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Soloists |
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Katerina Miná is
making a name for herself as one of the finest
sopranos of her generation. Originally a Pianist and
Music Teacher, opera soprano Katerina studied at the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London where
she gained her BMus (Hons) Degree and a PGDip
(Opera). Her opera studies were supported by the
Corporation of London and the A.G. Leventis
Foundation. The Greek-Cypriot soprano was a prize
winner in two major singing competitions, the “1st
Concorso Vocale Internazionale di Musica Sacra” in
Rome, and the “7th Julian Gayarre International
Singing Competition” in Spain. She was selected to
participate in an opera Masterclass led by Tenor,
Maestro José Cura, organized by British Youth Opera.
For her opera scenes she sang Violetta La
Traviata(Act 3) and Mimi La Bohème(Act
3).
Katerina made her debut with the Kolobov Novaya Opera Theatre of Moscow as Nedda from the opera I Pagliacci. She has also made her first appearance at Megaron, the Athens Concert Hall, with the National Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of ERT performing the premiere of Christos Pitta's orchestral poem 1973 for soprano, orchestra, chorus, and electronic sound track, on poetry by the prolific Greek writer Vassilis Vassilikos. Katerina has recently sang the role of Mimi La Bohème in the United Arab Emirates, and in the following months she will be singing the role of Fiordiligi Cosi fan tutte and the title role in Poulenc's one Act opera La Voix Humaine. Katerina is based in London and continues her vocal studies with soprano Janice Chapman. She has recently been awarded the 'Singer of the Year Award', at the 2008 Madame Figaro Magazine 'Woman of the Year Awards'.
Anne Marie Gibbons has an extensive oratorio
and concert repertoire including Handel's Messiah
and Judas Macabbeus; Mozart's Coronation Mass and
Requiem; Vivaldi Gloria; Verdi Requiem; Beethoven's
Mass in C and Ninth Symphony (with the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra); Dvorák Mass in D; Bach
Christmas Oratorio; Rossini Petite Messe Solonelle;
and Mendelssohn Elijah and Bach Magnificat with
Richard Hickox at the St Endellion Festival.
Darren Abrahams has appeared in opera all over the UK and continental Europe. He has appeared twice at the Wexford Festival in Ireland, first as Dorvil in Rossini’s La Scala di Seta and then as Piféar in Adam’s Si J’étais Roi. In 2000 he appeared at the Rossini in Wildbad Festival, Germany and then continued to Italy to sing the title role in a concert performance of Le Comte Ory in Pesaro. For Classical Opera Co. he has played Alessandro in Mozart’s Il Re Pastore and Bastien in Bastien und Bastienne; he has toured the British Isles as Don Ottavio for ETO and as Ferrando for Mid Wales Opera, as Tamino for OTC and as the Tenor soloist in the Essential Scottish Opera tour of operatic excerpts. From 2002 until its closure in 2004 Darren appeared at the Batignano Festival in Italy, singing Tracolin in Adam’s Le Toréador, Ritornello in Gassmann’s L’Opera Seria and in 2003 the role of Il Pulitore in La Dama ed il Pulitore di Damasco, a new opera written by Jonathan Dove for Darren’s voice. This opera was included in a new trilogy by Dove which toured Tuscany in 2006. Further contemporary opera credits include Mischievous Boy and First Tenor in Alexander Goehr’s Kantan and Damask Drum for Almeida Opera, Leo in Tête à Tête Productions’ Family Matters and Molqi in John Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer in a joint production between Scottish Opera and the Edinburgh International Festival in 2005. In recent years Darren has extended his repertoire of Rossini operas, as Count Almaviva in the Barber of Seville for Savoy Opera, Frontino in L’Equivoco Stravagante for Garsington Opera, Don Ramiro in WNO’s 2007 production of La Cenerentola and Florville in Il Signor Bruschino for the 2008 Wexford Festival. For the last few years he has had an association with The Opera Group and the Young Vic Theatre, playing Tobias in Jonathan Dove’s Tobias and the Angel, a new production to reopen the theatre; the central role of Christoph Schmalhans in a new opera The Shops by Edward Rushton; and Daniel Buchanan in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene which won the Evening Standard Award for best musical in 2008. Other work has included Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas in Bologna, ENO’s Olivier nominated production of Monteverdi’s Orfeo and this year Pirelli in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd in Bologna, Lugo, Modena and Piacenza. As a concert artist Darren’s repertoire ranges from the Baroque oratorios of Bach and Handel, through to 20th Century composers such as Britten and Rachmaninov. He has performed Messiah all over the UK, at La Maestranza in Seville, the Jones Hall in Houston, le Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels and the Culture and Congress Centre in Luzerne, most often with The King’s Consort. His association with The King’s Consort also took him to Bristol Cathedral and back to Brussels to sing Mozart’s Requiem. He sang the role of Helenus in a concert performance of Berlioz’ Les Troyens at the Edinburgh International Festival, conducted by Donald Runnicles at the Usher Hall and a recent highlight was singing Rachmaninov’s The Bells with the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Alexander Dimitriev. As a recitalist Darren has given concerts around the UK, at the Wexford Festival and for the Teatro Communale in Bologna, and has a repertoire that spans German Lieder to the songs of Broadway. Currently Darren is working with pianist Lindy Tennent-Brown developing a unique concert partnership creating programmes based around themes, rather than genre which combine all their musical loves.
James Cleverton's most recent engagements
include his English National Opera debut in the role
of Oppenheim in Dr Atomic (Adams), Ford in Falstaff
for Nevill Holt Festival, Escamillo in Taunton,
Giuseppe in The Gondoliers and Strephon in Iolanthe
for Buxton, Alfio Cavallera Rusticana and Tonio I
Pagliacci for Burry Port Opera, Wales Eisenstein in
Fledermaus for Castleward Opera and Forester in The
Cunning Little Vixen for the Oundle Festival.
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