Katie Bird

British Soprano Katie is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Royal Academy of Music where she was generously supported by the Stevenson Scholarship, the Ena Mitchell Bequest and a Musicians Benevolent Fund Education Award. She was awarded the Norma Greig Prize for French song and was a finalist in the Frank Spedding Lieder Competition.  In 2011 Katie covered the role of Tatyana in ENO’s production of Eugene Onegin directed by Deborah Warner.  ENO Opera Works scenes include Mimi La Boheme, Nedda I Pagliacci, 1st Lady Magic Flute.  Oratorio and concert engagements include Mendelssohn's Hymn of Praise and Psalm 42 and Bartok's Three Village Scenes with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martyn Brabbins broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Katie is also a Samling and Crear Scholar.

Katie’s NOS training is supported by the English National Opera, the Boltini Trust, the John S Cohen Foundation and the Winship Foundation.

Keri Fuge

Keri trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Marilyn Rees.
She is a Britten-Pears Young Artist scholar 2011, Michael Oliver Prize winner at London Handel Festival 2011, and Hampshire Singer of the Year 2008. Roles include Susanna (Dartington Opera), 1st Bridesmaid, Barbarina Le Nozze di Figaro (Garsington Opera) Frasquitta Carmen (GSMD). Concerts/recitals include The Wigmore Hall, Britten Studio, National Portrait Gallery, St James Piccadilly, National Museum of Wales, Winchester and Llandeilo Festival; Menton and Musique Cordiale Festivals, France. Amongst Keri's 11/12 season she performed Armida Abbabdonata (London Handel Orchestra), recital for London Handel Festival, Glyndebourne Festival chorus covering Chocholka The Cunning Little Vixen, Barbarina Le Nozze di Figaro. Handel's Messiah (Leeds Philharmonic Society and Woking Choral Society/ London Mozart Players). She made her Glyndebourne Opera debut this autumn singing Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro.

Keri is sponsored by Glyndebourne Opera New Generation Programme, Countess of Munster Trust, Richard and Elizabeth Moyse, Nicholas Boas Trust.

Sky Ingram

Australian Soprano, Sky Ingram, is currently at the National Opera Studio in London with Susan Waters, after studying at GSMD, WAAPA and Elder Conservatorium. Sky has performed all around Australia and the UK and sung on ABC & BBC radio. Recent Scholarships & Competitions include: GSMD Harold Rosenthal Prize, Simon Fletcher Charitable Trust Bursary, Australian Music Foundation Scholarship, Wingate Scholarship, ROSL Overseas Trophy, 5MBS Young Performer of the Year.Sky has worked for various opera companies including Co-Opera, Australian Opera Studio, Alexander Productions, State Opera of South Australia, SOSA Young Artists, British Youth Opera and Ardente Opera.Recent roles include;  Helena A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Frau Fluth Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Madame Lidoine Dialogues des Carmelites, Pamina The Magic Flute, Micaëla Carmen, Abigaile The Crucible, Emily Our Town.

Sky is supported by Opera North and in 2013 will sing Helena A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Opera North.

Elin Pritchard 

Welsh Soprano Elin is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She is an artist on Live Music Now! and was a 2011 Samling scholar. Elin made her Scottish Opera debut in March 2012 as AnneTrulove in David McVickers’ production of The Rake’s Progress and is currently singing Violetta in La Traviatafor Scottish Opera Tour 2012-2013. Other Operatic engagements include: Female Chorus The Rape ofLucretia (British Youth Opera); Lucia (cover) Lucia di Lammermoor, Clonter Farm Opera, Micaela (cover),Carmen, Scottish Opera Tour ,Fox The Cunning Little Vixen, Gretel, Hansel and Gretel and Countess Lenozze di Figaro (RCS); title role Suor Angelica, FiordiligiCosì fan tutte, Princess Laoula L’étoile (RWCMD). Elin won the W.Towyn Roberts Scholarship at the National Eisteddfod 2012 and is an artist on Live Music Now! and also a Samling Scholar 2011. 

Elin is supported by Welsh National Opera, Peter & HelenBlumer, Chris Ball and The Foundation for Sport & the Arts.

Maria Fiselier 

Dutch mezzo-soprano Maria Fiselier graduated from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and will continue for her Master’s degree due in 2013. She currently also studies at the National Opera Studio in London.She receives singing lessons from Sasja Hunnego and Susan Waters. Maria recently won 5 prizes at the ´International Vocal Competition´ in s’Hertogenbosch last September including the young talent award. Maria’s repertoire includes numerous oratorio’s such as Durufle’s Requiem, Gloria by Vivaldi, Petite Messe Solennelle by Rossini and
Weihnachtsoratorium by Bach. On the opera stage she performed the role of Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte, she participated in Franz Lehar’s Die lustige Witwe with Het Gelders Orkest conducted by Martin Sieghart, she performed the role of Nancy in Britten’s Albert Herring alongside Dame Felicity Lott at Aldeburgh Music, and she sang the role of Mercedes during ‘Festival Classique’ in the Hague with ‘Het Residentie orkest’.                                                                       

Maria is being supported by the  Lionel Anthony Charitable Trust .

