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Welcome to this performance at the Royal College of Music. Please turn off your mobile phone to avoid any disturbance to the performers. Photographs may only be taken during applause following a performance, unless otherwise notified. Private filming, sound recording and commercial photography are not permitted without prior written permission. Many events are filmed and recorded by the RCM for teaching, research, promotional and other purposes. By attending an event, you consent to any photography, filming or sound recording which may include you as a member of the audience and its use for any purposes, including commercial distribution, without payment or copyright. Wherever possible, tickets, programmes and signage in the building will state whether events will be filmed. Latecomers will not be allowed into the auditorium until a suitable break in the programme. In the interests of safety, sitting or standing on the steps, gangways or floor in any part of the auditorium is strictly prohibited. Your co-operation is appreciated. Programme details correct at time of going to print.
ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC IN ASSOCIATION WITH PRESENTS
Amira Joe Kiely music and words Our Perfect Child
Sophie Sparkes music, Deborah McMahon words
John Henry
Maeve McCarthy music, Gary Matthewman words INTERVAL (20 MINUTES)
Bear and Friends
Lente Verelst music, Lena Vercauteren words
The Fermi Paradox
Lara Poe music, Raphael Ruiz words
Bill Bankes-Jones director Natalie Murray Beale conductor Sarah Booth designer The performance on 13 May will be streamed live online at www.rcm.ac.uk/live
12 and 13 May 2018 Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music
PROGRAMME NOTES Following the success of Great Expectations (2012) Hogarth’s Stages (2014) and Crime and Punishment (2016), the Royal College of Music presents five brand new mini-operas created by RCM composers and performed by outstanding RCM singers. Frankenstein (The Modern Prometheus) marks 200 years since the publication of Mary Shelley’s famous novel, with each opera packing a punch in just 15 minutes. We are fortunate to welcome both Bill Bankes-Jones, inspirational founder of Tête à Tête, designer Sarah Booth and conductor Natalie Murray Beale, to help us bring these daring contemporary new interpretations to life on the Britten Theatre stage. This event will be streamed live online on 13 May at www.rcm.ac.uk/live Produced by the Royal College of Music in association with
Please note that some of the operas contain adult themes.
A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR It’s a huge pleasure to return to RCM to continue this seminal collaboration between the College’s composers and singers, and the professional forces of Tête à Tête. I’m lucky to have been involved in many mould-setting projects, and this is certainly one of them. Our first collaboration, Great Expectations, took place in 2012, followed by Hogarth’s Stages and Crime and Punishment. Now in 2018, it’s wonderful to see the alumni of our collaboration shine. RCM graduate Laurence Osborn (composer, Una Tragedia di Proporzione Titaniche, 2012) has just premiered The Mother with Mahogany Opera Group. The second of his two Tête à Tête commissions, April in the Amazon, has been shortlisted for the International Society of Contemporary Music’s 2018 World Music Days Festival in Beijing. As Glyndebourne Composer in Residence, Lewis Murphy (Now, 2014) wrote the epic Belongings. Lewis has also just premiered Then to the Elements with Scottish Opera and he wrote First Date for soundfestival Aberdeen, which I directed last year. With new opera becoming increasingly popular, it’s fantastic to be able to add a powerful arrow to the quiver of a whole new generation of singers, too. Just like our composer alumni, many vocalists from our earlier collaborations are now deploying their skills by singing new works all over the world. I hope you thoroughly enjoy our presentation tonight, and please look out for the very bright futures of all the talented artists involved. Bill Bankes-Jones
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TÊTE À TÊTE: THE FUTURE OF OPERA Through producing new works and invigorating familiar, well-loved music, as well as leading discussions and exploring support models for the artistic community, Tête à Tête shares its passions and knowledge to explore not what opera is, but what it might become. Frankenstein kick starts the Tête à Tête 2018 season. This summer, from 26 July–18 August, the company will also host Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival, which takes place at King’s Cross and gives many experienced, mid-term, emerging and recently graduated artists a place to come together to share, learn and experiment alongside one another hand in hand with their audiences. Then, early in 2019, Tête à Tête takes a new set of its very popular pop up operas on the road. Tête à Tête would like to thank the following for their support of the 2018 Season: Adey Grummet and Father Kevin Scully Anne Cameron Anne Crawford Anthony & Camilla Whitworth-Jones Arts Council England Boris Karloff Charitable Foundation Charlotte Morgan Christine Collins Christopher & Clare McCann Derek & Clare Stevens Elizabeth Dobson Elizabeth Ford Geoffrey and Fiona Barnett Isla Hart Jane Plumptre Jane Reilly Jenny Slack Jim Peers and Victoria Dickie
Molly Bankes-Jones Nicholas John Trust Nicola Stanhope Odette Siepmann Patrick & Louise Grattan Peter Geoff Phil Fortey Richard Morris Sarah Louise Prestige Sarah Playfair Sir Anthony and Lady Cleaver Sir Bryan & Lady Nicholson Sir Nicholas Hytner Stephen Baister Sue & Phil Chandler The Fidelio Trust The Lucille Graham Trust The Royal Victoria Hall Foundation
Tête à Tête still has many thousands to raise in order to deliver its summer festival to give working artists -- which year on year includes graduates from RCM and many other training institutions -- a place to present their work. To support this and to find out more, please visit www.tete-a-tete.org.uk info@tete-a-tete.org.uk twitter @teteateteopera facebook teteateteopera Instagram @operateteatete 5
AMIRA Joe Kiely music and words Harrison Peter Edge CEO Rosanna Cooper Exec 1 Guy Elliott Exec 2 Peter Martin Maria Anna Cooper Chorus Samuel James Dewese, Alice Ruxandra Bell, Dominic Bevan, Edward Jowle, James Schouten, Laura Hocking, Milly Forrest, Poppy Shotts, George Longworth, Rosalind Dobson, Samuel Jenkins, Timothy Morgan ‘The mind is not for sale’ is a statement that garners decreasing gravitas the more we become dependent on technology, and it is this tension that Amira explores. This is the story of an inventive software developer, Harrison, whose latest contribution to our data-driven, socialmedia-focused world is an artificial intelligence named Amira. Harrison has designed Amira to integrate fully with our hectic lifestyles. Unfortunately, things take an ugly turn once he discovers The Social Media Company’s true intentions, and he is forced to try to outsmart his own creation. Amira serves as a contemporary reworking of Frankenstein, allowing us to witness the inner workings of corrupt governments, the scheming of greedy corporations, and the very real, unanticipated consequences of social technologies.
