garden (Montepulciano Festival); Noye Noyes Fludde (Nuremberg Festival); Papageno Zauberflöte (ETO and Lyrique-en-Mer), Quain Thwaite and Elephant The Cricket Recovers (Almeida/Aldeburgh); Giant Gentle Giant (ROH2); Nanni Country Matters (ETO)

Concerts
Handel Messiah (The Sixteen’s Tour of Spain), Mozart Requiem (Mostly Mozart Festival, Barbican) Shostakovich Symphony No. 14 (City of London Sinfonia)

Recordings

Brahms Volkslieder (Crear Classics); Lalande Music for the Sun King (Hyperion); Spicer Easter Oratorio (Birmingham Bach Choir)

Radio
The Proms: Friday Night is Music Night (BBC)

Future
English Clerk Death in Venice (La Monnaie, Brussels), Abn-Hakia Iolanta (Opera Holland Park)

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).

Catrine studied at GSMD and Cirencester College. She was the winner of the Russell Davies Prize, Stewards of Cirencester Award and KPMG Music in the Community Award. Operatic engagements include Suor Genovieffa/Suor Angelica (Midsummer Opera); Euridice/Motion of the Heart (Ensemble Ex); Laodice/Il Siroe (Ensemble Serse); Miss Silverpeal/The Impressario (Opera Brava); Make-up Girl/Playing Away (Bregenz Festival); French Girl/Death in Venice (Aldeburgh Festival). Concert engagements include Handel Messiah (A1 Orchestra); Mozart Requiem (EMFEB Orchestra); Handel L’Allegro (Britten-Pears, Aldeburgh). In addition, Catrine was the Inn Hostess in Edward German’s Tom Jones, a Naxos recording. Previously for ETO, Catrine has covered the role of First Woman/The Magic Flute and Glasha/Katya Kabanova.

Born in London, Andrew’s previous operatic roles include Ferrando/Cosi fan tutte, the title role in Offenbach’s Robinson Crusoe, Pinkerton/Madama Butterfly, Tony/West Side Story, Nemorino/L’elisir d’amore, Il Contino Belfiore/La Finta Giardiniera and Tanzmeister/Ariadne auf Naxos (Garsington), Alfredo/La Traviata, Paisii in Tchaikovsky’s Charodeyka (GPO); Nadir/Les Pêcheurs de Perles (Opéra de Baugé, France); Faust/Faust and Tom Rakewell/The Rake’s Progress (Theater Lübeck); Desiré and Rouvel/Fedora and St Brioche/The Merry Widow (OHP). He made his 2004 Glyndebourne debut as Chodec/Katya Kabanova. Additionally, he has taken part in a number of recitals in the Crush Room at the Royal Opera House.

James trained at Cambridge University, where he read English and completed an MPhil in American Literature. His credits as a director include Madama Butterfly (Surrey Opera); Suor Angelica (Beethoven Ensemble); Savitri and Vedic Hymns, Don Giovanni, Rameau Les incas du Perou, Sam Shepard States of Shock, and Stephen Belber Tape (all Cambridge). Assistant director work includes Un ballo in maschera (OHP); The Magic Flute (ETO); Flight (BYO); The Merry Wives of Windsor and Le nozze di Figaro (Surrey Opera); Imeneo (Cambridge Handel Opera Group). He was the staff director on ETO’s spring tour earlier this year. Future plans as a director include Venus and Adonis and Dido and Aeneas for Hampstead Garden Opera and L’elisir d’amore for Riverside Opera.