October News
Opera Prelude October News 2025
We were firing on all cylinders this month!
Our first event was with the fabulous countertenor Tom Lilburn, who performed a programme of lute-accompanied works at a private recital in Fawley. It was a magical and atmospheric evening – and truly special to hear such a rich programme for this rare and captivating voice type.
Our annual professional development day, OperaWorks, rolled into town on 18th October. We were joined by an inspiring group of generous opera professionals, who shared their expertise with dozens of young artists eager to put their best foot forward in this challenging industry. Topics included taxation for musicians, working in opera choruses, navigating the young artist circuit, marketing yourself, and working in Europe – a true treasure trove of invaluable information!
We’re so grateful to all of our guest speakers; we could see the immediate impact they had on our participants, and we can’t wait to welcome them back next time.
Opera Prelude Turns 15
Rather excitingly, Opera Prelude celebrated its 15th birthday this month! We marked the occasion with a lovely event at the Garrison Chapel, where many of our Young Artists delighted guests with pop-up performances throughout the evening.
Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us – we’re so grateful to have such wonderful supporters, audience members, and opera lovers around us.
Welcome to Our 2026 Young Artists
We’re thrilled to announce our brand new cohort of Young Artists for 2026! After an incredible round of auditions, please join us in welcoming:
Kristina Ammattil – soprano
Ceferina Penny – soprano
Erin Rossington – soprano
Olivia Tringham – soprano
Alexandria Moon – mezzo
Clover Kayne – mezzo
Nancy Holt – mezzo
Sang-eup Son – tenor
Justin Jacobs – tenor
Robert Forrest – tenor
Simon Mascarenhas Carter – tenor
Hector Bloggs – baritone
Jack Sandison – bass-baritone
We can’t wait for you all to hear what these wonderful singers have to offer!
Young Artist News
Outside of Opera Prelude events, our Young Artists past and present have been up to some truly exciting music-making.
Ellen Pearson (mezzo) has been performing as Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte at the Royal Opera House, as part of her role as a Jette Parker Young Artist. We’re absolutely thrilled for Ellen and so proud to see her hard work paying off.
Will Diggle (tenor) began his new position as an ensemble member at Landestheater Niederbayern in Passau, already appearing as Pappaccoda in Johann Strauss’s Eine Nacht in Venedig.
Ross Cumming (baritone) performed as Don Estoban in Zemlinsky’s The Dwarf at the Wexford Festival. Ross said of the production:
“I have fallen totally in love with this piece and it was a pleasure to be a part of this special production.”
We’re so delighted to see our artists thriving on stages near and far!
