Total Immersion – Rachmaninov’s Complete Songs - celebrates the 145th anniversary of the composer’s birth and presents a unique opportunity to hear all of his songs over two afternoons - the 4th and 11th November. Many of Rachmaninov’s songs are rarely performed live and are brought to you by musicians and singers from over twelve countries, hand-picked students of UK’s leading conservatoires: the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal College of Music, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Trinity Laban Conservatoire, the Royal Northern College of Music and the Wales International Academy of Voice.
This project is curated by Maya Soltan who has overseen auditions, casting, programming, Russian singing and translation. A total number of 52 musicians will take part in this stunning line up!
Programme:
SERGEY RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
Morning, Op. 4 no. 2
Harvest of Sorrow, Op. 4 no. 5
So many hours, so many fancies, Op. 4 no. 6
Like blossom dew freshen’d to gladness, Op. 8 no. 2
The Soldier’s Wife, Op. 8 no. 4
A Dream, Op. 8 no. 5
A Prayer, Op. 8 no. 6
Midsummer nights, Op. 14 no. 5
Spring waters, Op. 14 no. 11
Twilight, Op. 21 no. 3
Lilacs, Op. 21 no. 5
Before the icon, Op. 21 no. 10
I am no prophet, Op. 21 no. 11
How it pains me (Sorrow in Springtime) Op. 21 no.12
Darling, let us leave, Op. 26 no.5
Christ is risen, Op. 26 no.6
I am alone again, Op. 26 no.9
Night is doleful, Op. 26 no.12
The Muse, Op. 34 no.1
The Storm, Op. 34 no.3
You knew him (The Poet), Op. 34 no.9
That day as I remember (The Morn of Life) Op. 34 no.10
The Serf (With holy banner firmly held) Op. 34 no.11
Vocalise, Op. 34 no. 14
At night in my garden, Op. 38 no. 1
Daisies, Op. 38 no. 3
The Rat-Catcher (The Pied Piper), Op. 38 no. 4
Sleep (Dreams), Op. 38 no. 5
Were you hiccupping (1899)
From St.John’s Gospel (1915)
Performers:
Natasha Agarwal, Emilie Cavallo, Natasha Day, Regina Freire, Marcella Di Garbo, Mariya Irel, Nina Kanter, Oksana Lepska, Hazel Neighbour, Laura Perešivana, Alice Usher soprano
Julia Portela Piñón, Rosamond Thomas mezzo-soprano
Damian Arnold tenor
Daniel d’Souza baritone
Benjamin Schilperoort bass-baritone
Gary Beecher, Lucy Colquhoun, Sian Davies, Giulia Grassi, Joe Howson, Esther Knight, Camille Lemonnier, David Malusá, Guy Murgatroyd, Horacio López Redondo, Harry Rylance, Roxanna Shini, Maya Soltan, Maria Tarasewicz piano
NATASHA AGARWAL
Natasha is a postgraduate at the Royal Academy of Music, studying with Nuccia Focile and Chad Vindin. She is part of the prestigious RAM/Kohn Foundation Bach Cantata Series and Academy Song Circle, and has sung in masterclasses with Helmut Deutsch, Caitlin Hulcup and Jonathan Dove. She is a recipient of the Rhoda Jones Roberts Scholarship, Amery Scholarship and is supported by the Mario Lanza Educational Foundation. She has performed roles with Opera Warwick and the Royal Opera House Mumbai. Natasha has recently been commissioned by Jeffrey Benton to record his original English translation of Schumman’s Frauenliebe und -leben.
DAMIAN ARNOLD
Australian Tenor Damian Arnold is based in London where he studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Since moving to London he has had the opportunity to sing with the LSO under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle and to cover the role of Eurymachus in the Royal Opera’s The Return of Ulysses. A finalist in the 2015 and 2017 Australian Singing Competition, Damian also spent 2015 in the Opera Australia Schools Company adaptation of La Cenerentola by Rossini. He recently traveled to Israel where he performed scenes from Pelléas et Mélisande, as well as to New Zealand where he performed Tebaldo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi.
GARY BEECHER
Gary currently studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama on an Artist Masters programme under Julius Drake and Charles Owen. Gary was the ‘Irish Freemason’s Young Musician of the Year’ and had his concerto debut with the RTE Concert Orchestra and conductor John Wilson in the National Concert Hall in 2015. Gary was the winner of the Schubert Institute Lieder prize, which allowed him to work with Elly Ameling, Robert Holl, Helmut Deutsch and Graham Johnson. Upcoming engagements include performance with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra and a ‘Side by Side: Prince Consort’ song recital at Wigmore Hall.
EMILIE CAVALLO
French soprano Emilie Cavallo is in her second year with Royal Academy Opera. At the Opéra de Toulon, she sang the soprano solo in Myriams Siegesgesang, Blanche in Les Mousquetaires au Couvent and Mozart's Bella mia Fiamma. Emilie performed the roles of Agathe in Véronique and Diane in Orphée aux Enfers with the Troupe Lyrique Méditerranéenne. Roles with the Royal Academy Opera was include Donna Elvira and Micaëla. Emilie was recently engaged to perform Ravel and Debussy in Budapest with the Zugló Philharmonic Orchestra, and also performed the role of Clizia in Teseo during the London Handel Festival 2018.