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Joe Kiely Joe Kiely has worked as both a cinematographer and composer in Sydney, New York and London. As a composer, his music has been brought to life in musical theatre productions on Off-Broadway stages, at international arts festivals, and accompanying documentaries and commercials on TV. His unique interdisciplinary skill set blends cinematography and music symbiotically, giving life and emotional backstory to his work. Currently, Joe contracts for CNN in London where he films and composes bespoke material for advertisers while completing his Master of Composition for Screen.
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OUR PERFECT CHILD Sophie Sparkes music Deborah McMahon words Lucy Rebecca Silverman Dan Samuel Jenkins Geneticist Edward Jowle Karen (Lucy’s mother) Alice Ruxandra Bell Clarissa (Dan’s mother) Rosanna Cooper Martin (Dan’s father) Peter Martin Richard (Lucy’s father) James Schouten Embryo 1 Timothy Morgan Embryo 2 Poppy Shotts Embryo 3 Laura Hocking Lucy and Dan would give anything to finally have a child, and it seems like their dreams might finally be coming true. Following their last round of IVF treatment, a geneticist offers them the chance to give life to one of the embryos from his research project. Which will they choose? Set in the not too distant future, Our Perfect Child asks what might happen if we were allowed not only to select embryos free from genetically inherited diseases, but to edit them too, selecting traits society deems fashionable. Would we be entering a brave new world of post-Darwinian unnatural selection, or something more sinister?
Sophie Sparkes Sophie Sparkes is a Masters in Composition student studying with Kenneth Hesketh. She is a Derek Butler Scholar supported by a Vaughan Williams Bursary. Previously, Sophie obtained a BMus (Hons) First Class from the University of Oxford with composition tutors Eugene Birman and Manuel Martinez Burgos. Sophie also studied with Edmund Jolliffe at the Junior Royal Academy of Music (Drapers’ Company Scholarship) and with both Joseph Phibbs and Haris Kittos at The Purcell School for Young Musicians (supported by the Government’s Music and Dance Scheme) where she won the 2014 Tim Stevenson Award for outstanding young composer. She also participated in the 2016 Tenso Young Composers Workshop. Sophie’s work has been played in venues such as The Queen Elizabeth Hall, The Holywell Music Room, The Saatchi Gallery and St Martin-in-the-Fields. Deborah McMahon After studying Drama at Bristol University and training at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, Deborah McMahon worked in repertory theatres across the country and toured throughout France with Le Théâtre des Pays du Nord. Her plays include He’s Having A Baby at The King’s Head Theatre and Eye Theatre, Suffolk; Bride or Groom? at The Victoria Institute, Arundel; and Three Degrees of Freedom. Her most recent play, One Man, Two Sisters, will be one of the plays featured in this year’s New Writing Theatre Trail at the Steyning Festival 2018. Her screenplay for the short film, Urban Wilderness, premiered at the Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music, in March.
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JOHN HENRY Maeve McCarthy music Gary Matthewman words John Henry Samuel James Dewese Foreman Samuel Jenkins Lucy Milly Forrest Kit Sahel Salam Workers Dominic Bevan Edward Jowle James Schouten Peter Edge Peter Martin George Longworth A chorus of men sing as they work, manually splitting rock to lay tracks for the longest railroad in America. They are in high spirits and full of admiration for the strongest and fastest driver among them -John Henry. But then the foreman appears with an important announcement: a steam-powered drilling machine will arrive tomorrow, capable of doing the work of ten men. They will need to find work elsewhere. When the machine arrives, John Henry challenges the steel drill to a race in order to prove that ‘an honest man is better than any iron monster.’ He asks only that if he wins, the men will keep their jobs. The workers gather, and at the signal a neck-and-neck struggle begins. But as the final bell tolls the end of the race, there is a shock in store for all.
