4, 6, 8 & 11 November 2024

7pm

Silk Street Theatre

Die Fledermaus

Dominic Wheeler conductor
Ashley Dean director
Adam Wiltshire designer
Johanna Town lighting designer
Angelo Smimmo choreographer & movement director
Abigail Kessel intimacy director

Henry Reavey assistant conductor & chorus master
Eleanor Strutt assistant director

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Silk Street

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Eating is not permitted in the auditorium.

Drinks are allowed inside the auditorium in polycarbonates.

Filming or recording of the performance is not permitted.

Latecomers will be able to enter the auditorium at a suitable break in the performance.

Guildhall School of Music & Drama

Founded in 1880 by the City of London Corporation

Chair of the Board of Governors

The Hon. Emily Benn

Principal
Professor Jonathan Vaughan

Vice-Principal & Director of Music

Armin Zanner

Provost & Vice Principal (Academic)

Professor Andy Lavender

Welcome

Johann Strauss II (1825–1899)

Die Fledermaus (1874)

With thanks to Peter and Corinne Young for supporting this production.

Please note, this production will contain haze and strobe lighting.

Sung in German with English surtitles.

Surtitles created by Ruth Hansford.

Thank you to Royal Academy of Music for loaning props used in this production.

The performance duration will be approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes, including one Interval after Act I. There will be a pause of a few minutes between Acts II and III.

Act I: 45 minutes; Interval: 20 minutes; Act II: 45 minutes; Act III: 30 minutes

In this programme:

Director's Note

Perhaps the most enduring of all Viennese operettas, Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II, is a sparkling confection of mistaken identity, illicit liaisons, revenge and champagne-fuelled hedonism. However, even though Strauss had been hailed worldwide as the ‘waltz king’, his success as a composer of operettas was far from a foregone conclusion.

In the 1860s, the French composer Jacques Offenbach was the undisputed master of operetta. The burgeoning theatre scene in Vienna longed for works it could call its own to compete with the popular French imports.

Strauss’ popularity, gift for melody and wonderful orchestrations made him the ideal candidate to compete with his French counterpart. Indeed, Offenbach himself had apparently once remarked to Strauss that he should write operettas.

Strauss’ wife Jetty, an accomplished stage performer, had encouraged her husband to take on theatrical work despite his lack of formal training. Strauss, however, did not feel confident entering the dramatic arena, so it was apparently Jetty, working in cahoots with Max Steiner (co-director of the Theater an der Wien), who finally managed to convince her husband to embrace his potential. She secretly brought some of Strauss’ earlier compositions to Steiner who then had words set to them. When Strauss heard the result, he was not only stunned but, crucially, finally persuaded to try his hand in the world of operetta.

– Ashley Dean

Synopsis

ACT I

Outside the home of Gabriel von Eisenstein and his wife Rosalinde, Alfred serenades Rosalinde in hopes of rekindling their past romance. Meanwhile, Rosalinde’s maid, Adele, has been invited to a glamorous party by her sister Ida, but needs an excuse to take the night off. She invents a story about a sick aunt, but Rosalinde denies her request. Alfred appears and boldly declares his love to Rosalinde. Fearing her husband’s sudden return, she quickly sends Alfred away, but not before he has convinced her to let him return later.

Eisenstein arrives with his lawyer, Blind, after a court session where his sentence for striking a police officer was increased from five to eight days in jail, much to his frustration. He blames Blind’s incompetence for his extended sentence and furiously dismisses him. Eisenstein’s friend Falke convinces him to postpone his sentence and instead join him at a party hosted by the wealthy Prince Orlofsky. Eisenstein, Rosalinde and Adele share a bittersweet goodbye as he pretends to head to jail. Rosalinde gives Adele the night off to visit her ‘sick aunt’ and receives the passionate Alfred. However, their reunion is interrupted by Frank, the prison warden, who has come to arrest Eisenstein. To protect her reputation, Rosalinde persuades Alfred to impersonate her husband, and Frank carts him off to jail. Rosalinde receives an invitation to Orlofsky's party.

