We are delighted to begin this month’s Samling Artist news round-up with a host of Samling Artist competition successes and awards and we send our warmest congratulations to all:
Lea Shaw won the Grand Prize at his year’s International Vocal Competition ’s-Hertogenbosch in Opera and Oratorio, taking home a prize of €15,000. She also won the Van Amelsvoort Prize for the best performance of the competition’s set work; the ANED Fund Audience Prize and the Press Prize! As part of her prize, Lea made her debut at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on Wednesday, 14 October.
Photos of Lea at the IVC final (c) Sarah Hickson
ivc.nu/news/prize-winners-of-the-59th-ivc-opera-oratorio-competition
Gary Beecher is this year’s recipient of the biennial RPS Gerald Moore Award for piano accompanists – the fourth time running that this prestigious award has been given to a Samling Artist, as Gary follows Michael Pandya, Jong Sun Woo and Ella O’Neill. On receiving the award, Gary wrote to us to say ‘I would not be where I am today without Samling! I am so grateful for a wonderfully fruitful and inspiring experience back in 2020 which really helped to shape and hone my skills as a collaborative pianist.’
royalphilharmonicsociety.org.uk/performers/gerald-moore-award/recipients-to-date/gary-beecher
Eyra Norman won the IV International Virgilijus Noreika Competition in Lithuania and she will also be appearing in the upcoming Sky Arts documentary ‘Dangerous Debussy’.
Emily Christina Loftus received the Opera Europa Next Generation Award for her performance as Liù Turandot at Daegu Opera, South Korea.
Bridget Esler won the First Prize and the Audience Prize at the Froville International Baroque Singing Competition in France, followed by the Walter Furrer Prize in Switzerland. She also joins the inaugural Young Artist programme at the Brooklyn Art Song Society.
Zheng Jiang was selected as a finalist for this year’s Operalia, held in Shanghai. He has also just signed with OWL Artist Management.
owlartistmanagement.co.uk/talents/zhengjiang/
Artist News
The Mozartists have announced five new Associate Artists all of whom are also Samling Artists – Bella Marslen, Ellen Pearson, Zheng Jiang, Sam Hird and Yihan Zhao. Bella, Ellen and Sam make their company debuts in January in ‘The Truth About Love’ – a programme of Mozart arias and ensembles, alongside current Associate Artist Hugo Brady.
mozartists.com/the-mozartists-welcome-five-new-associate-artists/
James Baillieu has been appointed artistic director of the Two Moors Festival from next year, succeeding Tamsin Waley-Cohen.
twomoorsfestival.co.uk/news/new-artistic-director
Opera News
Sofia Kirwan-Baez performs her first main role in a major UK house in November singing Musetta La bohème in Welsh National Opera’s Autumn tour.
Sarah Gilford makes her debut at English National Opera in Iphigénie en Tauride with a cast that also includes Nick Pritchard and Morgan Pearse.
Garsington Opera and The Grange Festival have announced their 2027 seasons:
Garsington Opera
In La clemenza di Tito Cláudia Ribas makes her UK opera debut as Annio and Nardus Williams makes her role debut as Vitellia alongside Ed Lyon in the title role and William Thomas as Publio.
Claire Barnett-Jones is Mistress Quickly in Falstaff and Mary in The Flying Dutchman. The cast for Falstaff also includes Claire Lees as Nanetta and William Thomas is Pistol and Lucy Crowe is Romilda in Serse.
The Grange Festival
In The Grange Festival’s 10th anniversary season Dominic Sedgwick makes his role debut as Billy Budd alongside Toby Spence as Captain Vere and Hugo Brady as Novice. In Don Giovanni Dafydd Jones makes his house and role debut as Ottavio and William Vann is chorus master for Don Giovanni and Tosca.
Samling Artists in the North East
Opera North come to The Theatre Royal at Newcastle this week with Verity Wingate singing Tatyana in Eugene Onegin on Saturday 7 November.
Benjamin Hulett is Gerontius in The Dream of Gerontius in Royal Northern Sinfonia’s ‘Share the Stage’ project on Sunday 8 November, a performance combining RNS’s own orchestra and chorus with musicians from across the North East.
theglasshouseicm.org/whats-on/elgars-dream-of-gerontius/
Tim Morgan and Samuel Boden join Newcastle Bach Choir for an all-Bach programme of cantatas and the Mass in F, in King’s Hall on 14 November.
newcastlebachchoir.org.uk/
Recordings
Beth Taylor has released her debut solo album ‘The Deeps Have Music’, a water-themed recital with pianist Hamish Brown including Elgar’s Sea Pictures and the world premiere recording of Cameron Biles-Liddell’s The Breakers, written for Beth and Hamish. Presto Music reviewer Katherine Cooper writes: ‘The voice itself stops you in your tracks within seconds of hitting Play, but it’s the emotional immediacy which makes this a stand-out debut album.‘
outhere-music.com/en/albums/deeps-have-music
William Thomas is the bass soloist on a new recording of Messiah with the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists conducted by Christophe Rousset.
harmoniamundi.com/
