CAST
LORD DUNMOW - CASPAR JAMES
Born in Norwich, Caspar Lloyd James has over 10 years of performing experience. For many years he was focused on the folk traditions of Britain, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. In 2006 he spent a year in the Caribbean studying music in many parts of the region. In Britain he has studied with leading exponents of Commedia dell'Arte. He was a founding member of the popular Edinburgh based group Orkestra del Sol; highlights of his time with this group include performing to large crowds at Glastonbury Festival on a number of occasions.
Since 2007 he has focused on classical singing studying with David Lowe in Norwich and Cambridge. He is now studying at Trinity-Laban Conservatoire with Omar Ebrahim. He has also studied with Penny Jenkins, John Huw Davies, Morag McLaren and Theresa Goble. After making his operatic debut with Opera Dinamica, Caspar will be playing the role of Starveling in Trinity Laban's Summer 2015 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream by Benjamin Britten.
LADY DUNMOW - COLLEEN NICOLL
A versatile and ‘enchanting’ (Glasgow Herald) soprano, Colleen Nicoll is currently studying a Masters in Vocal Performance at Trinity Conservatoire of Music under the tuition of Laureen Livingstone and Jean Paul Pruna. Colleen is generously supported by The Hope Scott Trust, The Kathleen Trust and the TLC Hardship Fund.
Colleen Has performed in numerous operatic productions; recent principal roles include Lady Dunmow (A Dinner Engagement – Berkeley), Daphne (Actéon- Charpentier) Yum Yum (The Mikado – Gilbert and Sullivan) and Giannetta (L’elisir d’amore – Donizetti). In Operatic Scenes Colleen has performed Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Britten), 1st Lady (The Magic Flute – Mozart) Foresters Wife (The cunning Little Vixen – Janáček) Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro - Mozart), Blanche (Dialogues des Carmélites – Poulenc) and Eurydice (Orphée et Eurydice – Gluck). Future roles include Tytania (A Midsummer Night's Dream - Britten).
Colleen has a busy concert diary, recently performing a solo recital with pianist Andrew Johnston for Perth Festival of the arts as well as Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate and Hayden’s Nelson Mass as part of the Edinburgh Festival and numerous performances of Handel’s Messiah.
Recently Colleen has gained a place on the mentor scheme with English National Opera and is also on the Student Scheme with the London Philharmonia Chorus.
MRS KNEEBONE - EMMA LEWIS
Emma Lewis is a postgraduate student at Trinity Laban. She is the Robinson Hearn scholar and is taught by Sophie Grimmer and Jean-Paul Pruna.
Recent opera roles include La Conversation (Les Plaisirs des Versailles), Orphée (Orphée et Euridice), Sesto (La Clemenza di Tito), Meg (Falstaff), Daniel (Belshazzar), Mother (Hansel & Gretel) and Sorceress (Dido & Aeneas). Chorus work includes Opera Holland Park, Hampstead Garden Opera, Echoris and Eboracum Baroque, of which she is a founder member. Upcoming engagements include Hippolyta in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Selysette in Ariane et Barbe-Bleu and chorus in Cosi fan Tutte.
Emma has performed as a soloist at the Brandenburg Choral Festival, Edinburgh International and Fringe Festivals, Old Royal Naval College Chapel, Blackheath Halls and St Martin in the Fields. She was a finalist in Trinity Laban English Song Competition 2015, Elisabeth Schumann Lieder Competition 2014, the Schubert Society Lieder prize 2014 and won the University of York Concerto Prize in 2011.
Emma is a Monteverdi Choir apprentice and is mentored by Sir John Eliot Gardiner. She is also a member of the Professional Singer's scheme with the London Philharmonia Chorus.
H.R.H THE DUCHESS OF MONTEBLANCO - BETH ARCHER
Beth Archer is a Mezzo-Soprano in her final year of her undergraduate studies. Prior to beginning her studies at Trinity Laban, Beth studied at Leeds College of Music, where she gained a National Diploma in Classical Music. Beth was a member of West Riding Opera Company in Leeds, where she made her Operatic debut performing the role of Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro.