ACT II

At Orlofsky’s, the party is in full swing. Adele arrives, though her sister Ida denies inviting her. Ida worries Adele won’t fit in, so decides to present her as an artiste, Olga. Eisenstein, pretending to be a French nobleman, Marquis Renard, per Falke’s instructions, immediately recognises Adele as his wife’s maid but he is ridiculed for identifying her. Frank arrives also posing as a Frenchman, Chevalier Chagrin. Rosalinde arrives, disguised as a Hungarian countess. When Eisenstein attempts to seduce the mysterious woman, she manages to steal his pocket watch. Eisenstein entertains the guests with the story of how Falke earned the nickname of Dr Fledermaus: one drunken evening, when he was dressed as a bat for a costume ball, his best friend Eisenstein played a practical joke that left him humiliated. The crowd toasts drink, love and brotherhood, and dance through the night. As the clock strikes six, Eisenstein and Frank both realise they are late and rush to leave the party.

ACT III

Early morning in the prison, Frosch the jailer is irritated by Alfred’s constant singing from his cell. Frank finally arrives, extremely hungover. Adele and Ida arrive, both hoping Frank can help advance Adele’s dreams of becoming an actress. Eisenstein stumbles in expecting to serve his sentence. He is surprised to find that someone claiming to be him is already in custody and was arrested in his apartment while with Rosalinde. Blind also arrives, ready to defend the man in the cells. Eisenstein, determined to get to the truth, disguises himself as the lawyer to confront the imposter. Rosalinde bursts in, revealing that she knows her husband has spent the night at a party with young women, and declares her intention to divorce him. Rosalinde and Alfred are offended when the ‘lawyer’ seems to defend her husband. Revealing his true identity, Eisenstein accuses them both of infidelity. At this point, Rosalinde produces his watch. Falke arrives to reveal his plot: the revenge of Die Fledermaus.

Synopsis by Eleanor Strutt

Cast

Due to illness, Julia Merino is no longer able to perform on Monday 11 November. Karima El Demerdasch will perform the role of Prince Orlofsky in her place.

Gabriel von Eisenstein

4 & 8 November:

Dominic Lee

6 & 11 November:

Joshua Saunders

Rosalinde

4 & 8 November:

Mariana Fernandes

6 & 11 November:

Georgie Malcolm

Adele

4 & 8 November:

Biqing Zhang

6 & 11 November:

Samantha Hargreaves

Ida

Manon Ogwen Parry

cover:

Lowri Probert

Alfred

Sang Eup Son

cover:

Tobias Campos Santiñaque

Dr Falke

4 & 8 November:

Hector Bloggs

6 & 11 November:

Thomas McGowan

Dr Blind

Sonny Fielding

cover:

Ollie Williams

Frank

4 & 8 November:

Thomas McGowan

6 & 11 November:

Hector Bloggs

cover:

Twm Tegid Bruton

Prince Orlofsky

4 & 8 November:

Karima El Demerdasch

6 & 11 November:

Julia Merino

Frosch (spoken)

Redmond Sanders

cover:

Jacob Dyksterhouse

Chorus

Alexandre Allix

Kristina Ammattil

Annabel Bigland

Twm Tegid Brunton

Max Catalano

Ona Cerniauskaite

Georgina Cohu

Jacob Dyksterhouse

William Prasetyo

Kayla Raschke

Max Robbins

Matias Carbonetti Schwanek

Charles Secombe

Cecily Shaw

Eva Stone-Barney

Hella Termeulen

Orchestra

Violin I

Anna Brown*

Yente Lottman

Lichen Cai

Pavla Bedrichova

Natalia Lerch

Hayun Lee

Violin II

Evan Lawrence*

Erola Masqué

Yuxi Yang

Jess Hendry

Hana McDowell

Viola

Holly Woods*

Eve Quigley

Iva Durkovic

Michael Soza

Cello

Daniel Mihailiuc*

Josh Lucas

Alice Abram

Gabriel Webb

Double Bass

Aaron Aguayo Juarez*

Tom Mahoney

Caetano Oliveira

Flute

Lara Ali*

Emily Moores (piccolo)

