Amanda Forbes
“Amanda is one of Australia's most talented young opera singers.”
— National Operatic Aria Competition / Australian Broadcasting Corporation
“Amanda is one of Australia's most talented young opera singers.”
— National Operatic Aria Competition / Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Katharine Fuge
"...the delectable soprano Katharine Fuge sang with lip-smacking milky white tone...”
— The Times
Photo: Marco Borggreve
"...the delectable soprano Katharine Fuge sang with lip-smacking milky white tone...”
— The Times
Photo: Marco Borggreve
Sally Harrison
“Sally Harrison was a glorious Fiordiligi, fickle and remorseful with a beautiful singing voice.”
— Munster Express
“Sally Harrison was a glorious Fiordiligi, fickle and remorseful with a beautiful singing voice.”
— Munster Express
Denise Leigh
““The quality of her voice which makes it special is its ethereal clarity, which comes across well in the Bach and Handel..."
— Opera Today
““The quality of her voice which makes it special is its ethereal clarity, which comes across well in the Bach and Handel..."
— Opera Today
Alwyn Mellor
"To round things out, soprano Alwyn Mellor claims her own piece of the stage as Elektra's sister Chrysothemis and holds her own in the face of these two powerful performances (Susan Bullock and Ewa Podles) to complete a performance triangle that is virtually unassailable."
—Toronto Sun
"To round things out, soprano Alwyn Mellor claims her own piece of the stage as Elektra's sister Chrysothemis and holds her own in the face of these two powerful performances (Susan Bullock and Ewa Podles) to complete a performance triangle that is virtually unassailable."
—Toronto Sun
Rachel Nicholls
“...the remarkable Rachel Nicholls, who gave us the most beautiful moments and the only dramatically convincing performance of the evening.”
— Forum Opéra
“...the remarkable Rachel Nicholls, who gave us the most beautiful moments and the only dramatically convincing performance of the evening.”
— Forum Opéra
Sarah Redgwick
“Sarah Redgwick – a 100 watt light bulb of a voice – a most promising songbird”
— The Times
“Sarah Redgwick – a 100 watt light bulb of a voice – a most promising songbird”
— The Times
Rebecca Ryan
“The happiest discovery was the soprano Rebecca Ryan’s sparkling Angelica, supposedly Orlando’s inamorata but much more attracted by Medoro. Miss Ryan makes a delightful soubrette – and with depths beautifully displayed in the range and variety of her arias here. Everybody should want her as a Susanna for Figaro, or a Despina for Così, or a Zerlina for Don Giovanni: her intelligence, wit and charm would surely triumph”
— The Financial Times
“The happiest discovery was the soprano Rebecca Ryan’s sparkling Angelica, supposedly Orlando’s inamorata but much more attracted by Medoro. Miss Ryan makes a delightful soubrette – and with depths beautifully displayed in the range and variety of her arias here. Everybody should want her as a Susanna for Figaro, or a Despina for Così, or a Zerlina for Don Giovanni: her intelligence, wit and charm would surely triumph”
— The Financial Times
Katherine
Allen
“The sly wit of Ramiro was elegantly served up by Katherine Allen.”
— The Times
Winner of the Towyn Roberts Scholarship at the National Eisteddfod 2006
“The sly wit of Ramiro was elegantly served up by Katherine Allen.”
— The Times
Winner of the Towyn Roberts Scholarship at the National Eisteddfod 2006
Fiona Kimm
"A masterly asset in the outstanding character mezzo Fiona Kimm, who brought to the gypsy Azucena - as besotting and bewitching as Carmen - the kind of visual fire and vocal power, notably a superb low register, one looks for on the national opera stage, where Kimm is an acclaimed regular.””
— Opera Now
"A masterly asset in the outstanding character mezzo Fiona Kimm, who brought to the gypsy Azucena - as besotting and bewitching as Carmen - the kind of visual fire and vocal power, notably a superb low register, one looks for on the national opera stage, where Kimm is an acclaimed regular.””
— Opera Now
Catherine King
“Catherine King has a voice that many singers would die — or even kill for. It is absolutely flawless, stunningly accurate, and its quality has a uniformity across the range that would make any other singer spit.”
— Early Music Review
Photo: Steve Mitchell
“Catherine King has a voice that many singers would die — or even kill for. It is absolutely flawless, stunningly accurate, and its quality has a uniformity across the range that would make any other singer spit.”
— Early Music Review
Photo: Steve Mitchell
James
Laing
“The compelling young countertenor James Laing is becoming quite a master of sinister, ethereally pitched roles: he was outstanding as the Fox in Opera North's recent Pinocchio and is no less compelling here as an androgynously alien Oberon, his voice as sharp and scintillating as the diamante sarong and skull cap he is given to wear.”
— The Guardian
“The compelling young countertenor James Laing is becoming quite a master of sinister, ethereally pitched roles: he was outstanding as the Fox in Opera North's recent Pinocchio and is no less compelling here as an androgynously alien Oberon, his voice as sharp and scintillating as the diamante sarong and skull cap he is given to wear.”
— The Guardian
Michael Bracegirdle
“Another fine young English singer, tenor Michael Bracegirdle, makes the most of his opportunities as the poet Lensky, mustering as much power as finesse when roused, and savouring his great pre-duel aria...”
— The Guardian
“Another fine young English singer, tenor Michael Bracegirdle, makes the most of his opportunities as the poet Lensky, mustering as much power as finesse when roused, and savouring his great pre-duel aria...”