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Maeve McCarthy Maeve McCarthy is a London-based composer who is currently in the fourth year of her bachelor’s degree. Maeve is studying with Mark-Anthony Turnage and Michael Oliva. She has had pieces performed in the National Portrait Gallery, the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Drama and Kings Place. Maeve has particularly enjoyed working with librettist Gary Matthewman and Tête à Tête on John Henry and hopes to continue writing opera and theatrical works. Gary Matthewman Gary Matthewman performs worldwide as a song pianist and his recent and forthcoming appearances include Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall in New York, Musikverein in Vienna, Philharmonie de Paris, Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, plus venues in Toronto, São Paulo, Hong Kong and Sydney. Recital partners to date include Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Thomas Allen, Sumi Jo, Roderick Williams, Ailyn Perez, John Mark Ainsley, Louise Alder, Mark Padmore, Sarah-Jane Brandon, Andrei Bondarenko and Adam Plachetka. Gary is Professor of Vocal Repertoire at the RCM and song coach for the Jette Parker Young Artists at the Royal Opera House. He is also published poet. John Henry is his first libretto.
BEAR AND FRIENDS Lente Verelst music Lena Vercauteren words Hipster cake Rosalind Dobson Grasshopper Cake Poppy Shotts Grandmother Cake Rosanna Cooper Squirrel Timothy Morgan Longhorn Beetle Dominic Bevan Grasshopper Guy Elliott Ant Peter Edge Bear James Schouten Bear and Friends is inspired by a short story by Toon Tellegen, from his collection Everyone was There. In this operatic version, however, both the innocent setting and the ending of Tellegen’s tale have evolved into something considerably darker. The central character is Bear, and he really likes cake. The only problem is, he can’t find always find it. In desperation, he goes to Mr Longhorn Beetle for help. Beetle gives Bear a device that makes it possible to hear cakes, so he can finally eat his fill. Unfortunately, the other forest animals aren’t happy to discover that all of their cake is gone. And when Beetle attempts to put things right, the story unravels towards a very dark twist.
Lente Verelst Lente Verelst is a Belgian composer who enjoys collaborating with other art forms and writing music to a story. Lente began her education at the conservatory of Antwerp with Wim Henderickx and Luc van Hove. In 2016, she commenced her Master of Composition for Screen and is currently studying with Vasco Hexel. Lente’s new choir piece, The Apple Tree, will be performed by De 2de Adem in Ghent, Belgium on 27 May. The composition tells the story of Snow White from the perspective of the apple.wd Lena Vercauteren Lena Vercauteren studies English and German Literature and Linguistics at the University of Ghent, Belgium. From a young age, writing was almost more important to her than reading. As she grew up, Lena’s interests broadened and she developed a passion for theatre and music. These different interests can be found in her writing, both in Dutch and English, which range from poetry to short stories to monologues, plays and non-fiction. With Bear and Friends she writes her first text for opera.
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THE FERMI PARADOX Lara Poe music Raphael Ruiz words Horatia Rosalind Dobson Anjelica Laura Hocking Conrad Dominic Bevan Priest Peter Edge Chorus Alice Ruxandra Bell Samuel James Dewese Milly Forrest Peter Edge Peter Martin Poppy Shotts Rosanna Cooper Samuel Jenkins Edward Jowle A group of scientists are putting the finishing touches on a time machine that will hopefully solve all their present day problems. But when they take it for a test run, it explodes and the crew find themselves in a muddy field. Disoriented, they move towards a nearby light source and find themselves at a church service. Unfortunately, the priest is suspicious of the strange newcomers, and the townspeople conclude that they are witches who must stand trial. The Fermi Paradox explores the idea of time periods colliding with very unfortunate results, a theme that is mirrored throughout in the continuous transformation of an Orlando Gibbons hymn tune.
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Lara Poe Lara Poe is a FinnishAmerican composer currently studying with Kenneth Hesketh. Lara is an RCM Award Holder supported by a Big Give Award. She has achieved success in several competitions, including the 2017 BMI Student Composer Award William Schuman Prize and first prize in the 2016 American Prize in Composition (Chamber Music, student division). Last summer, she participated in the 2017 Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme, and her composition, Mirror Rim, will be performed at the 2018 Aldeburgh Festival in June. Lara is currently a participant on the 2018/19 LSO Panufnik Scheme. Raphael Ruiz Raphael Ruiz is an actor, writer, director and visual artist. After completing his BA degree in Drama at Queen Mary University of London he obtained his MA from Kings College London. Raphael has recently graduated from RADA’s acclaimed acting programme MA Theatre Lab, where he contributed as a playwright for its final show FEAR. He is the founder of be•wilder theatre company and co-writer of the plays Old Joe’s Fish ‘n’ Chill and Close Your Eyes. His new piece, Five Stories was presented at The Battersea Arts Centre in April 2018. The Fermi Paradox is his first libretto.
