soprano
My passion for singing begun when I was a child. My brother, who is six years older than me, started studying music when he was six and the fact that he has always been my biggest inspiration made me want to do the same thing. I started in a children’s choir up until I was 11 and at the same time studied piano and musicianship. It was at this age that I decided to take the next step in my musical journey and audition to the Conservatory of Music in Maia, Portugal. There I got the opportunity to study piano, to become a member of a vocal ensemble, and travel around Europe participating in choral festivals. That had a huge impact on my life and it became more obvious how passionate I was about singing. Then at the age of 15, I got a place in Oporto’s Music Conservatory and I did my A-levels in singing and organ.
Having a full-time education in music was, in fact, a privilege. I come from a family where no one is a professional musician but that never interfered in the unconditional support I have received from them.
Now that I have concluded my bachelors and masters studies at Guildhall School of Music and Drama under the tutelage of Susan Waters, I am starting my freelancing career as a soprano. I believe that my biggest strength is being musical and perhaps that comes from the time I was a professional figure skater where I got to express myself differently. That has always been one of my biggest passions - together with cooking and swimming in the sea – which keeps me grounded and calm.
soprano
When I was little my mum got hold of an upright piano from the pub down the road. She brought it home, painted it bright red and let me at it! I grew up always loving performance, be it in school plays playing the piano or singing for anyone who would listen. I was also a keen hockey player and was getting pretty good until I broke my arm twice in one season, much to the annoyance of my coach and piano teacher! I realised then that singing was my real passion and applied to music college.
I spent five years at Trinity College of Music where I studied Jazz and Classical Voice. It took a while to convince my non-musical family that it was what I wanted to do, despite the fact I kept changing course and style of music making.
In my final year I was put forward to audition for the Monteverdi Choir Apprentice scheme. I had never worked professionally and had little choral experience but Sir John Eliot Gardiner saw something and took me on. This launched me into an amazing world of choral and ensemble music making and it gave me the chance to meet like-minded people and start my career as a freelancing singer.
I sang backing vocals for pop acts, signed with Universal for an album with Gareth Malone, sang on countless film scores, and also specialised in baroque ensemble music with the best musicians in Europe.
In 2017 I received my masters from the Wales International Academy of Voice, working with the wonderful Dennis O’Neill. In the same year I won the MOCSA Young Welsh Singer of the Year and was a finalist in the Stuart Burrows Voice award.
Since then I have been exploring the world of Opera, and have just finished my first season at Glyndebourne. This year I was a finalist it the inaugural By Voice Alone Competition, where I was awarded the Emerging Artist prize and am very much looking forward to making some exciting debuts in the next few years off the back of that competition.
I’ve had a very unconventional career and never really stuck to one thing but I think that’s what’s kept me going. Music, to me, is about variety and expression and I hope to keep exploring and learning as much as I can.
soprano
Music has always been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My dad is a freelance musician himself, and my mum is Head of Music at a school in Sheffield. I essentially had no choice but to be passionate about music.
Before coming to singing, I learnt both violin and piano and carried on learning them until leaving school. I think much of my musicality comes from having learnt violin from such a young age, and I’m very grateful to have even some piano skills to help me with my work (though I am definitely a little rusty!).
My first experience of singing was as a chorister in Sheffield Cathedral Choir, which I did from the age of 10 until 16. It was an extremely fun and formative experience that taught me the basics of choral and solo singing, sight-reading, and a love of classical vocal music particularly works by contemporary and modern composers.
Moving to London to start at the Royal Academy of Music after my undergrad was a big step for me in my career. I had never been in a music college environment before and was slightly apprehensive, but it was a great experience not only in helping my career but also a chance to interact with other musicians of an extremely high level.
I am currently a Young Artist at the National Opera Studio (NOS) after a year of freelancing, where I had the opportunity to work on music and projects I love: namely music by underrepresented composers, contemporary music and projects involving specific references to queer and trans culture. I hope to continue doing this in my year with NOS and am looking forward to being involved in more opera.
baritone
Music has always been a part of my life. My mother was an orchestral musician, and my father played in one of Glasgow’s many Brass Bands. Growing up in a village on the outskirts of the city, my childhood was filled with music and exploring the countryside near my home. Despite early exposure, it wasn’t until my first singing lesson (part of Higher Music in my final year of Secondary School), that I found my place in the world of music. I was amazed at how natural it felt to sing. The excitement and drive to find what my voice was capable of has stayed with me to this day.
Although I went to Aberdeen University to study Law, I joined the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, where I found the two things that would shape the rest of my life: I met the woman I would marry, and discovered a passion for performing on stage. I sought out every performance opportunity I could find, and was soon spending more time singing than studying. In my final year of university, I decided to audition for music college instead of pursuing Law. What seemed like a terrifying leap into the unknown was ultimately the only choice I could have made.
After completing my undergraduate degree at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, my first opera contract was with Iford Opera Festival. The opportunity to see the reality of life as a working singer convinced me that I could turn what had been a dream into a vocation.
No matter how far afield I have travelled, home and hearth will always be where my heart lies. I am lucky to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. I am happiest taking the road less travelled, exploring wild and out of the way places with the people I love, and in an ideal world, a big black Labrador named Murphy.