Beth spent her 3rd year studying on the Erasmus program at the Conservatorio di Musica Francesco Morlacchi, Perugia, Italy. Alongside her studies at the Conservatorio, Beth was a soloist and chorus member of Coro Voci dal Mondo- Università per Stranieri, performing frequently in Perugia and Ancona. She performed Verdi’s Requiem with the Conservatorio choir and was a soloist in the Festival di Musica da Camera. Beth also studied Italian at the Università per Stranieri.
Whilst studying at Trinity Laban Beth has performed the Mozart Mass in C minor, Stephen Montague’s Requiem, Haydn’s The Creation and Orff’s Carmina Burana with Trinity Laban chorus. She has participated in Masterclasses with Ron Morris and Louise Winter. Her operatic debut at Trinity Laban was in Puzzle piece opera’s 2012 opera scenes. Most recently, she played the role of Vivian in Krenek’s What Price Confidence, with the role of Hermia in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream upcoming in Summer 2015.
PRINCE PHILLIPE - WILLIAM GLENDINNING
William Glendinning is a tenor in the second year of postgraduate study at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. He is a Leverhulme Arts Scholar, and studies under the guidance of Sophie Grimmer.
William has recently performed the role of Prince Phillipe, in Opera Dinamica’s thrilling production of Berkeley’s A Dinner Engagement. He has performed with Rydale Festival Opera at Grimeborn, Winslow Hall Opera and currently Bury Court.
In opera scenes at Trinity Laban William has performed as Orfeo (Orfeo ed Euridice – Haydn), Bill (Flight - Dove) and Lysander (Midsummer Night’s Dream – Britten) – a role he is looking forward to reprising in Trinity Laban’s production this summer!
William is a sought after ensemble singer, having been a choral scholar at St Mary’s church, Nottingham, and now a Lay Clerk at St Alban’s Cathedral. He sings at a variety of churches around London including the Old Royal Naval College Chapel, and he directs the Chamber Choir at Imperial College, London.
SUSAN - HILARY CRONIN
Soprano Hilary Cronin studies at Trinity Laban Conservatoire under the tutelage of Teresa Cahill and Helen Yorke. She is supported by Trinity College London and The Dame Felicity Lott Bursary. She is also a Dame Susan Morden Choral Scholar at the ORNC Chapel where she has sung several solos in the works of Bach and Handel.
Recent engagements include soloing in a Baroque recital featuring players from the OAE, John Tavener’s Song of the Angel with TL String Ensemble and performances as Susan in Lennox Berkeley’s A Dinner Engagement. With her main interest being opera, Hilary’s previous roles have included Gretel (Hansel and Gretel – Humperdinck) Cunegonde (Candide – Bernstein), Pitti-Sing (The Mikado – Sullivan) Noemie (Cendrillon – Massenet) and Juno (Orpheus in the Underworld – Offenbach). In operatic scenes Hilary has performed the roles of Rosmene (Imeneo – Handel), Lisette (La Rondine – Puccini) and Vitellia (La Clemenza di Tito - Mozart).
Hilary is also a keen ensemble singer and has recently gained a soprano choral scholarship at St Martin-in-the-Fields.
From 2010-13, Hilary read Music at Royal Holloway, University of London and, in her final year, she was awarded the Driver Prize for Excellence in Performance. She was a choral scholar of The Choir of Royal Holloway and performed solos on Hyperion discs and live BBC Radio 3 broadcasts. She now sings with Lumina Voices, a group comprised of former choral scholars.
Upcoming performances include Belinda (Dido and Aeneas – Purcell) and scenes of Tina (Flight – Jonathan Dove).
ERRAND BOY/ASSISTANT - TOM HOLLAND
Tom is a third year undergraduate student of John Wakefield.
This will be the fourth opera he has been involved in at Trinity Laban having been in productions of Offenbach’s ‘Orpheus in the Underworld’, Handel’s ‘Belshazzar’ and assistant directed on Puzzle Piece opera's condensed version of Mozart’s ‘Die Zauberflöte’ earlier this year.