CREATIVE TEAM Bill Bankes-Jones director Bill Bankes-Jones has directed the collaboration between the Royal College of Music and Tête à Tête from the beginning. Frankenstein is the fourth such project, following Great Expectations, Hogarth’s Stage and Crime and Punishment. After studying philosophy at the University of St Andrews, Bill joined the ITV Regional Theatre Young Directors’ Scheme and then worked for the English National Opera, the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Opera and the Salzburg Festivals. He is currently Chair of the Opera Music Theatre Forum. As Founder/Artistic Director of Tête à Tête, Bill has directed all of the company’s productions to date. Major operas include A Nitro at the Opera/Revial! at the Royal Opera House/Linbury (televised on BBC4); Die Fledermaus for English Touring Opera; Barber of Seville for Opera Theatre Company and Armonico Consort; Otello; Die Entführung aus dem Serail; Entführung and Cenerentola; Carmen; Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots for Classical Opera Company, and Hansel and Gretel. Noises Off in Leatherhead; Kingdom Of Earth and Bedroom Farce (TMA Regional Theatre Award nomination) in Farnham; Thalidomide!! A Musical; and Twelfth Night for the Oxford Shakespeare Company are just some of Bill’s theatre highlights. This year, Bill will be directing a revolutionary new production of Pagliacci in his own translation, where the full forces of the Scottish Opera soloists, orchestra and chorus will be joined by 100 local performers.
Natalie Murray Beale conductor Natalie Murray Beale was named one of the BBC Performing Arts Fund’s ‘32 Ones to Watch’ in 2015, with Esa-Pekka Salonen as her mentor. The same year she was selected by The Dallas Opera for their inaugural Institute for Women Conductors. Natalie has performed as Guest Conductor with the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Malta Philharmonic, London Symphony Chorus, Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa and the City of London Sinfonia. She has worked with the orchestra of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Luxembourg Philharmonic, Royal Swedish Opera, Bergen Philharmonic and the London Philharmonia; and conducted operas for the Croatian National Theatre Zagreb, Theater Bonn, Opera Holland Park and Spitalfields Music Festival. Her accolades include a 2012 Royal Philharmonic Society Award for the new opera We Are Shadows and a BAFTA nomination for the video game score Alien: Isolation. Highlights of her 2018/2019 season include her Barbican Hall debut with the Britten Sinfonia and John Adams’ A Flowering Tree with Opera Queensland and the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra. Natalie obtained a Bachelor degree from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and continued her training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio, London. Her initial conducting training was with Finnish conductor Jorma Panula. She has worked as Assistant Conductor to Jérémie Rhorer, Ingo Metzmacher and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Natalie is the Creative Director of Independent Opera at Sadler’s Wells. 11
Sarah Booth designer Sarah Booth studied Drama at the University of Exeter and trained on the Motley Theatre Design Course. She is the co-founder of The Attic costume collective and collaborates regularly with Wonderful Beast, Tête à Tête and Icon Theatre. Previous design credits for the Royal College of Music include Hogarth’s Stages and Crime and Punishment. Sarah has worked on a number of notable productions including Dead and Breathing (Unity Theatre Liverpool and The Albany); The Mrs McMoon Show (The Egg, Bath); A tale of Two Cities (Darlington Hippodrome); Caught (Pleasance Theatre); Grass (Unicorn Theatre and a national tour); The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Park theatre); A World Elsewhere (Theatre 503); The Fosterling (Ovalhouse); The Poet’s Manifesto and (Theatre Royal Stratford East). In addition to her theatrical work, Sarah also designs for live events and photo shoots. Her previous clients have included Zoella, Playstation, Ray Ban, Assassins Creed Syndicate and the Wellcome Trust.
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Ralph Stokeld Lighting Designer Ralph has worked in lighting production since 2009 and has collaborated alongside numerous directors and designers in theatre, opera and live events. He has toured extensively both in the UK and internationally. As lightning designer, selected credits include RCM’s Crime & Punishment (2016); Ovid’s Metamorphoses (2010-2016); RCM’s Hogarth Stages (2014); Timeout’s New Year’s Eve (2013); Tooting Arts’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2013); and Pants On Fire’s Pinocchio (2013). As production electrician he has worked on many productions including A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Cunning Little Vixen; Les mamelles de Tirésias & Une éducation manqué double bill; La Finta Giadiniera; Hansel & Gretel; Die Fledermaus; Albert Herring; The Magic Flute; RCM’s La Gazzetta (2014-2018); Faramondo, Ariodante, and Giove In Argo at the London Handel Festival, 2015-2017.