Oboe

Daisy Lihoreau*

Cameron Hutchinson

Clarinet

Teah Collins*

Kacper Bryg

Bassoon

Sarah Byrne*

Maria O'Dea

Horn

Dan Hibbert*

Alice Warburton

Thomas Pinnell

Jacob Eynon

Trumpet

Alice Newbould*

Henry So

Trombone

Ollie Plant*

Andy Leeming

Bass Trombone & Tuba

George Good

Timpani

Reuben Hesser

Percussion

Tom Hodgson*

Ava Kinninmonth

Lauren Bye

Harp

Arwen Withey-Harrison

* section principal

Names and seating correct at time of publication

Ensembles, Programming

& Instrument Manager

Phil Sizer

Orchestra Librarian

Anthony Wilson

Music Stage, Logistics

& Instrument Manager

Kevin Elwick

Music Stage Supervisors

Shakeel Mohammed

Louis Baily

Production Team

Opera Department Students & Fellows

Assistant Conductor & Chorus Master

Henry Reavey

Assistant Director

Eleanor Strutt

Senior Coach

Yongqiu Yuan

Repetiteurs

Henry Reavey

Jack Gonzalez-Harding

Surtitle Operators

Jack Gonzalez-Harding

Yongqiu Yuan

Production Arts Students

Production Manager

Ida Pontoppidan

Assistant Production Managers

Dan Shelley

Daniel McDermott

Rehearsal Stage Manager

Dallas Thompson

Deputy Stage Manager

Agatha Giannini

Assistant Stage Managers

Liam Allen (book cover)

Nicole Thomaz

Technical Manager

Jakub Sypien

Production Electrician

Dan Basnett

Lighting Programmers

Iris Farquharson

Kirsty Edwards

Head of Costume Making

Emily Sayner

Costume Assistants

Koren Little

Abbie Simcock

Costume Makers

Pasha Taylor Hanson

Beca Roberts

Props Co-ordinator

Oscar Keeys

Lead Prop Maker

Bea Taylor

Prop Makers

Seth Cunningham

Emma Mason

Scenic Art Co-ordinator

Lauren Jones

Lead Scenic Artist

Alfie Edwards

Scenic Artists

Eddie Comerford

Iris Towers

Imogen Marinko

Christina Angus

Scenic Carpenter

Sandy McGregor

Construction

Joshua Sanderson

Katherine Byrne

Hawks Gómez

Christa Yap Shin Yee

Additional Staff

Costume Supervisor

Katie Higgins

German Language Coach

Johanna Mayr

Freelance

Stage Manager

Beth Pratt

Wigs, Hair & Makeup

Debbie Purkiss

Lucia Mameli

Wardrobe Manager

Nicki Weston

Stage Crew
working across our Opera and Drama productions this year:

Blair Addison

Tia Alexandrou

Megan Allison

Katie Ball

Emma Blake

James Broadhurst

Rachel Butterly

Muiris Capon-Telford

Emily Carden

Tommy Carroll

River Charteris-Wright

Katie Clarke

Cam Cole

Natasha Davies

Jonathan Desmares-Vaury

Mary Dorain

Vincent Farey

Eloise Fedarb

Nyah Felix

Aimee Fields

Maisie Gamble

Samuel Gilbert

Alice Green

Milly Gregg

M. Mei Griffin

Ellia Jayne Hallows

Izabel Hessian

Scarlett Horsburgh

Poppy Inglis

Raven Jakobs

Lara Jaques

Liam Jenkins

Harris Johnston

James Levy

Thailiyah Lindo

Pheonix Ying

Izzy Lovelock

Mary

Gemma Martin

Hailey Middlewood

Summer Minnott

A. Murphy

Ellisia Paper

Freya Parnell

Rebecca P

Dan Quirke

Hannah Rhind

Lola Ringer

Loren Rivera

Jack Rudd

Edmond Rudland

Howard James Shakespeare

Ben Sharp

Pidge Stinson

Elliott Stradling

Tj Sunderland

Isabel Taxman

Charlie Tiernan

Jamie Waters

Jasmin Weekes

Emily Wilson

Olivia Wood

Forthcoming Events

Guildhall Symphony Orchestra: The Planets

20 November 2024

Barbican Hall

Alpesh Chauhan leads Guildhall Symphony Orchestra in an out-of-this-world programme including Thomas Adès’ Polaris and Holst’s iconic Planets suite in the composer’s 150th anniversary year.

The Nutcracker and I

26 November 2024

Milton Court Concert Hall

A visual and musical treat for all ages, Alexandra Dariescu's 21st-century take on a seasonal classic features a pianist, a ballerina and state-of-the-art digital effects.

