Pictured above, Alexandra Achillea Pouta made her debut at the Glasshouse International Centre for Music and the BBC Proms on Sunday 28 July with Royal Northern Sinfonia’s Fantasy, Myths and Legends concert.
Photo credit: Tom Jackson / Tynesight Photography
Nardus Williams makes her Australian debut in Così fan tutte at Sydney Opera House as Fiordiligi this month, alongside Helen Sherman making her Opera Australia main stage debut as Dorabella and Filipe Manu making his Opera Australia debut as Ferrando.
opera.org.au/productions/cosi-fan-tutte-sydney/
Meanwhile, Lauren Fagan has also just made her Opera Australia debut, singing the title role of Suor Angelica. Limelight Magazine wrote:
‘It is Fagan who gives the performance of the evening…. Her vocal performance is exceptional – her ‘Senza Mamma’ is one of the finest operatic performances one can remember on the stage of the Joan Sutherland Theatre – her final top notes are heart-rending.’
Every year, Garsington Opera make awards to members of their young artists programme. This year, Jessica Cale received the Leonard Ingrams award for her exceptional contribution on stage and in the rehearsal room. As well as performing in the chorus, Jessica covered the role of Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro and sang the role in Garsington’s OperaFirst performance for schools.
garsingtonopera.org/2024-awards-winners-announced/
Francesca Lauri returns to the Royal College of Music as Lord and Lady Lurgan Collaborative Piano Fellow – she succeeds fellow Samling Artist Ella O’Neill in the role.
Beth Taylor makes her role debut in La Cenerentola with Opéra National de Lorraine in December with a cast that includes Sam Carl as Alidoro.
Pumeza Matshikiza will make her role debut as Tosca at Staatsoper Hannover in October and recently gave world premiere of Good Morning, Beauty by Jake Heggie with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Classical Pride festival. Ahead of Classical Pride, Pumeza gave a long interview to The Times, which you can read in full here:
Recordings
Samantha Price and Morgan Pearse are soloists with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Adrian Partington in music for chorus and orchestra by Sir Charles Villiers Stanford.