LUCY COLQUHOUN
Lucy studied with Roger Vignoles at RCM supported by Kendall-TaylorAward, Douglas-and-Hilda-Simmonds-Award and Knights-of-the-RoundTable winning all accompaniment prizes including Schumann, English Song and Titanic-Memoriam prizes and Richard Tickner Award (Somerset Song Prize.) At RNCM she won RJ-Forbes-Prize. She is a Britten-Pears, Park-Lane-Group artist and finalist at Oxford-Lieder. Recent performances; Durham University with Sir Thomas Allen, Oxford-Lieder Festival, Red House (Aldeburgh), St-James’s-Piccadilly, St-Martin-in-theFields, RAH-Elgar Room, British Music Society, Cheltenham Town-Hall, Schubert Society and the Purcell Room.
SIAN DAVIES
After several years of being a primary teacher, Sian decided to pursue her passion for accompanying. She worked with many of Wales's top opera singers such as Rebecca Evans, Llio Evans, Doreen O'Neill, Stuart Burrows, Gwynne Hughes Jones, Rhian Lois, Mark Steven Doss, Suzanne Murphy, Donald Maxwell. Sian collaborated with Joan Hind, Stephen Iscerliss. Also Sian accompanied masterclasses for Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Katherine Harries, Suzanne Murphy, Dennis O'Neill, David Gowland, Della Jones, Rosemary Joshua, Daniel Tong, Ryalnd Davies, Richard Boening, Donald Maxwell, Susan Bullock, Joyce Fieldsend. Next year Sharon will spend at the internship programme at the Theater Hof in Germany.
NATASHA DAY
Scottish-Polish soprano Natasha Day previously trained at The English National Opera ‘Opera Works’ programme and the Royal College of Music's International Opera School. Natasha won First Prize at the Złote Głosy Competition in Warsaw, Second Prize at The Filharmonia Czestochowska Competition also in Poland and The Most Promising Singer Award at the Emmy Destinn Competition in Prague. She is a 2017 Britten-Pears Young Artist, a Finalist in the 2016 Concorso Lirico di Ferrara, Italy and is proud to be a Concordia Artist. 2018 performances’ highlights are Violetta La Traviata (ROH Reimagined, Royal Opera House) and Berg’s Bruchstucke from Wozzeck (Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra).
REGINA FREIRE
Regina Freire is a Portuguese Soprano currently doing her Masters at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she previously graduated with first honours. Regina has performed in Songs in the City concerts she sang solo in Midsummer’s Night Dream by Mendelssohn in a tour in Portugal with Orquestra XXI. Regina sang Micromegas in the UK premier of A trip to the Moon by Andrew Norman with LSO and Sir Simon Rattle. She will perform the role of Cobweb in Midsummer’s Night Dream by Britten in the Opera course production at GSMD. Regina is kindly supported by the Hazell Scholarship Fund and the Guildhall’s trust.
GIULIA GRASSI
Giulia Grassi is a classical pianist interested in researching the connections between different musical cultures. Giulia has performed across Italy, Hungary, UK, USA and China at venues including Accademia Filarmonica Romana, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Millenaris Theatre. In 2016, together with folk musician Francesco Berrafato, Giulia founded Duoende, a project that merges together classical and folk music. After graduating at Cherubini Conservatory with honours, Giulia obtained her Masters in Performance at the Royal College of Music with Norma Fisher. In 2015 Giulia founded Made in Music, a not for profit organisation that aims to create opportunities for young artists.
MARIYA IREL
Mariya is a postgraduate lyric soprano studying at the Royal Northern College of Music under Susan Roper. She has graduated with Master’s degree from the Seoul National University, South Korea as a recipient of KGSP Scholarship. Mariya is generously supported by The Countess of Munster Music Trust and is awarded with ABRSM scholarship for her postgraduate studies at the RNCM. Mariya is a prize winner of The Seoul Orchestra Concours, The Green Chamber Orchestra, Concorso Internazionale “Roma Lirica” and The Korean Classical Singers Association Concours. This year Mariya will portray Sister Genovieffa from Puccini’s opera Suor Angelica at the RNCM.
MARCELLA DI GARBO
Italian soprano, started singing at eight in the choir “Minipolifonici della città di Milano” directed the former Children’s Choir Director of La Scala Nicola Conci. In the last years she gave numerous concerts throughout Italy and she won the second prize at the “Giovanna Mutti” competition for chamber music. In August 2016 and July 2018 debuted as Pamina in the Die Zauberflöte and as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus at the Lyric Opera Studio Weimar. She is currently studying at the Royal College of Music, London for a Master of Performance with Sally Burgess, where she is an RCM scholarship Holder supported by the Alice Templeton.