Rachel Kelly

Mezzo-soprano Rachel Kelly is attending the National Opera Studio and has just completed her Masters on the Opera Course at the Royal Academy of Music with distinction having being awarded the highly prized DipRam for excellence. Rachel is a frequent achiever at vocal competitions which recently included the winner of the Bernadette Greevy competition at the National Concert Hall, the semi-finals at the Hans Gabor Belvedere International Singing Competition, a bursary in the Opera Northern Ireland Singing Competition and the finals in the International Handel Singing Competition. In recital, Rachel has performed in Carnegie Hall, St Petersburg Academy of Arts, Wexford Festival Opera House, and the National Concert Hall to name a few. She has worked with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and recorded recently with New World Records. 

Rachel is supported by the Ian Smith of Stornoway Legacy, the Sybil Tutton Foundation administered by the Musicians Benevolent Fund, the Arts Council of Ireland, and the Sickle Foundation.

Anthony Flaum

Anthony Flaum is a London born full lyric tenor who previously studied musical theatre at the Royal Academy of Music in 2006, following a career in the financial world. From 2010, he has concentrated on developing his classical tenor voice and was chosen to join the “Singers of the Future” programme run by the National Opera Studio in 2011. Recent operatic credits include; Lensky – “Eugene Onegin” (Grange Park Opera, Rising Stars), cover Nemorino - “Elixir of Love” (English National Opera), Rodolfo in the Olivier award-winning “La Bohème” (OperaUpClose), Chorus - Glyndebourne 2011, Chorus - Opera Holland Park 2010, Soloist Prisoner - “Zaide” (Classical Opera Company), & Alfredo – “La Traviata” (Merry Opera UK tour). Anthony was also proud to be a part of Pimlico Opera’s 2012 prison project at HMP Erlestoke playing Jean Valjean - “Les Miserables”.

Anthony’s NOS training is supported by English National Opera, Grange Park Opera, the John Wates Foundation, the Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust, the Robert Vivian Memorial Trust and Michael Ward. 

Nicolas Darmanin

After finishing a law degree Maltese tenor Nicolas studied for an M.Perf at the Royal College of Music, London with Rosa Mannion, graduating with Distinction.  His Operatic Roles include Ernesto, Ferrando, Don Ottavio, Mercury (RCM Opera); Almaviva and Nemorino (Scenes).  He has appeared at the Royal Opera House, in Linda di Chamounix as one of the Bambini, under Sir Mark Elder, a performance recorded for Opera Rara. Nicolas studied on the Solti Te Kanawa Accademia di Bel Canto July 2011 where he worked with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Sir Thomas Allen and took part in the CUBEC – Masterclasses in Modena with Mirella Freni.
Engagements in 2012;  Don Ramiro for Bury Court Opera, and Triquet for Grange Park Opera.  

Nicolas joined the National Opera Studio in September 2012; supported by the Nicholas John Trust,  an Eileen Goddard Scholarship from The Amar-Franses and Foster-Jenkins Trust, Janatha Stubbs and by the John Wates Foundation.

Luis Gomes

Portuguese tenor Luis Gomes is currently studying at the National Opera Studio after being a finalist of the Opera Course at Guildhall School, where he graduated with a First Class Honours Degree under Rudolf Piernay. Luis’ studies at NOS are being supported by The Royal Opera House. Luis is also a scholar of Gulbenkian Foundation  and the NOS Independent Opera Scholar. Performance highlights include debut at the Barbican Hall on a BBC concert, première of My Fatal Plurality at the Wigmore Hall, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Barbican Theatre. Further operatic experience includes Fenton in Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Beppe in Rita, George in Our Town (European Premiére) and Jenik in The Bartered Bride for British Youth Opera. Future engagements include concerts with Gulbenkian Orchestra and Choir under Michel Corboz and Verdi's Requiem for Clonter Opera.


Luis’s NOS training is supported by the Royal Opera House, Independent Opera and the Gulbenkian Foundation, 
Portugal.

Victor Sicard

Baritone Victor Sicard studied at the GSMD where he got a Master of Opera performance. He will be part of the Jardin des Voix 2013. He is studying singing with David Pollard. His roles include Papageno (Magic Flute, Mozart), Gasparo (Rita, Donizetti), Demetrius (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Britten). He understudied the Grandfather’s clock and Tom cat (L’Enfant et les sortileges, Ravel) for GFO. He has won the first male prize, the OFJQ prize for the best French interpret and the best young singer prize at the 24th international competition in Marmande. He has also won with his pianist Anna Cardona, the first prize at the 23rd international competition paper de Musica, the first prize at the Mozart singing competition and the first prize at the 23rd FLAME international competition.

Victor’s NOS training is supported by the Royal Opera House, The Lionel Anthony Charitable Trust, the Safran Foundation, Chris Ball  and Independent Opera.

