April News
This month saw us hosting two recital events in London and Henley-on-Thames.
Originally planned to be an interview and masterclass with world-class mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly and our own Young Artist Joanna Harries, our event ‘Mezzo to Mezzo’ instead saw Joanna and pianist Thomas Ang perform a recital of song and lieder when Dame Sarah unfortunately took ill. We were so proud of Joanna and Thomas, who stepped up and provided their audience with something really special at short notice.
Our second event with Young Artist baritone Toki Hamano and pianist Kaoru Wada explored the surprising links between Western and Japanese classical music in the latter part of the 19th century. Toki and Kaoru gave an expressive, engaging performance of what was an incredibly well-curated programme; it was a brilliant opportunity for audiences to hear something that was new to many of them.
Young Artist News:
Jack Holton and Samantha Quillish performed in Cautionary Tales with the National Opera Studio in collaboration with Opera North on 29th April. The performance saw a collection of scenes performed by the Young Artists from operas by some of the leading contemporary composers: Errolyn Warren, Judith Weir and Jonathan Dove among others. Samantha and Jack’s performances were well received, Samantha singing “beautifully” and with a “subtle and amusing sense of timing” and Jack with “real attention to phrasing” while being both “hilarious and terrified” in their roles.
You can read a review of their performance here: https://www.planethugill.com/2023/05/cautionary-tales-current-cohort-of.html
Ben Knight received the Emerging Artist Bursary from English Touring Opera. Recipients of this award receive £600 towards vocal lessons and coaching - truly a testament towards his excellent skill and dedication as a performer. Ben and Peter Edge have been performing with ETO throughout April and will continue to do so throughout May.
Towards the end of March, Charles Styles stepped in to replace Australian tenor Stuart Skelton in the premiere of Iain Bell’s Beowulf at the Barbican. Performing alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conductor Martyn Brabbins and actress Ruth Wilson, Charles was complimented by the Guardian for his “gleaming top notes” and “warm middle register”. The concert was recorded by BBC 3 and available for listeners on BBC Sounds throughout April - it was wonderful to see him take this step and that so many were given the opportunity to hear it.