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International Opera Artists Join RWCMD Opera School’s Circle of Presidents

26 November 2017

Sir Bryn Terfel, Rebecca Evans and Sir Brian McMaster, along with David Pountney, and Hodge International Chair in Conducting Carlo Rizzi, will form a Circle of Presidents for the new David Seligman Opera School at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. they will join Hodge International Chair, and world renowned opera coach John Fisher of New York’s Metropolitan Opera.

The work of the David Seligman Opera School at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, in association with Welsh National Opera, will ensure that Wales continues to produce some of the world’s leading artistic operatic talent, enabling emerging artists to train alongside some of the leading figures in opera today.

As some of the most highly regarded figures in the opera world, the Circle of Presidents will act as ambassadors, enhancing the national and international profile of the school, and drawing on a vast combined experience to inspire our future opera makers.

Sir Brian McMaster, John Fisher and Mastro Carlo Rizzi with RWCMD Opera singers

The David Seligman Opera School will provide a unique training environment at the Royal Welsh College across all disciplines of opera performance and production – from singers and instrumentalists to conductors, directors, repetiteurs, stage managers and designers. It will also incorporate a new Masters programme for opera directors led by Hodge International Chair in Directing, Martin Constantine.

The David Seligman Opera School is now recruiting students for September 2018. For more information see the Opera School website.
Sir Brian McMaster, Carlo Rizzi and John Fisher are available for interview. Please contact Helen Dunning for further information

Editors notes

Launched in 2011 the Royal Welsh College Opera MA provided a specialist advanced opera training provision for the first time in Wales. The course was structured in collaboration with WNO, new Head of Opera Angela Livingstone and John Fisher, Hodge International Chair in Opera.

Graduates of the programme have progressed quickly to perform principal roles with leading companies, including The Royal Opera, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Opera North, Scottish Opera and Glyndebourne, as well as securing places at the prestigious National Opera Studio.

In collaboration with the family of the late, celebrated Welsh baritone, Sir Geraint Evans, the College launched a fundraising campaign in his name to support opera scholarships and productions at the College.

Sir Geraint Evans (1922-92), was one of the most successful Welsh singers of his generation, performing leading roles in the major opera houses of the world, including Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera New York and Glyndebourne. He was internationally renowned and particularly acclaimed in the title role of Verdi’s Falstaff, performing it regularly throughout his career, including for Welsh National Opera.

Sir Geraint was also President of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, holding the position when he passed away in 1992.

Current students:

Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cardiff Singer of the World finalist Blaise Malaba took up vocal training in 2012, after studying International Relations in Ukraine. He met RWCMD Head of Opera Angela Livingstone, one of the audition panelists for Cardiff Singer, when he auditioned for the competition. Blaise joined the MA Opera Performance course in 2016. After he graduates in July Blaise will join the English National Opera in their co-production with Dutch National Opera of Porgy and Bess. Blaise is supported by the Leverhulme Foundation, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation and the Waterloo Trust.

After his major role in Welsh National Opera’s Youth Opera 2016 production of Kommilitonen! Oscar Castellino joined the College’s MA Opera Performance course. His debut composition, Rise To Mars, premiered at the 20th annual Mars Convention in California, and will also feature in the College’s Orchestradventure! Project at St David’s Hall. Oscar will graduate in 2018. Oscar is supported by the Clive and Sylvia Richards Scholarship.

Recent Graduates:

A graduate of the original 2011 cohort, Samantha Price, joined the National Opera Studio and. debuted as a Harewood Young Artist at ENO in the role of Cherubino. In the next year she is set to make her debut with the Nederlandse Reisopera as Lucienne Die tote Stadt, cover the role of Alisa Lucia di Lammermoor for the Royal Opera House and return to English National Opera to sing the title role in Iolanthe.

Also a Harewood Young Artist, Rhian Lois’ roles include Adele in Die Fledermaus, Nerine in Charpentier’s Medea and Atalanta Xerxes. In 2015 she made her Royal Opera House debut as Papagena. In 2016, Rhian sang Barbarina in Welsh National Opera’s The Marriage of Figaro and Angelica in the Company’s world premiere of Figaro Gets a Divorce. In 2017, she returned to WNO to sing the role of Adele in John Copley’s production of Die Fledermaus.

The 2017/18 season will also see Justina Gringyte return to Welsh National Opera for her role debuts as Preziosilla and Curra in a new David Pountney production of La forza del destino conducted by WNO Conductor Laureate, and RWCMD International Chair Carlo Rizzi. She will also return to the role of Carmen, the role in which she debuted at ENO in 2015, with Lithuanian National Opera. She was named Best Young Singer at the 2015 International Opera Awards, and was a Royal Opera House Jette Parker Young Singer as well as a graduate of the National Opera Studio.

Since leaving RWCMD in 2015, and finishing his training at National Opera Studio, Trystan Llyr Griffiths has sung principal roles with Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera and Opera North. Trystan joined the International Opera Studio in Zurich as a Young Artist. Future plans include his house debut as Kudryas in Katya Kabanova at Opera National de Lorraine and cover Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for English National Opera.

Emyr Wyn Jones, graduated from RWCMD with a first class honours in Vocal Studies before completing the Opera MA course in 2016. After singing the title role in Falstaff, and RWCMD production conducted by Carlo Rizzi, he went on to the National Opera Studio and is currently the recipient of an International Opera Award Bursary. This summer, Emyr has performed 1st Priest/cover Papageno The Magic Flute (Longborough Festival Opera) and Mr Flint Billy Budd (St Endellion Festival).