Gavan Ring

Irish baritone Gavan Ring studied at St. Patrick's College, Dublin and later at the RIAM. Awards include the NCH Bernadette Greevy Bursary and the Cuisine de France John McCormack Bursary. A Jerwood Young Artist at Glyndebourne Festival Opera 2012 and an alumnus Young Associate Artist with Opera Theatre Company, Gavan has performed with Wexford Festival Opera, Scottish Opera, Northern Ireland Opera and Wide Open Opera. Recent operatic credits include Der Steuermann Tristan und Isolde (Wide Open Opera/RTÉ NSO), Phoebus The Fairy Queen (Glyndebourne Festival Opera) and Marcello La bohème (Glyndebourne Festival Opera (Cover)/Wexford Festival Opera). Concert appearances include the RTÉ NSO, the RTÉ CO and the Irish Baroque Orchestra. 

Gavan is kindly supported by The Glyndebourne New Generation Programme, the Arts Council of Ireland, the Richard Van Allan Award administered by the Musicians Benevolent Fund and the Cahersiveen Festival of Music and the Arts.

Barnaby Rea

Bass Barnaby Rea studies with John Evans and has just graduated from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama opera course where he was generously supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, the Wingate Foundation, Serena Fenwick and the Musicians Benevolent Fund. Recent operatic appearances include Bottom / Theseus A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Barbican Theatre and Dr. Gibbs in the European premier of Ned Rorem's Our Town for GSMD, Benoit / Alcindoro in Opera-Up-Close's Olivier award winning production of La Boheme and his Coliseum debut as Second Priest / Second Armed Man in English National Opera’s The Magic Flute. Other roles include Collatinus The Rape of Lucretia (British Youth Opera), Sir John Falstaff Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (GSMD), Ensemble Jakob Lenz (ENO), Zaretsky / Captain Yevgeny Onegin (Opera Holland Park). Future plans include Bonze Madama Butterfly & Rocco I gioielli della Madonna (OHP).

 Barnaby’s NOS training is supported by Scottish Opera and a Sybil Tutton Award administered by the Musicians Benevolent Fund.

Laila Barnat

French born repetiteur Laïla Barnat is a Post Graduate in Piano Accompaniment from the Royal College of Music, London where she studied with Roger Vignoles and Simon Lepper. She won the First Prize Alasdair Graham and Third Prize at the Schumann Lieder Competition. She took part in Valencia’s Opera Studio "Placido Domingo" and worked as an Opera and French coach in Carmen with Zubin Mehta, La Traviata with Lorin Maazel, Manon with Patrick Fournillier and Guillaume Tell with Alberto Zedda. She performed in France, U.K, Denmark, Canada, Spain, Italy (Teatro dell’Opera, Rome), China (2010 World Exposition), United States (Washington's Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, Dallas, Miami) and Mexico. 

Berrak Dyer 

Whilst studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Berrak Dyer worked with Joan Havill, Caroline Palmer, Andrew West, Ian Burnside, Graham Johnson and Laura Sarti. Berrak was the winner of the Aria Competition at GSMD. She has performed in the Wigmore Hall Lecture Recital Series, City of London Festival and recently worked as an Accompanist at Oxenfoord International Summer School. Berrak debuted as a repetiteur on Mozart’s The Magic Flute (HGO), then went on to work on Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia (BYO), Cenerentola (Bury Court) and Viktor Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis (Grimeborn Festival). In 2012 Berrak joined the Georg Solti Academy for Repetiteurs where she worked with Pamela Bullock, Audrey Hyland, Tony Legge and Jonathan Papp. She was subsequently invited to the Solti Academy for Singers during which she played for Masterclasses with Dennis O'Neill and Angela Gheorghiu.

Berrak is kindly supported by The Foundation for Sport & the Arts during her studies at the National Opera Studio.

Nicola Rose 

Originally from London, Nicola Rose graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2008 with a BMus(hons) in piano acconpament. She then continued her work and studies as a Junior Fellow at RWCMD within the vocal department before moving back to London in September 2012 to join the course at the National Opera Studio.
As a freelance pianist and repetiteur, Nicola works for the Welsh National Opera MAX department and for Music Theatre Wales and since 2008 has been a member of the Live Music Now! Scheme, which was founded by the late Yehudi Menuhin. In August 2011, Nicola was fortunate enough to spend a week working with Michael Pollock, Dennis O' Neil and Dame Kiri te Kanawa on an opera course in St. Helier, Jersey. 

Nicola’s  NOS training is supported by Chris Ball and The Foundation for Sport & the Arts.

Jesse Wong 

Jesse Wong is a Chinese-American conductor and repetiteur. He is the winner of the Leonard Hancock Memorial Prize supporting his work at the National Opera Studio. Graduating from Harvard University, Jesse served as the 44th Music Director of the Bach Society Orchestra, the premier student chamber orchestra. He also conducted the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert and Sullivan Players ("The Pirates of Penzance"), directed opera scenes for the Lowell House Opera Company and coached full productions of Stravinsky's “The Rake's Progress” and Bernstein's “Candide.” A bass-baritone, he sang with the University Choir Choral Fellows (direction by Edward Jones) and the jazz a capella group the Harvard Krokodiloes. Studying piano with Nancy O'Neill Breth, Jesse won many competitions and engagements, including a performance with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. as a winner of its Young Soloists' Competition. He is a fluent sight-reader and loves jazz improvisation.

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