PRODUCTION For the Royal College of Music International Opera School Head of Vocal and Opera Nick Sears Director of Opera Michael Rosewell Deputy Head of Vocal and Opera Audrey Hyland Head of Composition William Mival Manager of Vocal and Opera Ann Somerville Opera Administrator Naomi Morgan Vocal Faculty Administrator Cathy Martin For the production Director Bill Bankes-Jones Conductor Natalie Murray Beale Designer Sarah Booth Lighting Designer Ralph Stokeld Production Manager Paul Tucker
Head of Costume Jools Osborne
Props Construction Britten Theatre Workshop
Costume Supervisor Philip Engleheart
Rehearsal Pianist David Smith
Assistant to Head of Costume Laura Pearse
Surtitle Operators Thomas Erlank Beatriz Miranda
Design Assistant Sylvia Spyratou
Thank you to the RCM Studios for their help and support with this production
Stage Manager Sabrina Buck Wigs, Hair and Makeup Supervisor Martine Jones Wigs and Makeup Deputy Jessica Richardson Make up provided by MAC Costume Assistants Christine Hayward Laura Pearse Katherine Vinicombe Fight Director Keith Wallace Dialect Coach Sonja Field Head of Stage Matthew Gorman Theatre Technician Meghan Sorohan
For Tête à Tête Artistic Director Bill Bankes-Jones Music Director Timothy Burke Administrative Director Anna Gregg Technical Director David Salter Marketing Leo Doulton PR Wildkat PR Associate Ensemble CHROMA Consultant Sarah Playfair
Set Construction and Painting Basement 94 Ltd
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Orchestra Violin Maja Horvat Viola Nicholas Hughes Cello Andrew Harsley Double Bass Daniel Tancredi Flute, Piccolo & Alto Flute Kristin Hammerseth Oboe & Cor Anglais Richard Lines-Davies Clarinet & Bass Clarinet Melissa Youngs Soprano & Alto Saxophone Alzbeta Klasova Tenor & Baritone Saxophone Sara Mendez Arias Trumpet Ruby Orlowska Trombone James Bluff Percussion Max Heaton (principal) Adam Cracknell Joe Parks Harp Ines Cavalheiro Piano & Synthesiser David Smith Orchestra personnel correct at time of going to print
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For the Royal College of Music
PERFORMERS
Performance, Programming and Faculty Manager Flo Ambrose Orchestra Manager Phil Sizer Concert and Venue Manager Katie Clay Orchestra Assistant Amy Whitaker Performance & Programming Officer Emma Diss Front of House Manager Melissa Gerber-Venter
Alice Ruxandra Bell Mezzo Soprano Alice Ruxandra Bell is currently studying with Janis Kelly. London-born and raised in France, Alice has participated in numerous musical courses and projects, taking up the cello at a young age and then through singing later on. She was a part of the Opera Junior chorus in Der Jasager at the Opéra de Montpellier, and also performed the role of Doris in Les Festes de L’Eté at the Opéra de Rennes. Alice is now in her fourth year at the College and has performed roles such as Eduige from Handel’s Rodelinda in Opera Scenes and Second Lady from The Magic Flute. Last term, she covered Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Dominic Bevan
Anna Cooper
Rosanna Cooper
Dominic Bevan is a postgraduate student studying with Timothy Evans-Jones. He is an RCM Award Holder supported by a Sir Gordon Palmer Scholarship. Dominic first studied English and French Law, but after five years working in financial services, he decided to embrace a career as a tenor soloist in 2015. Since moving to London he has been involved in various RCM operas, and he has also been the tenor soloist in notable oratorio performances such as Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s Creation and Monteverdi’s Vespers with His Majestys Sackbutts and Cornetts. Recent opera roles include Tamino in Die Zauberflöte for Westminster Opera. This summer, Dominic will sing the role of Orphée for Opera de Baugé’s production of Offenbach’s Orphée aux Enfers.
Anna is about to finish her Masters Degree and is a Soirée d’Or Scholar supported by the Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust, the Yorkshire Ladies Council of Education and the Josephine Baker Trust. She is delighted to be continuing her studies at the RCM International Opera School in September where she will be performing the role of Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, directed by Sir Thomas Allen. On the concert platform, Anna most recently performed as a soloist with the Royal Philharmonic orchestra in Cadogan Hall’s Myths and Fairytales series, conducted by Alexander Shelley.
Rosanna Cooper is a mezzo-soprano currently studying with Rosa Mannion. She is a TSH Prince Donatus and Princess Heidi Von Hohenzollern Scholar and is also supported by the Josephine Baker Trust. In 2017 Rosanna joined the English Touring Opera to cover the role of Sesto in Handel’s Giulio Cesare and was lucky enough to perform the role twice. Rosanna recently made her solo debut with the Royal College of Music’s International Opera School where she sang the role of Helen in Chabrier’s Une Education Manquee.
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Samuel James Dewese
Rosalind Dobson
Peter Edge
American baritone Samuel James Dewese is rapidly making a name for himself as an evocative artist throughout the United States and beyond. Samuel is an RCM Scholar supported by the Vivian Prins Award and studies with Graeme Broadbent. Recent highlights include Eugene Onegin at the RCM and solo appearances with Portsmouth Festival Choir and Highgate Choral Society. Samuel has twice been a district winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He was also a grand finalist in the 2017 Hariclea Darclée International Singing Competition, and a semi-finalist in the Francisco Viñas International Singing Contest 2018.
Rosalind Dobson studied English Literature at Magdalene College Cambridge, and is now a second year Masters student studying with Sally Burgess. Operatic roles include Miss Wordsworth (Albert Herring); Cunegonde (Candide); Fiordiligi (Cosí fan Tutte); Miss Jessel (The Turn of the Screw); Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro); Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream); Nella (Gianni Schicchi); and The Young Vixen (The Cunning Little Vixen). Rosalind has also appeared in the RCM opera scenes as Susanna, Despina, Elmira (Sosarme), Agnès (Written on Skin) and Semele. She is a Helen Marjorie Tonks Scholar supported by the Kathleen Trust.
Peter Edge is a baritone studying his Masters degree, supported by the Walker Trust. Competition successes include the International Medal at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod and a Highly Commended in the Kathleen Ferrier Bursary Competition. Peter’s opera roles include Alfio (Cavalleria Rusticana); Papageno (Die Zauberflöte); and Masetto (Don Giovanni) – where he toured France and the UK. Chorus highlights include The Merry Widow, Otello and Simon Boccanegra and Orfeo with the Longborough Festival Opera. Peter is also in demand as an oratorio soloist and has recently performed Bach’s St John Passion, Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s Creation. He made his TV debut on S4C, at Llangollen, and also appeared in the BBC film Florence Foster Jenkins. In addition, he regularly sings on live BBC Radio and is a BBC Introducing Young Artist.
