Award nominations
Congratulations to Nardus Williams who has been shortlisted for the Rising Talent Award in this year’s International Opera Awards which take place on 28th November 2022 in the Teatro Real, Madrid.
Nardus is currently appearing with Glyndebourne on Tour as Countess, Le nozze di Figaro and in January 2023 she makes her role and house debuts for Opéra de Rouen as Helena in Richard Carsen’s renowned production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream alongside Kitty Whately (Hermia) and William Thomas (Snug). She was also nominated for the The Times Breakthrough Award at this year’s South Bank Sky Arts awards.
Main photo: Nardus Williams as Countess, © Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith
We also send congratulations to Neil Balfour who has been shortlisted for the Voice of Black Opera Competition, with semi-finals taking place in Birmingham on 24 and 25 November
Debuts
Catriona Morison made her role debut as Fricka Das Rheingold on 8 October at Staatstheater Braunschweig, with performances continuing until December.
Louise Alder is currently appearing in her debut Fiordiligi Così fan tutte, with Bayerische Staatsoper, conducted by Vladimir Jurowski. The production is available to watch for free on Bayerische Staatsoper’s YouTube channel until the end of November.
Nicola Said made her house and role debut as Frasquita, Carmen for Teatru Astra, Gozo, Malta.
Finnegan Downie Dear who is making a name for himself as an orchestral conductor made his US debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, in which he was joined by Olivia Warburton, in a programme of Knussen, Ravel and Mussorgsky. He also makes his Staatsoper Berlin debut in January, conducting Janáček’s The Makropulos Case with Nicky Spence and has a number of significant orchestral debuts lined up for next year.
Kieran Rayner makes his Royal Opera House debut in the Linbury Theatre as Junius in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia in a joint production between the Britten Pears Young Artists Programme and Jette Parker Artists Programme, with the Aurora Orchestra.
Recordings
Jennifer France, Toby Spence and Claire Barnett-Jones appear on a new release of Tippett’s The Midsummer Marriage in a live performance with London Philharmonic Orchestra recorded at the Royal Festival Hall last year. The recording was named ‘Editor’s Choice’ in Gramophone Magazine and in a five-star review for BBC Music Magazine, Christopher Cook writes ‘Unexpectedly, it’s the second pair of lovers, Bella and Jack, admirably sung by Jennifer France and Toby Spence, who capture your ear’ .
Hannah Morrison is the soprano soloist on a new recording of Bach cantatas for Chorus Musicus Köln and Das Neue Orchester directed by Christoph Spering, released on the Deutsche Harmonia Mundi label.
Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts
A reminder that you can currently hear Kathryn Rudge, Libby Burgess and William Vann in a series of Radio 3 lunchtime concerts recorded at this year’s Oxford Lieder Festival and a recital by James Newby with Malcolm Martineau recorded at this years Lammermuir Festival – all available on BBC Sounds. Upcoming lunchtime concert broadcasts include Catriona Hewitson (8 November) and Nicky Spence (10 November) both performing with Malcolm Martineau in a series of concerts recorded earlier in the year at the Royal Scottish Conservatoire.
