Past Events > 2017

Marta Fontanals-Simmons

Marta Fontanals-Simmons

mezzo-soprano

Described as possessing “real star quality” (Times) and giving a “a powerhouse performance that's a vocal and physical tour de force” (whatsonstage), Marta has completed both postgraduate and Opera Course training at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama under the tuition of Marilyn Rees. She is supported by the Gwen Catley Scholarship, the Worshipful Company of Leathersellers, the Countess of Munster Musical Trust and a Sybil Tutton Award. She is a Concordia Foundation Concert Artist and joined the Tillett Tr... Read Full Biography

Benedict Nelson

Benedict Nelson

Baritone

Highlights of the 2017/18 season include Donnacha Dennehy’s acclaimed The Second Violinist for Wide Open Opera, title role in Monteverdi Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria on tour in the United States with Circa Contemporary Circus, and Henry Cuffe in Britten Gloriana for Teatro Real. In concert he will sing Orff Carmina Burana with the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Peter Maxwell Davies’ Eight Songs for a Mad King with the Aurora Orchestra, and recitals at the Oxford Lieder Festival. Recent operatic highlights include the title ... Read Full Biography

Simon Lepper

Simon Lepper

Pianist

Simon Lepper read music at King’s College, Cambridge. He is a professor of piano accompaniment and a vocal repertoire coach at the Royal College of Music, London where he also co-ordinates the piano accompaniment course. He is an official accompanist for BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. Performance highlights have included an invitation from the Wigmore Hall, London to present a three concert project on the songs of Joseph Marx; a recital tour with Stéphane Degout which included the Ravinia and Edinburgh Festivals... Read Full Biography

Gavin Plumley

Gavin Plumley

Speaker

Gavin Plumley is a writer and broadcaster specializing in the music and culture of Central Europe. He read music at Keble College, Oxford and began his career in the publications and press departments at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. After working for several years as a theatrical and literary agent, Gavin decided to pursue a freelance career in 2011. He has written features and programme notes for the world’s leading opera houses, concert halls and music festivals, including the Salzburg Festival, for which he has been comm... Read Full Biography