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Guy Elliott
Milly Forrest
Laura Hocking
Guy Elliott is a young tenor from Surrey. At the RCM this year, Guy has performed in a masterclass with Sir Thomas Allen and he also performed alongside Roger Vignoles in a French Song concert. He is supported by the Sir Roger and Lady Carr Soirée d’Or Scholarship and Help Musicians UK. Recent external highlights include Messiah (Handel) at the Royal Albert Hall; Nelson Mass (Haydn) in Riga Cathedral, Latvia; and Stimmung (Stockhausen) at the Barbican Hall. Guy has covered Telemachus in Monteverdi’s Ulysses’ Homecoming and Mercurio in Cavalli’s La Calisto for ETO. He has also worked with the Education Department of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Milly Forrest graduated with First Class honours in July 2017 and is now a Masters student studying with Alison Wells and Gary Matthewman. In July 2017 Milly stood in for the Wigmore Hall’s last song concert of the season, performing alongside Elizabeth Watts, Mary Bevan, Benjamin Appl and many others. On the operatic stage, she has played Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Clorinda in La Cenerentola, Nora in Riders to the Sea and Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte. Last spring, she worked with Laurence Cummings on a baroque dance project with the Royal Academy as part of the London Handel Festival. Milly has just won the College’s English song prize and this summer she will be performing Miranda in The Enchanted Island with British Youth Opera. Milly is an Opperby Stokowski Award Holder supported by the Minerva Foundation and the Josephine Baker Trust.
British mezzo soprano Laura Hocking is currently a first year Masters student studying with Rosa Mannion and Gary Matthewman. She is a TSH Prince Donatus and Princess Heidi Von Hohenzollern Scholar and is also supported by the Mario Lanza Educational Foundation. Operatic experience includes the title role in Dido and Aeneas (Hurn Court Opera); La Grosse Dame in Les Mamelles de Tirésias (RCMIOS); and Zweite Damme in Die Zauberflöte (Broadstone Music Series). In RCM Opera Scenes she has performed the roles of Dorabella, Juno, Hermia, Ramiro and Xerxes.
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Samuel Jenkins
Edward Jowle
George Longworth
British tenor Samuel Jenkins is an H R Taylor Trust Scholar currently studying with David Rendall. His operatic roles have included Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Remendado (Carmen) and Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus) with Edinburgh Studio Opera; Coridon (Acis and Galatea) with Glasgow Opera Collective and BarokOpera Amsterdam (cover); and Don Eusebio (L’occasione fa il ladro) with Raucous Rossini. Samuel has also appeared as Ferrando (Così fan tutte) in RCM Opera Scenes, and performed solo and chorus roles in King Arthur in Edinburgh, L’Elisir D’Amore in Florence and Dido and Aeneas in Lausanne.
Baritone Edward Jowle is an undergraduate studying with Russell Smythe and Gary Matthewman. He is an RCM Scholar supported by the Josephine Baker Trust. Recent work includes Papageno (Die Zauberflöte/Westminster Opera); Baritone Chorus (Dardanus) and cover Curio (Giulio Cesare/English Touring Opera); Snug (A Midsummer Night’s Dream/ RCMIOS); Masetto (Don Giovanni/Euphonia Studio); Alidoro (La Cenorentola/ London Young Sinfonia) and Pirate King (The Pirates of Penzance/Grosvenor Light Opera). Future performances include Elviro (Serse) for Accademia Europea Dell’Opera and Falke (Die Fledermaus) for Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore. Edward will continue his studies at the College in September as a postgraduate student.
George Longworth is a Masters student studying as a tenor with Sally Burgess. He is the Charles Branchini Scholar and a member of the Josephine Baker Trust scheme. George’s extensive childhood singing and acting career has included leading roles at the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Young Vic and Opera North; musical theatre with Andrew Lloyd Webber; and a Radio 4 play with Jim Broadbent. George performed the role of Puck in the RCM International Opera School’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream this spring. As an actor, he is represented by Roger Carey Associates.
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Peter Martin
Timothy Morgan
Sahel Salam
Peter Martin currently studies with Russell Smythe and is supported by the Harpenden Music Foundation. While at the University of Leeds, he was awarded the Lord Snowden and Toothill Performance Awards. Previous roles include Frederic (Pirates of Penzance); Alfredo (Fledermaus); Damon (Acis and Galatea); Filch (The Beggar’s Opera); Spolleta (Tosca); Rinnucio (Gianni Schicchi) and Beppe (I Pagliacci). Peter has performed at the Grimebourne and Têteà-Tête festivals in London and premiered many new works including Will Todd’s If I Had Wings (performed at the Royal Albert Hall), Simone Spagnolo’s The Colour Blue and Dan Chappell’s Liturgie.
