Opera bites 2015A la Canto
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À la canto are a group of musicians based in Scotland with a passion for live performance, aiming to bring opera based work to a wider audience by performing bite sized opera pieces in venues across Scotland and the UK. Their first shows will be held 15 October and 16 October 2015 7:30pm in the Vault Edinburgh at St Augustine's, George IV bridge.
Artists appearing are as follows:-
Soprano: Sarah Dunbar,
Sarah Dunbar is a soprano currently on the MMus programme at RCS under the tutelage of Helen Lawson. Sarah has competed in singing competitions in London, winning prizes including the Rowland Howard’s Cup; Junior Folk Cup and the Intermediate Shield. She was also the only vocal finalist of the Kingston Young Musician of the Year 2006. Before commencing her vocal studies, Sarah completed a BA in English and Philosophy at The University of Southampton. She then performed in various works, including: Too Hot to Handel at The Theatre Royal Windsor; Stravinski’s The Rakes Progress (OperaCoast 2013) and Handel’s Saul (Zezere Arts Festical 2011) Roles include: Madam Silberklang in Motzart’s The Impresario (City Opera 2012) The Magic Flute and Guillaume Tell (City Opera Chorus 2012); Spirit 2 in Massenet’s Cendrillon (Zezere Arts Festival 2011); First Touriere in Suor Angelica (Zezere Arts Festival 2014); Despina and Susanna (Mmus Opera Scenes). Sarah currently sings in the choir at St Giles Cathedral and performs at corporate events. One of her most notable events was Ideal Home Show in Earls Court Exhibition Centre. This summer Sarah was nominated to take part in Fife Young Classical Artists 2015 where she performed opera scenes in such venues as Falkland Palace and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Soprano: Nora Holden,
Nora has just completed a masters in vocal performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) training under Helen Lawson. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Glasgow under Patricia Hay and graduated with first class honours. Recent performances have included the Governess (Britten) Turn of the Screw, Adina (Donizetti) L’elisir d’amore, Iris (Handel) Semele and Despina (Mozart) Cosi fan tutte in the RCS, Bach’s Coffee Cantata (under the musical direction of Baroque specialist, John Butt), Titania (Britten) A Midsummer Night in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Barbarina (Mozart) Le Nozze di Figaro in Berwick Opera Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Recent choral performances have included Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress with the RCS Voices at the Edinburgh International Festival with Sir Andrew Davis and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
Christian J. B. Schneeberger: Tenor
graduated with a BMus Hons (2:1) in Vocal Peformance in June 2013 from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He began studying under Iain Paton and Amand Hekkers, having won a scholarship to the B. Mus. Performance Course in 2009. His singing career began with Wilma MacDougall at The High School of Glasgow where he achieved great success in the prestigious competitions, The Singer and Musician of the Year, winning the Iain Paterson award for Outstanding Musicianship in Classical singing.
A promising Tenor, Christian studied at the RSAMD Junior Academy where he won the Glasgow Grand Cup for Opera.
Christian is a prominent performer at many festivals and has won numerous trophies at the Glasgow Music Festival, including the Glasgow Grand Society Opera Cup; the Gervase Elwes Memorial Trophy; the Thomas A. Kerr Trophy for Scots song; and the Agnes Duncan Trophy for the best overall vocal performance of the Festival. He was also honoured to be chosen as the Festival’s vocal soloist, at the Hundredth Anniversary celebrations in 2011.Previous successes include the Voices in Paisley Trophy in 2007 and the Voices in Paisley Burns Society Quaich in 2008.
Christian appears regularly for charities such as Christian Aid, and was well received when he appeared at St Andrew’s Cathedral during the 2008 Merchant City Festival. He was honoured to appear as the young guest artist at Kilmardinny Music Society, Motherwell Music Society, and as Tenor soloist in Oratorios with the Cowal Choral Society in Dunoon; Troon Chorus; St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh and New Kilpatrick Church Bearsden where he is choral scholar. Recently he stepped in to sing the tenor solo in the Mozart “Requiem” alongside Scottish Opera soloists at St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow when Jamie MacDougall was indisposed.
Christian has also been involved in the Scottish Opera Connect course being one of 20 young singers who were selected to work with professional singers and directors. While studying at the RCS, Christian has taken part in Prokofiev’s “War and Peace”,” Betrothal in a Monastery”, in collaboration with Scottish Opera. In the RCS’ own productions, Christian has undertaken roles in Mozart’s “Die Zauberflote” and Nicolai’s “Die Lustigen Weiber von Winsor”.
In November 2013 he appeared in a modern version of “Acis and Galatea” in collaboration with Glasgow University, in a role the Herald critic noted he took “with aplomb” and which he will revive at the West End Festival in Glasgow and the Edinburgh Festival.
Christian has been a member of NYCOS ( National Youth Choir of Scotland) appearing in the semi-chorus for “The Dream of Gerontius” at the Edinburgh Festival in the Usher Hall, at the Proms in the Albert Hall and has toured with NYCOS in Germany.
At the RSNO Junior Chorus and NYCOS Christian embraced the Kodaly technique and studied it for his degree. He now uses this acclaimed method with his private pupils and as Musical Director of Star Struck.
This year Christian completed his Post Graduate Masters of Music in Performance as a scholarship student, having been the sole male finalist in the Governors’ Recital Competition, and having won the Hugh S Roberton Prize for Scottish Singing, including the William Allan Prize, at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Pianist:Michal Gajzler
Michał Gajzler, born and raised in Poland, is in his second year of repetiteurship at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's Alexander Gibson Opera School. In 2010 he graduated with an MMus in piano performance at the Cracow Academy of Music and MA in musicology at the Jagiellonian University (Cracow).
In 2013 Michał moved to Scotland where he has taken up position at the Aria Alba - Opera for All as a piano accompanist following year. He's operatic experience includes performing Die Zauberflöte on piano (Aria Alba in 2014 and Lyric Opera Studio Weimar in 2015), Le Nozze di Figaro as a continuo-player (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), Les mamelles de Tirésias as a pianist in two pianos arrangement by Benjamin Britten (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) as well as opera scenes from the Hänsel und Gretel and The Rake's Progress. Michał also appeared as a piano accompanist at the Oxford Lieder Spring Weekend of Song. Future engagements include Così fan tutte (VoiceArc) and Ariadne auf Naxos (VoiceArc)