Autumn Opera Scenes

28 November – 3 December 2024
Silk Street Theatre

Outstanding performers from the first year of Guildhall School’s Opera Course present classical and contemporary operatic excerpts with piano accompaniment.

Creative Team

Dominic Wheeler

conductor

Guildhall School productions A Star Next to the Moon (world premiere), The Angel Esmeralda (world premiere), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Così fan tutte, The Long Christmas Dinner, A Dinner Engagement, Dialogues des Carmélites, The Tale of Januarie (world premiere), Mavra and Iolanta, The Rape of Lucretia, The Cunning Peasant, The Adventures of Pinocchio, The Little Green Swallow Dove (UK premiere), The Marriage of Figaro and Owen Wingrave with the Banff Centre (Canadian premiere).

Other operatic credits Das Rheingold, Siegfried, War and Peace, The Trojans and The Turk in Italy (English National Opera); The Barber of Seville (English National Opera and Opera North); L’elisir d’amore (Opera North); Don Giovanni (Opera North, Scottish Opera and Batignano Festival); Alceste (Scottish Opera and Opera de Nice); Manon (New Zealand Opera); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hungarian State Opera); Il tabarro and Gianni Schicchi (New National Theatre, Tokyo); Curlew River (Geidai Arts, Tokyo); Echo and Narcissus by Stuart Macrae and Gentle Giant by Stephen McNeff (ROH2 at the Linbury – world premieres); The Sofa/The Departure by Maconchy (Independent Opera at Sadler’s Wells); Pelléas et Mélisande (recorded for Chandos and shortlisted for Royal Philharmonic Society Opera Award); productions for Royal Academy Opera, English Touring Opera, Opera Holland Park, Chelsea Opera Group, Batignano Festival and Berlin Opera Academy.

Orchestral and choral credits Philharmonia, BBC Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony, BBC Concert Orchestra, English Chamber, European Youth and Opera North orchestras, and BBC Singers, Bach Choir, London Mozart Players, Northern Sinfonia, City of London Sinfonia, Sinfonia Viva, Orchestre de l’Opera National de Bordeaux, Tokyo Mozart Players and Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

Ashley Dean

director

Guildhall School productions Blond Eckbert, Sāvitri, Cendrillon, Le docteur Miracle, Phaedra, Ein Landarzt, The Long Christmas Dinner and A Dinner Engagement.

Other operatic credits The Cunning Little Vixen (Royal Academy of Music); Iolanta (Operosa Opera Festival, Montenegro); Carmen (Scottish Opera); The Marriage of Figaro, Così fan tutte, La clemenza di Tito, Ariadne auf Naxos and Phaedra (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland); Lucia di Lammermoor (Clonter Opera); L'incoronazione di Poppeaand Trouble in Tahiti (Royal Danish Opera Academy); Albert Herring (Co.Opera Co.); Night Pieces - Jerwood Project (Glyndebourne/London Philharmonic Orchestra).

Theatrical credits Twist and Shout (Il Palchetto - tour of Italy); The House of Bernarda Alba and The Dog Beneath the Skin (Cockpit Theatre, London); Hell and High Water and The Last Resort (Mobarak Festival, Tehran, winner of Artistic Excellence Award); A Christmas Carol (Strangeface Theatre, UK and International tours).

Adam Wiltshire

designer

Guildhall School productions Merrily We Roll Along, Fiddler on the Roof, Crazy for You, On the Twentieth Century, Guys & Dolls and Plenty.

Other operatic credits L’elisir d’amore (Landestheater Niederbayern); Il viaggio a Reims, Lucrezia Borgia, Der Silbersee, The Abduction from the Seraglio, Dido and Aeneas, Radamisto, The Duenna, Promised End (King Lear), Katya Kabanova, Teseo and L'infedeltà delusa (English Touring Opera); L'amico Fritz (Den Jyske Opera); Bluebeards Castle (Royal Festival Hall and Europe); Bluebeards Castle and Romeo and Juliet (Opera North); I was Looking at the Ceiling and then I Saw the Sky (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Riccardo Primo (Royal College of Music).

Ballet credits Vamos Cuba! (Sadler’s Wells); Miracle in the Gorbals (Birmingham Royal Ballet); Sensorium, Children of Adam, Tanglewood and Being and Having Been (The Royal Ballet).