Tim Morgan is a postgraduate scholar, a Samling artist and winner of the 2014 Junior Kathleen Ferrier Competition. He is a Theo Max van der Beugel Scholar supported by an Alice Templeton Award and the Josephine Baker Trust. Previous work includes performances on BBC 3’s Music Matters; Handel’s Giulio Cesare (cover Cesare) with the English Touring Opera; Berenice (Arsace) with the La Nuova Musica; Faramondo (Gernando) for RCM international opera school; a European tour of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and Vespers with The Monteverdi Choir and Sir John Eliot Gardiner; Handel’s Esther (High Priest) at the London Handel Festival; Bach’s St John Passion with the Hanover Band; and Blow’s Venus and Adonis with the Dunedin Consort.
Originally from Texas, Sahel Salam is a Masters student in Vocal Performance who has performed and trained in a wide range of musical styles. Previous performances include Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte; Jack in Sondheim’s Into the Woods; and Vincent in Gounod’s forgotten opera, Mireille. Sahel has also played several tenor characters in Austin’s Bach Cantata Project. He has performed operatically both at home in Texas and abroad in Salzburg, Austria and Perigeuex, France. Sahel was placed as a semi-finalist in the 2017 Classical Singer Competition in Boston among hundreds of auditionees from around the US. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin under the instruction of renowned tenor William Lewis and conductor Kelly Kuo. He is generously supported by an Alice Templeton Scholarship. 19
James Schouten
Poppy Shotts
Rebecca Silverman
High baritone James Schouten completed his BMus at Goldsmiths, University of London, with Nan Christie. He is currently in his first year of his Masters in Performance studying with Tim EvansJones and is generously sponsored by Mrs Linda Hill HonRCM. His previous operatic roles include Demetrius, Harlekin, Papageno, Escamillo, Don Giovanni, Silvio, Marcello and Eisenstein. James recently played the role of Starveling in RCMIOS’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Recent contemporary projects include the role of Rupert Brooke in David Earl’s Strange Ghost; Nebuchednezzar in Joseph Cabon’s To Himself, Alone; and a performance in Simone Spagnolo’s Even you lights, cannot hear me.
Yorkshire-born soprano Poppy Shotts is currently studying as a Derek Butler Scholar with Alison Wells and Caroline Dowdle on the Master of Performance course. Poppy graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2017 where she studied with Clare Shearer and Julia Lynch. Competition success includes winning the RCS Governors’ Recital Prize for Chamber Music, and receiving Highly Commended in the Lieder Competition at the RCM. Poppy recently performed French song with Roger Vignoles, and made her solo debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Cadogan Hall in Grieg’s Peer Gynt.
Rebecca Silverman is a postgraduate student and a Carne Trust Scholar studying with Dinah Harris. Since 2012, she has performed annually at the Coopers’ Livery Company banquet which takes place at Mansion House in the presence of the Lord Mayor of London. She is also a regular performer at other livery company events held in the City of London. Rebecca has participated in masterclasses conducted by artists such as Roger Vignoles, Jonathan Lemalu, Mhairi Lawson and Mark Tucker. In 2016, she became Essex Young Musician of the Year. In July 2017, Rebecca will be understudy for Anush Hovhannisyan in the role of Adina in L’elisir d’amore at the New Generation Festival in Florence.
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SUPPORT THE FUTURE OF MUSIC MORE MUSIC HAS STARTED After eight years of planning and preparation, building work for our More Music development project is well underway. Our exciting plans will develop new state-of-the-art facilities, complementing our existing spaces and opening up the entrance to the building to facilitate access to our events and collections. The new development will radically enhance our building, transforming the way students and visitors experience the RCM.
BECOME AN RCM FRIEND Join the Royal College of Music as a Friend today and you will enjoy a range of benefits including: •
Priority booking and access to the best seats for all RCM concerts and opera productions.
•
Invitations to an exclusive programme of RCM Friends events.
•
Termly RCM Events Guides and Upbeat magazine.
More Music will provide:
Friends membership also makes an ideal gift for a music-loving friend or family member.
• Increased scholarship and bursary provision.
Membership starts from just £40 per year.
• Two new performance spaces.
Visit www.rcm.ac.uk/friends for more information.
• Increased provision to over 100 multipurpose teaching, rehearsal and practice rooms. • Open public spaces including a new café bar and restaurant • A permanent and accessible home for our Royal College of Music Museum.
To become a Friend or to arrange a gift membership please contact Rachel Bowden, Supporter Engagement Officer on 020 7591 4331 or email friends@rcm.ac.uk
• Enhanced step-free access for students, staff and visitors. If you have enjoyed our performances, been inspired by our musicians or, like us, believe in music’s power and importance, please consider making a donation and supporting our work.
