The Marriage of Figaro

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.

Since making his professional debut conducting the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra at the Mlada Praha Festival in 1999, Timothy Carey has worked with several orchestras throughout Europe and Asia including, most recently, the St Petersburg Philharmonic and Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

In addition to his activities on the concert platform, he is also a respected conductor for the theatre.

Recent performances include appearances at The London Coliseum in the presence of HRH Prince Andrew, The Hong Kong Arts Festival and a return visit to Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu. He has over twenty ballets in his repertoire and an increasing number of opera credits to his name.

A devoted advocate of new music, this season he will work on a new opera by Luke Bedford in a collaborative project between Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and The Opera Group. Other highlights include performances of Le nozze di Figaro, Don Pasquale and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for English Touring Opera.

Born in London, Timothy Carey studied the cello with Casals-pupil, Christopher Bunting in addition to the piano from a young age. He went on to study with the legendary conducting pedagogue, Ilya Musin at the St Petersburg Conservatoire. Subsequently, he trained in masterclasses with Rabinovich-pupils, Neeme Järvi and Yuri Simonov among others.

A gifted pianist, he has performed with talented instrumentalists such as clarinettist, Emma Johnson and violinist Ruth Waterman and broadcast for both BBC radio and television.

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.

Operatic work includes: Katya Kabanova, Rusalka, Susannah, Eugene Onegin, Orfeo, Erismena, Jenufa, Anna Bolena, Mary, Queen of Scots, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as Teseo and Alcina (ETO); Ariodante, The Cunning Little Vixen (ETO and OTC); Tolomeo (London Handel Festival/ ETO); Flavio, 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).

Opera and theatre work: Choreographer: The Cunning Little Vixen (ETO, OTC); Sweeney Todd (RAM); Who Killed Mr Drum (Treatment Theatre), Jenufa, Eugene Onegin, Susannah and Don Giovanni ( ETO); Casanova (Told by an Idiot); Tartuffe and The Hypochondric (Liverpool Playhouse) Director: Hänsel und Gretel (Stowe Opera); Jephtha (ETO). Le nozze di Figaro and Eugene Onegin (Iford Arts)
Bernadette’s career as a dancer and performer includes working for Tanztheater Wuppertal, ARC Dance Company, Siobhan Davies, Aletta Collins, London Contemporary Dance Theatre, Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre, Corp Feasa and many leading choreographers and directors in dance, opera and theatre.

Matthew studied Lighting Design at Rose Bruford College. Opera credits include La Cenerentola (Malmö Opera); Pelléas et Mélisande, The Sofa, The Departure (Independent Opera); L’assedio di Calais, La cambiale di matrimonio, La Colombe, L’occasione fa il ladro (GSMD); La fedeltà premiata (RAM); Partenope, Les nuits d‘été (Les Azuriales Festival); A House on the Moon, Orfeo, Tolomeo (ETO); Tobias and the Angel (The Young Vic/ ETO); Le nozze di Figaro (RCM). Theatre credits include Glass Mountain (Trestle Theatre); Blowing Whistles, Hit Me! (Leicester Square Theatre); Mud (Gate Theatre); The Pool (Arts Theatre London); Lovely and Misfit (Trafalgar Studios). Site Specific projects include Dido Queen of Carthage (Kensington Palace); Sea Tongue (The Shout/ De La Warr Pavilion); Encounters (Greenwich & Docklands Festival).

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.

Eliana Pretorian was born in Romania and trained at the RCM and National Opera Studio. She won first prize on two consecutive occasions in the Romanian National Singing Competition, and in 2005 was the youngest finalist in the Kathleen Ferrier Competition. Operatic roles include Gianetta/L’elisir d’amore (GFO); Karolka/Jenůfa, Dew Fairy/Hänsel und Gretel, Papagena/Die Zauberflöte (GOT); Naiad/Ariadne auf Naxos, Clorinda/La Cenerentola (Garsington); Despina/Cosi fan tutte (Longborough Festival Opera). Concert appearances include Dircé/Médée (Gulbenkian Orchestra); Haydn arias (the Classical Opera Company); and Handel Messiah (Philadelphia Orchestra).

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.

Born in Hertfordshire, Laura studied at the Royal College of Music where she gained a first-class honours degree and postgraduate diploma. She then joined the Benjamin Britten International Opera School, studying with Lillian Watson. In 2007, she won the Song prize at the Kathleen Ferrier Awards and the Lies Askonas Prize. Laura attended the National Opera Studio during the 2007/08 season.

While at the NOS, Laura took part in residencies at WNO, Scottish Opera, Theatre Royal and Opera North, singing Illia/Idomeneo, Helena/A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Donna Elvira/Don Giovanni, Leila/The Pearlfishers. Other operatic roles include Countess Almaviva/Le nozze di Figaro and Elisa/Tolomeo for BBIOS, Aldimira in Cavalli ‘s Erismena, First Witch/Dido and Aeneas, Ninfa and Proserpina/Orfeo (cover), all for English Touring Opera. More recently, she appeared at Scottish Opera in Smetana’s Two Widows, covering the role of Lidka.

Concert work includes Tippett’s Spirituals and Rutter’s Requiem at St.John Smith Square, Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate and Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras no 5 with the Emerald Ensemble at Bristol Cathedral, Bach’s B Minor Mass at St John Smith Square, Haydn’s Nelson Mass with Sir David Willcocks, Handel’s Messiah at Kings College Cambridge with Stephen Cleobury,Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate with the London Pro Arte Orchestra in Denmark and Strauss’ Four Last Songs at the Hatfield Auditorium, conducted by Peter Stark.

In 2007/08, Laura sang Bach’s St. John Passion with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Mark Padmore at the QEH in London, which was followed by a tour through South Korea and Japan.
As a recitalist she has performed at the Teatro dei Rozzi Siena, the St.Peters Basilica Rome as well as the Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall, St Martin in the Fields, St.James’ Piccadilly, and the Windsor, Chester and Beaumaris Festivals.
She has taken part in master classes with Robin Stapleton (Amici di Verdi) and with Roger Vignoles at the Leeds Lieder Festival.

Her most recent appearances include Bach’s St Matthew Passion at the Royal Festival Hall with Mark Padmore and the OAE, recitals for the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Ismene/Mitridate for WNO with Sir Charles Mackkeras, Gilda/Rigoletto for the Grange Park Opera ‘Rising Stars’ series and ‘Messiah’ concerts with John Nelson and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg.

Future engagments include Helena and Countess Almaviva for ETO, Donna Elvira at Opera Holland Park and Kristina/The Makropoulos Case at ENO.

Laura gratefully receives the support of The Countess of Munster Musical Trust for their Funding and Recital scheme, the Concordia Foundation for the Barthel Prize, the Wingate Scholarship, the Zetland Foundation, and the Worshipful Company of Musicians.

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.

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.

Benedict was born in Manchester and studies with Jeffery Talbot. His operatic roles include cover Bardolfo/Falstaff, cover Night Watchman and Marco Polo/Night at the Chinese Opera and cover Gastone/La Traviata (Scottish Opera); First Trojan/Idomeneo (Birmingham Opera); Gastone/La Traviata (OHP). His theatre credits include The Gondoliers, The Merchant of Venice and The Water Babies for the Chichester Theatre Festival. Concert engagements include Beethoven Fidelio (Proms Royal Albert Hall); Verdi Otello and Macmillan St John Passion (Concertgebouw Amsterdam). Benedict has also made recordings for Opera Rara and Chandos and sings and records with London Voices.