The Siege of Calais (L'assedio di Calais)

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).

Born Barnsley
Training NOS, GSMD
Awards first prize in the National Mozart Competition, Verdi / Wagner prize
Opera Baron Douphol La Traviata (ROH, WNO, GTO), Mandarin Turandot (ROH), Marcello La Bohème (WNO), Executioner Inés de Castro, Sharpless Madama Butterfly (both SO)
Concert Mendelssohn Elijah (Exeter and Wells Cathedrals), Essential Scottish Opera (SO), Verdi Requiem (Pontypridd Choral Society)
Recordings Baron Douphol La Traviata (WNO broadcast on S4C)

Born in Australia, Helen Sherman studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Following her success in the 2007 Australian Singing Competition she was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Northern College of Music on the International Artist Diploma scheme. On graduating she immediately joined Grange Park Opera performing Suzuki (Madama Butterfly). In 2011 she represented Australia at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.

Concert appearances over the last year have included Wigmore Hall, City of London Festival and at the Cheltenham Festival, broadcast live on Radio 3. This season she joined Opera North covering the role of Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) and later this year sings the role of Elvira (Don Giovanni) in Mid Wales Opera’s production.

Other operatic roles include Hélène (La Belle Hélène), Sesto (La clemenza di Tito), Cyrus (Belshazzar) and Varvava (Katya Kabanova). She has recorded with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and for ABC Classic FM in Australia and was selected by YCAT in 2009.

Paula received the Tagor Gold Medal from the RCM and 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 Norina/ Don Pasquale, Gilda/ Rigoletto (Preggio Opera Festival, Italy); Atalanta/ Atalanta (Handel Society); Bastienne/ Bastien und Bastienne (Skipton Camerata); Mimi/ La bohème, Inez/ Il trovatore (both Opus I Opera); Grasshopper/ The Cunning Little Vixen (RCM). Covers include Governess/ Turn of the Screw (Opera North). Concert engagements include Mozart Unwrapped (King’s Place with Roger Vignoles November 2011), City of Dreams (Philharmonia Orchestra concert series 2009); City Music Society series (Eric Falk Trust Award). Paula has also recorded a Peroni advert soundtrack. Previously for ETO, Paula has performed the roles of Pamina/ The Magic Flute, Clizia/ Teseo, Emilia/ Flavio, Susanna/ Figaro.

Brendan Collins trained at the Cork School of Music under Robert Beare, the D.I.T. Conservatory, and in 2007 was granted a scholarship to study at the opera studio of Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels under renowned bass-baritone José van Dam. In 2005 he was one of only 12 Irish singers to take part in the first Wexford Festival Young Artists programme under tenor Dennis O’Neill.

As a soloist he has performed with many of Ireland and the UK’s leading companies including Opera Ireland, OTC, ETO, NI Opera, Scottish Opera, Anna Livia Festival, Lyric Opera and Glasthule Opera. His roles include Count Almaviva/ Le Nozze di Figaro, Marcello/ La Boheme, Escamillo/ Carmen, Giorgio Germont/ La Traviata, Masetto/ Don Giovanni, cover Demetrius/ Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, Notare/ Don Pasquale, Marullo/ Rigoletto, Elviro/ Xerxes, Fiorello/ The Barber of Seville, Baron Duphol/ La Traviata, Sacristan/ Tosca, Yamadori/ Madama Butterfly and Count Gil/ Il segreto di Susanna amongst others.

Andrew was born in New Zealand and graduated the Australian Opera Studio with Honours and the Dux award for excellence.

Recent appearances have included Tinca, Il tabarro, Gherardo, Gianni Schicchi and cover Bunce, Fantastic Mr Fox (all ETO); Bardolfo, Falstaff, Abdallo, Nabucco (both IFAC Tokyo); Tito, La clemenza di Tito, Msr Triquet, Eugene Onegin (both New Zealand Opera); Remendado, Carmen, Un Voce, La Gioconda (both Opera Holland Park); Don Basilio, Le nozze di Figaro (Vignette Productions).

He has appeared in numerous concerts and recitals with ensembles including the Tokyo New Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra, the Perth Orchestra, the Australian Opera Studio, the NBR NZ Opera Company.

Future engagements include Vašek, The Bartered Bride.

Canadian tenor Adam Tunnicliffe studied at Christ Church, Oxford and at GSMD, and studies singing with David Jones and Cathy Pope. Recent roles include Alfredo/ La Traviata (Garden Opera); Quint/ Turn of the Screw (Oxford Opera Company). Adam performed in the first ever operatic performance at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, playing the Minister of the Admiralty in the world premiere of The Burial at Thebes by Dominique Le Gendre. Other roles include Fracasso/ La Finta Semplice (New Chamber Opera); Froh/ Das Rheinegold; Albert/ Albert Herring; Don Pelagio/ La Canterina. Previous appearances for ETO include Don Basilio/ The Marriage of Figaro; Oberon in Kate Pearson’s children’s opera, The Starry Welkin; Masquerader/ The Duenna; Captain/ Promised End (world premiere).

PIOTR LEMPA (bass), a native of Poland. Graduate of Royal Academy of Music in London, Cardiff International Academy of Voice and the Vocal and Acting Faculty at the Music Academy in Gdansk, Poland, where he made his concert debut during his first year of study, in Mozart’s Requiem. During his third year in Gdansk he appeared with the Baltic Opera House in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and has since appeared in many productions with several opera companies in Poland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland (Verbier Festival), UK (WNO, ETO) and Ireland also with the Musical Theatre in Gdynia, Poland.
He made his opera debut singing the role of Oroveso in Bellini’s Norma for English Touring Opera in London, in their spring season 2009. Since then Piotr has appeared in the productions of La Boheme, Die Zauberflote, Ariadne auf Naxos, Katja Kabanova, Halka, Don Giovanni, Rigoletto, Le nozze di Figaro, Bastien und Bastienne, Salome, and Traviata in Wales, England, Germany and Poland.
Future plans include: Halka with Polish National Opera, Esther at the Handel Festival in Karlsruhe (Germany) as well as The Coronation of Poppea and Jason with English Touring Opera. More information: www.piotrlempa.com