— The Guardian
Joseph Cornwell
“The star of the cast is without doubt Joseph Cornwell (Tamese), who complements clarity of tone and text with glorious expressiveness in that memorable first aria. For a tenor in Baroque repertoire, nothing exceeds the technical demands of Tamese’s two coloratura numbers (written for Annibale Pio Fabri, perhaps opera's first tenor to achieve the status of legend.) Cornwell handles them with staggering confidence.”
— International Record Review
“The star of the cast is without doubt Joseph Cornwell (Tamese), who complements clarity of tone and text with glorious expressiveness in that memorable first aria. For a tenor in Baroque repertoire, nothing exceeds the technical demands of Tamese’s two coloratura numbers (written for Annibale Pio Fabri, perhaps opera's first tenor to achieve the status of legend.) Cornwell handles them with staggering confidence.”
— International Record Review
Olivier Dumait
“Olivier Dumait's fine Médor sounds like a young Philip Langridge”
— The Financial Times
“Olivier Dumait's fine Médor sounds like a young Philip Langridge”
— The Financial Times
Nicholas Ransley
“Nicholas Ransley’s Ramiro benefited from the best voice and technique heard to advantage in Rossini’s decorative lines.”
— Opera
Photo: Christoher Reece–Bowen
“Nicholas Ransley’s Ramiro benefited from the best voice and technique heard to advantage in Rossini’s decorative lines.”
— Opera
Photo: Christoher Reece–Bowen
Todd Wilander
“Todd Wilander, in the cruelly high role of her bewitched lover Renaud, sings with winning vigour.”
— The Times
“Todd Wilander, in the cruelly high role of her bewitched lover Renaud, sings with winning vigour.”
— The Times
Marc
Boucher
“The only thing to say about Boucher is let’s hear more! This singer is not only fabulous as a vocalist for all the right reasons … light as air, rich and deep at the same time. What more can a baritone be?”
— KW Record
Photo: Etienne Boucher–Cazabon
UK & Benelux
“The only thing to say about Boucher is let’s hear more! This singer is not only fabulous as a vocalist for all the right reasons … light as air, rich and deep at the same time. What more can a baritone be?”
— KW Record
Photo: Etienne Boucher–Cazabon
UK & Benelux
Jonathan Gunthorpe
“No one does it better than Jonathan Gunthorpe, whose performance as Papageno has such flair that you'd never guess that he was drafted in at short notice. A natural comic, he's Tommy Cooper one minute, Eric Morecambe the next, but he also sings with genuine charm.”
— Evening Standard
“No one does it better than Jonathan Gunthorpe, whose performance as Papageno has such flair that you'd never guess that he was drafted in at short notice. A natural comic, he's Tommy Cooper one minute, Eric Morecambe the next, but he also sings with genuine charm.”
— Evening Standard
Paul Carey Jones
“...at the 2005 Wexford Festival, Jones proved to be one of the vocal and dramatic highlights of an excellent season.”
- Opera News
“...at the 2005 Wexford Festival, Jones proved to be one of the vocal and dramatic highlights of an excellent season.”
- Opera News
Wyn Pencarreg
“Wyn Pencarreg’s robust Father set standards that all the others should match.”
— The Times
“Wyn Pencarreg’s robust Father set standards that all the others should match.”
— The Times
Adrian Powter
“Well, if all round talent was anything to go by, I would plump for the Guglielmo of Adrian Powter, perfect in articulation, phrasing and ease of deportment.”
— Opera
“Well, if all round talent was anything to go by, I would plump for the Guglielmo of Adrian Powter, perfect in articulation, phrasing and ease of deportment.”
— Opera
Riccardo Simonetti
“...Riccardo Simonetti is every inch the swaggering Italianate baritone as Belcore.”
— The Guardian
“...Riccardo Simonetti is every inch the swaggering Italianate baritone as Belcore.”
— The Guardian
Simon Thorpe
“Words were powerfully projected by Simon Thorpe, a Tasmanian baritone of broad vocal and expressive range who totally inhabited the part of poor spurned Zurga."
— The Times
“Words were powerfully projected by Simon Thorpe, a Tasmanian baritone of broad vocal and expressive range who totally inhabited the part of poor spurned Zurga."
— The Times
Gerard O’Connor
"Gerard O’Connor’s Don Basilio produced a well-rounded tone in his stentorian ‘La calumnia’...”
— Opera
"Gerard O’Connor’s Don Basilio produced a well-rounded tone in his stentorian ‘La calumnia’...”
— Opera
Jeremy Carnall
“...under Jeremy Carnall’s inspirational baton, the musical standard was amazingly high, especially from the orchestra.”
— The Sunday Times
“...under Jeremy Carnall’s inspirational baton, the musical standard was amazingly high, especially from the orchestra.”
— The Sunday Times
Nicholas Jenkins
"Yet with Jenkins (a regular assistant to Marc Minkowski) tirelessly sustaining both dramatic momentum and rhythmic buoyancy, the magnificent instrumental richness of Mozart’s first mature opera was clear."
— Opera
"Yet with Jenkins (a regular assistant to Marc Minkowski) tirelessly sustaining both dramatic momentum and rhythmic buoyancy, the magnificent instrumental richness of Mozart’s first mature opera was clear."
— Opera
Alexander Walker
“It is without doubt that this young conductor will show himself to be a superlative director of the orchestra possessing outstanding musical and conducting qualities.”
— Professor Ilya Musin
“It is without doubt that this young conductor will show himself to be a superlative director of the orchestra possessing outstanding musical and conducting qualities.”
— Professor Ilya Musin