Theatrical credits The Girl on the Train (Sailsbury Playhouse); The Great Gatsby, Antigone, Blue Stockings and Miss Julie (Chester Storyhouse); Macbeth (Theatre Severn); Hansel and Gretel (Rose Theatre); The Arrival (Tamasha Theatre).

In 2003, Adam became a group winner of the Linbury Biennial for Theatre Design. Since then, he has been designing ballet, plays, musicals and opera for The Royal Ballet, Sadler's Wells, West Yorkshire Playhouse & English Touring Opera. As an associate designer for Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, Adam has also worked in Japan, Korea and Australia.

Johanna Town

lighting designer

Guildhall School productions Albert Herring, City of Angels, The Cherry Orchard, Great Expectations, Lulu, The Seagull and May 08.

Other operatic credits The Queen of Spades, Orfeo ed Euridice, Dido and Aeneas, Cosi Fan Titte and Tamerlano (The Grange Festival); Porgy and Bess (Royal Danish Opera); Rinaldo (Estonian National Opera); Carmen, Katya Kabanoca and The Secret Marriage (Scottish Opera).

Theatrical credits The Hypochondriac (Sheffield Crucible); The Score and The Homecoming (Theatre Royal, Bath); The Tempest and Don Quixote (Royal Shakespeare Company); Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial (West End/UK Tour); Mother Goose and The Famous Five: A New Musical (Theatr Clwyd); Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical (UK Tour/Canada); Identical (Nottingham Playhouse/Kenny Wax Productions); Play On (Talawa Theatre/National Tour); Brassed Off (Theatre By The Lake/Stephen Joseph Theatre/Bolton Octagon); The Lightest Element, Peggy for You, The Memory of Water and The Death of a Black Man (Hampstead Theatre); Moby Dick (Royal & Derngate Theatre/UK Tour); Uncle Vanya (Orange Tree Theatre); One Last Push (Salisbury Playhouse); The Habit of Art and Being Mr Wickham (Original Theatre Company/59e59, New York); Two Ladies (Bridge); The Butterfly Lion, The Sound of Music, The Watsons, The Norman Conquests and Fracked (Chichester Festival Theare); Some Like it Hip Hop (ZooNation); Crush The Musical (Big Broad Productions); Guys & Dolls, Queen Margaret, Frankenstein and The House of Bernarda Alba (Royal Exchange, Manchester).

Johanna is the Chair of the Association for Lighting Production and Design, and a Fellow of Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

Angelo Smimmo

choreographer & movement director

Direction and choreography credits Faust, The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, Macbeth and Andrea Chénier (The Royal Opera); La damnation de Faust and Benvenuto Cellini (English National Opera, The Dutch National Opera, Opéra de Paris, Opera di Roma, Staatsoper Berlin, Opera Vlaanderen, Teatro Massimo Palermo and Gran Teatre del Liceu) The Magic Flute and Aida (Gran Teatre del Liceu); Aida (Montpellier Opera and Royal Danish Opera); La bohème (Torre del lago Puccini Festival); Les pêcheurs de perles (Opéra du Capitole and Teatro Massimo Palermo); Pagliacciand Il tabarro (National Korean Opera); Il barbiere di Siviglia (Teatro Comunale Bologna); Les contes d'Hoffmann (Lithuanian National Opera); The Dying Swan (La Scala di Milano); Bluebeard’s Castle and The Telephone (Lyrique en mer festival); V viaggio Barocco (Teatro Colón and Napoli Teatro Festival), La forza del destino (Regents Park Opera); Don Pasquale (Longhope festival); Apollo e Dafne (La Rocca Barocca festival); L'osteria di Marechiaro (Teatro di San Carlo, Napoli).

Angelo is currently involved in the writing of a new contemporary opera, ManipulOpera, that looks at mankind’s sense of omnipotence.

Italy has granted Angelo the Carlo Gesualdo Dance Award for outstanding international career and the Massimo Troisi Award for achievement in the world of art.

Future plans Movement Director for The Flying Dutchman (Opera North); Assistant Director for Il barbiere di Siviglia (Glyndebourne).

Abigail Kessel

intimacy director

Intimacy direction, movement direction and choreography theatrical credits Shakespeare productions at The Globe (Rutgers Conservatory) and numerous productions for Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, El Teatro San Martín in Buenos Aires, Argentina for The Edinburgh Fringe and for Dead Centre Theatre Company in Ireland.