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THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS Music has the power to transform lives. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, generations of gifted students from around the world have been nurtured and trained at the RCM. We would like to thank in particular our More Music Founding Patrons and Leadership Supporters, as well as those who have made donations of £5,000 or more between February 2017 and February 2018 who are acknowledged below. Gifts are listed alphabetically in order of surname. More Music Founding Patrons ABRSM The Estate of George Frederick Burgan The Estate of Basil Coleman Heritage Lottery Fund The Estate of Christopher Hogwood CBE HonDMus Kingdom Music Education Group Rena & Sandro Lavery The Estate of Neville Wathen The Garfield Weston Foundation Leadership Supporters The Derek Butler Trust Philip Carne MBE HonRCM & Christine Carne The Estate of John & Marjorie Coultate The Estate of Jocelyn Cruft The Estate of Margaret Dewey The Foyle Foundation The Future of Russia Foundation The Harry and Gylla Godwin Charitable Trust HEFCE Linda Hill HonRCM & Dr Tony Hill Sara Nelson Horner The Leverhulme Trust The Linbury Trust The Estate of William Mealings The Mirfield Trust The Polonsky Foundation Geoffrey Richards HonRCM & Valerie Richards The Estate of Michael Rimmer Victoria, Lady Robey OBE The Estate of Emma Rose Soirée d’Or Scholarships Ruth West HonRCM & Dr Michael West 22
Major Supporters Jane Barker CBE Laurie Barry The Estate of Heather Curry The John Curwen Society Peter & Annette Dart Fishmongers’ Company Hamish & Sophie Forsyth The Harbour Foundation The Hargreaves and Ball Charitable Trust The Headley Trust Help Musicians UK Kirby Laing Foundation John Lewis Partnership Professor Christopher & Vivienne Liu Philip Loubser Foundation The Estate of Billy Newman John Nickson & Simon Rew P F Charitable Trust The Pure Land Foundation The Julia & Hans Rausing Trust The Reed Foundation & The Big Give Christmas Challenge The Estate of Olive Gwendoline Rees Dasha Shenkman OBE HonRCM Peter & Dimity Spiller H R Taylor Trust Bob & Sarah Wigley The Wolfson Foundation The Henry Wood Accommodation Trust
Supporters The Estate of Gillian Ashby Ashley Family Foundation BAE The Biddy Baxter & John Hosier Trust Dr Linda Beeley Lord Black & Mark Bolland Bowerman Charitable Trust The Boltini Trust Anne Bradley Cambridge in America Sir Roger & Lady Carr HonRCM The Thomas Sivewright Catto Charitable Settlement The Cayzer Trust Company Ltd The Estate of Roselyn Ann Clifton Parker Lord Davies of Abersoch CBE The Drapers’ Company The Gilbert & Eileen Edgar Foundation Lesley Ferguson The Freakley Family The Hon. Mrs Gilmour In memory of Alvin Gold Elaine Greenberg & Linda Perez Andrew Haigh Helen Hamlyn Trust The Estate of Barbara Margaret Holt The Houston Family Independent Opera at Sadler’s Wells JMC Ruth Keattch Professor Colin Lawson CBE FRCM Lee Abbey London Carol & Geoff Lindey
Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust The Hon Richard Lyttelton & Romilly Lyttelton The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation UK The Honourable Society of the Knights of the Round Table The Dolly Knowles Charitable Trust The Estate of Anthony Mason The Mercers’ Company Jamie Milford Rosemary Millar HonRCM & Richard Millar The Countess of Munster Musical Trust Pro Musica Ltd Midori Nishiura HonRCM Humphrey Norrington OBE FRCM & Frances Norrington The Charles Peel Charitable Trust The Stanley Picker Charitable Trust The Estate of Charles Stewart Richardson Sir Simon & Lady Robertson Hilda Scarth Kathleen Beryl Sleigh Charitable Trust South Square Trust Steinway & Sons Ian Stoutzker CBE FRCM Robert & Betty Sutherland Tait Memorial Trust Ian & Meriel Tegner Lynette Tiong Universal Music Group Rev Lyndon van de Pump FRCM & Edward Brooks FRCM The Wall Trust Sir Peter & Lady Walters Bob & Sarah Wigley The Mills Williams Foundation Jane Wilson Professor Lord Winston & Lady Winston The Worshipful Company of Musicians The Wyseliot Charitable Trust And those who wish to remain anonymous
CIRCLES FOR EXCELLENCE MEMBERS Chairman’s Circle Brian & Janice Capstick Philip Carne MBE HonRCM & Christine Carne Guy Dawson & Samantha Horscroft Gisela Gledhill Linda Hill HonRCM & Dr Tony Hill Terry Hitchcock TSH Prince Donatus and Princess Heidi Von Hohenzollern David James Clare & James Kirkman James & Margaret Lancaster Lark Insurance Dr Mark Levesley & Christina Hoseason Victoria, Lady Robey OBE Roland Saam Dasha Shenkman OBE HonRCM Alethea Siow & Jeremy Furniss Ruth West HonRCM & Dr Michael West
Charles & Dominique Lubar David Mildon Ellen Moloney Jennifer Neelands Kara Radcliffe Kerry & Dimity Rubie Sir Richard & Lady Sykes Anthony Thornton Rhoddy Voremberg John Ward Jane Wilson Sir Robert & Lady Wilson
Director’s Circle Sir Peter & Lady Middleton FRCM John Nickson & Simon Rew Richard Price FRCM & Sue Price Russell Race Peter & Dimity Spiller Robert & Betty Sutherland Brian & Anne Wadsworth OBE Patrons’ Circle Isla Baring OAM Jane Barker CBE John & Halina Bennett Lady Bergman Lorraine Buckland Sir Anthony Cleaver FRCM & Lady Cleaver Elisabeth de Kergorlay Dr Ian & Janet Edmondson Professor Alice Gast Lily & Julian Harriss Greta Hemus John & Susan Heywood David & Sue Lewis
For more information about supporting the Royal College of Music, visit www.rcm.ac.uk/supportus
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