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Mike
Bunting (Elijah)
Mike Bunting graduated from
Trinity College of Music in November 2005 where he studied under international soloist
Omar Ebrahim and Darron Moore of The Royal Opera House - Covent Garden. He then gained his
Postgraduate Diploma in 2006.
Mike's performances include the role of Polydorus in Berlioz' L'Enfance du
Christ and bass soloist in Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs, Handel's Messiah,
Mozart's Requiem, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Gounod's Messe Solonnelle,
Fauré's Requiem and Haydn's Nelson Mass. Staged performances include
the roles of Cinderella's Father in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, Hopper in
Malcolm Williamson's Our Man in Havana, Sentinel in Tunde Yegede's Cry of
Innocence, Matt in Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera and the lead role of
Marcus Yellow in the recently commissioned Another America: Earth by Errollyn
Wallen.
Mike has performed as a soloist with Trinity College of Music Chamber Choir under
Stephen Jackson - Director of the BBC Symphony Chorus - and has toured both France and
Spain, winning two bronze awards in the renowned Tolosa International Choral Competition.
He has also been a member of the BBC Symphony Chorus and has recently performed as a
soloist with the BBC at the 2010 Proms in the Royal Albert Hall. Since 2010 Mike has been
studying with Penny Jenkins and is now a member of the prestigious choir at the Royal
Hospital Chelsea. |
Veronica Brooks (soprano)
This is the first
time Veronica has sung with the Brighton Orpheus Choir and she is very pleased to be
singing in her home town where she lives with her husband and two young children.
More usually Veronica can be seen performing in operatic roles and can include Tosca,
Leonora (Il Trovatore), Violetta (La Traviata), Lady Macbeth and Musetta
(La Boheme) among her favourites. She can next be seen performing the role of Aida in
Heber Opera's forthcoming production in the Spring after helping to celebrate their
21st birthday with a commemorative concert
on 28 November in Hurstpierpoint.
Veronica currently studies singing with Elizabeth Brice. |
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Gemma
Carruthers (mezzo-soprano)
Gemma Carruthers was born in
Hong Kong and spent her childhood in South East Asia. She studied at the Royal Academy of
Music and from there joined the chorus of Glyndebourne Festival and touring opera where
she also understudied. She then toured extensively around England with English Touring
Opera. She has worked for a variety of other Opera and recording companies including:
Oxford University Opera, The Chelsea Opera Group, Batignano "Musica nel
Chiostro" (Italy), National Opera Trust at Stowe, London Voices, The Byron Society
and Abbotsbury Music festival.
Among those she has worked with are: Bernard Haitink, Sir Andrew Davis, Simon Rattle,
Odaline de la Martinez, Trevor Pinnock and Sir Georg Solti.
She has sung a wide variety of roles which include: Cherubino and Marcellina in Marriage
of Figaro, Cornelia in Giulio Casare, Mrs Herring and Cis in Albert
Herring, Idamante in Idomeneo, Malika in Lakme, Anna in Les
Troyens, Orpheus in Orpheo ed Euridice, Dido in Dido and Aeneas,
and Hansel in Hansel and Gretel.
Oratorio engagements include appearances at Norwich, Chester and Lincoln Cathedrals, and
Malvern Priory with Sir David Willcocks. |
| William Balkwill (tenor) William started his musical training at
the age of eight on becoming a chorister at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. Throughout
his secondary school education his main musical focus was the Trumpet and he was a member
of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, becoming its principal Trumpeter at the
age of 17.
At the age of 18, William commenced study at the Royal Northern College of Music in
Manchester, where he learnt Trumpet with John Miller. During his time at the college, he
started to develop his Tenor voice and quickly it became his main area of study. During a
two-year Masters degree at the University of Manchester he sang in the choir of Manchester
Cathedral, after which he was appointed as a tenor lay vicar in the choir of Westminster
Abbey.
In addition to his work at the Abbey, William is in demand as a consort and solo singer.
He sings regularly with The Tallis Scholars and The Cardinall's Musick and has also
participated in projects with The Gabrielli Consort, The Sixteen and Tenebrae. At the end
of April, he sang the title rôle in the Hampstead Garden Opera production of Mozart's La
Clemenza di Tito and has just sung the role of Tamino in Mozart's The
Magic Flute for the same company. |
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