Film credits Pretty Red Dress (BBC, BFI); Lady Chatterley’s Lover (Netflix); The Wasp (XYZ Films); Love Films (Film 4) and various productions for Netflix, Disney+, Film 4, Warner Bros, Sky TV, Sky Arts and Hulu. Current work includes UK-based Netflix series Out of The Dust.

Television credits Extraordinary series 2 (Disney+, Sid Gentle Films); Three Little Birds (Tiger Aspect, ITV); A Small Light (ABC); Tell Me Everything (Noho Film & TV, ITV); Red Rose (Eleven Films, Netflix, BBC3).

Abigail is Artistic Director of ARC Dance Academy London which she founded in 2015 to bring professional dance training to her local community to inspire the next generation.

Opera Deparment Students & Fellows

Henry Reavey

assistant conductor & chorus master/repetiteur

Guildhall School Repetiteur Course (second year) studying with Elizabeth Rowe and Dr Bretton Brown.

Scholarships Ironmongers' Scholarship.

Competitions Anthony Cross Memorial Prize in recognition of outstanding contribution to the Advanced Postgraduate Diploma course (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, 2023); Gordon Clinton Prize, accompanist award for English Song (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, 2023); Edward Brooks Lieder Accompanist’s Prize (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, 2022); John Ireland Prize (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, 2022).

Repetiteur credits Alcina, Opera Makers 2024, A Star Next to the Moon, Autumn 2023 Opera Scenes (Guildhall School); Banished, Mesdames de la Halle, The Cunning Little Vixen and The Enchanted Pig (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire).

Future plans The Dream of Gerontius (Mayfield Festival).

Eleanor Strutt

assistant director

Guildhall School Junior Fellow.

Director credits The Elixir of Love (Opera South East); The Crucible (University College Opera); Dido and Aeneas (Opera Asteria) and scenes from Orfeo ed Euridice, Gianni Schicchi, L’incoronazione di Poppea, Così fan tutte, La finta giardiniera and Die Fledermaus (Trinity Laban).

Director and choreographer credits Carmen (Opera South East); Singin’ in the Rain (Geoids Musical Theatre); Becoming Carmen (Prologue Opera); Shrek: The Musical (The Quay Players).

Assistant Director credits Rigoletto (The Royal Opera); The Elixir of Love, The Marriage of Figaro, Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci (Heritage Opera); Don Giovanni (Regents Opera); Così fan tutte and Orpheus in the Underworld (Berlin Opera Academy); The Pirates of Penzance (National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company); The Princess of Trébizonde (New Sussex Opera); Rape of Lucretia (Trinity Laban); Serena Fenwick Programme (British Youth Opera).

Choreographer credits Saturday Night Fever (Geoids Musical Theatre); Don Giovanni (Regents Opera); The Mikado and The Pirates of Penzance (National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company); The Marriage of Figaro (Heritage Opera); The Princess of Trébizonde (New Sussex Opera); Thea Musgrave’s A Christmas Carol (Trinity Laban).

Future plans Assistant Director Götterdämmerung, and the revival of The Ring (Regents Opera); Assistant Director Trial by Jury and A Matter of Misconduct (Scottish Opera); Director Fellow Travelers (UK Premiere, UCOpera); Director La bohème (Opera South East).

Yongqiu Yuan

senior coach

Guildhall School Repetiteur Course (second year).

Scholarships Kendal Scholarship.

Repetiteur credits Blond Eckbert, I due timidi, Fête Galante and Le portrait de Manon (Guildhall School); Music Staff The Rape of Lucretia (British Youth Opera); The Monk and The Lotus (Tête à Tête Opera Festival, Grimeborn Festival).

Jack Gonzalez-Harding

repetiteur

Guildhall School Repetiteur Course (first year) studying with Liz Rowe.

Scholarships Wolfgang Bruckner Scholarship; Principal’s Scholarship.

Conducting experience engagements as Principal Conductor with Mayfield Festival Orchestra and Barbican Sinfonia, and as Guest Conductor with London Mozart Players. Assistant Conductor credits include Sir Mark Elder & Hallé Orchestra at Ryedale Festival; Orchestra di Haydn e Trento & Bolzano for Puccini’s La bohème; London Symphony Orchestra Education Concerts, and Jonathan Cohen and Arcangelo.

Future plans Messiah and The Dream of Gerontius (Mayfield Festival); Guest Conducting London Mozart Players.

Hector Bloggs

baritone

Guildhall School Opera Course (second year) studying with John Evans.

Scholarships Gwen Catley Scholarship; Drake Calleja Scholar (2024/25).

Competitions First Place, Courtney Kenny Award (Association of English Singers and Speakers, 2021); First Place, Keith Bennington Competition (Guildhall School, 2024); Finalist, Chartered Surveyors Competition (Guildhall School, 2023).

Previous roles Sid Albert Herring, Eckbert (cover) Blonde Eckbert, Il Re (cover) La bella dormente nel bosco, Melisso (cover) Alcina, Pedro Páramo (cover) A Star Next to the Moon, and scenes from La bohème, The Rape of Lucretia, Edgar, Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro, Pelléas et Mélisande, Don Giovanni, Eugene Onegin, Manon and Die Fledermaus (Guildhall School); Don Giovanni Don Giovanni and Bartolo The Marriage of Figaro (Saluzzo Opera Academy); Silvio (cover) Pagliacci, Il Conte d’Almaviva The Marriage of Figaro and Fiorello Il barbiere di Siviglia (West Green House Opera); Marco and Betto Gianni Schicchi (St Paul’s Opera).

Future plans Sir Thomas Bertram in Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park (Guildhall School Spring Opera 2025); Crebillon in Puccini’s La Rondine (London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano, Barbican Hall).

Karima El Demerdasch

mezzo-soprano

Guildhall School Opera Course (second year) studying with John Evans.

Scholarships Edith Vogel Bursary; Rosemary Thayer Award; support from the Carr-Gregory Trust.

Competitions Finalist, Kathleen Ferrier Awards (2024); Winner, Susan Longfield Award (Guildhall School, 2022).

Previous roles scenes from The Marriage of Figaro, Hansel and Gretel, Carmen, The Barber of Seville, Roberto Devereux and Edgar (Guildhall School); Angelina La Cenerentola (Opera Kipling).

Future plans Julia Bertram in Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park (Guildhall School Spring 2025 Opera).

Sang Eup Son

tenor

Guildhall School Opera Course (second year) studying with Yvonne Kenny.

Scholarships The Scouloudi Foundation Scholarship; Huddersfield 1980 Scholarship.

Competitions Second prize, Joongang Music competition (2020); First prize and Minister of Culture Prize, Soori Music Competition (2021); The 42nd Daegu International Vocal Music Competition Special Prize.

Previous roles scenes from L’enfant prodigue, La bohème, Luisa Miller, Werther and The Barber of Seville (Guildhall School); Don Ottavio Don Giovanni and Nemorino L'elisir d'amore (Korea National University of Arts); Alfredo La traviata (Orpheus Opera).

Future plans Henry Crawford in Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park (Guildhall School Spring 2025 Opera).

Mariana Fernandes

soprano

Guildhall School Opera Course (second year) studying with Marilyn Rees.

Scholarships C & P Young Scholarship; Josephine Baker Trust.

Competitions Winner, Susan Longfield Award (Guildhall School, 2024); Winner, Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors Vocal Prize (Guildhall School, 2024); Finalist, Kathleen Ferrier Awards (Wigmore Hall, 2024), Finalist, Concurso Internacional de Canto Lírico de Lousada (2024), Finalist, Concurso de Canto Lírico Fundação Rotária Portuguesa (Centro Cultural de Belém, 2023).

Previous roles Mabel The Casserole, Angéle (cover) Der Zar lässt sich photographieren, Chorus Cendrillon, Chorus La fedeltà premiate, and scenes from La rondine, Arabella, Don Giovanni, Eugene Onegin and L'enfant prodigue (Guildhall School); Jody Jeremy Fisher (Operafest Lisboa); Suor Dolcina Suor Angelica, Chorus Cavalleria rusticana and scenes from Pagliacci (West Green House Opera).

Future plans Aunt Norris in Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park (Guildhall School Spring 2025 Opera); Petite Messe Solennelle (Romsey Choral Society); Beethoven’s Symphony No 9 (London Euphonia Orchestra and the Purcell Singers); Glyndebourne Festival 2025.

Sonny Fielding