NINA KANTER
Nina Kanter graduated with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music, where she was awarded the Grabowsky Connell Prize, was a prize-winner in the Joan Chissell Schumann Lieder Competition and was a Josephine Baker Trust Artist. Nina is a Britten-Pears Young Artist, Opera Prelude Artist, and was an ENOA artist at Polish National Opera, following training with ENO and Glyndebourne. Opera highlights include Santuzza Cavalleria Rusticana (Hampstead Garden Opera); Clorinda La Cenerentola & Erste Dame Die Zauberflöte (Lyric Opera Studio Weimar); Tatiana Eugene Onegin (Cambridge University Opera Society).
Concert highlights include appearances at the Aldeburgh Festival and the Oxford Lieder Festival.
ESTHER KNIGHT
Esther Knight, award winning accompanist and chamber musician, is currently studying an MMus in piano accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music under the tutelage of Malcolm Martineau and James Baillieu. As winner of the Major Van Someren-Godfrey Accompanist’s Prize for English Song 2018, Esther collaborates with many talented singers and instrumentalist in giving recitals around the UK. Current performance projects include performing Schubert's Winterreise in her duo with award winning tenor Guy Withers. Esther previously studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where she studied piano with Isobel Anderson, Graeme McNaught, and Jonathan Plowright.
CAMILLE LEMONNIER
Camille, Franco-German pianist was born in Mucich. She started her piano studies at the Nuremberg University of Music in 2011 where she attended the Art-Song-Class of prof. Marcelo Amaral. She subsequently graduated with best scores from Hamburg University of Music and Drama completing Master of Music in Art Song degree with prof. Burkhard Kehring. Camille is currently obtaining her Master’s in Piano Accompaniment degree at Guildhall School of Music& Drama. She worked with Eugene Asti, Julius Drake, Iain Burnside and Graham Johnson. Recent awards include the 3rd Pianist Prize at the international Helmut Deutsch Lied Competition in Vienna.
OKSANA LEPSKA
Latvian soprano Oksana Lepska is currently finishing her Bachelor degree at the Royal Academy of Music. Her professional career started at the age of eleven with performance at Carnegie Hall in NYC, followed by a fellowship at the internationally renowned Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation in Russia. Oksana has performed solo more than in 500 concerts, most notable achievements include first prizes at the Barry Alexander International Vocal Competition in NYC (2012, 2014), prize for most-promising singer in Graz, Austria and her two solo concerts. She regularly performs at venues across the world, including Russia, Austria, France and the UK.
HAZEL NEIGHBOUR
British soprano Hazel Neighbour is currently on the Royal Academy of Music Opera course studying with Nuccia Focile. She completed her Master of Performance at the Royal College of Music with distinction. At RCM, she played Mimi (La bohème, Puccini) and Mařenka (The Bartered Bride – Smetana) in scenes and Cock/Cricket/Franzl in The Cunning Little Vixen (Janáček). She covered the role of the Bride in British Youth Opera’s production of the Vanishing Bridegroom (Weir). Hazel’s concert experience includes Berg’s Sieben frühe Lieder with Cambridge Sinfionetta and soprano soloist in Mozart’s Vesperae solemnes de confessore at West Road Concert Hall in Cambridge.
DAVID MALUSÁ
Malusá has played in many prestigious concert halls in Italy, Czech Republic, UK, Germany, France, USA, North Africa and China. Among his numerous awards is the sixteenth Jaques Samuel Intercollegiate Piano Competition, followed by his debut recital at the Fazioli Concert Hall in Sacile and a Wigmore Hall CD, S.W. Mitchell Capital records. David performed with the Worthing Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Roland Melia, the Goodensamble Orchestra with Michael Poll and the Orpheus Sinfonia with Thomas Carroll. Malusá is Associate Teacher for the Pianoman Scholarship Scheme and Music Director for the charity “Hearts in Harmony”.
LAURA LOLITA PEREŠIVANA
Laura is a Latvian soprano born in 1995. This year Laura made her debut as Eurydice in Offenbach’s Orpheus in theunderworld and as Pamina in The Magic Flute at the Berlin Opera Academy. Other roles include Lauretta Gianni Schicchi and First Spirit The Magic Flute at the Latvian National Opera House. Awards include “The 54th Tenor Viñas International Singing Contest” Extraordinary prize in Spain; “Inessa Galante Talents” in Latvia; IX International vocalist contest “Kohtla Jarve” in Estonia. Laura has started her final year of her Undergraduate studies at Guildhall School of Music and Drama with prof. Janice Chapman.
JULIA PORTELA PIÑÓN
Julia Portela Piñón is a young Spanish mezzosoprano, currently studying a Master of Arts at the Royal Academy of Music under the guidance of Caitlin Hulcup, Yvonne Howard and Iain Ledingham. She has recently performed Mozart’s Requiem with the Lymington Choral Society, Falla’s The Three Cornered Hat with the Anstieg Symphony Orchestra and Bach’s Cantatas 24, 44 and 134 with the Academy Baroque Orchestra. Julia is honoured to be supported by the Josephine Baker Trust, through which she has obtained engagements such as a coming concert of Elgar’s Sea Pictures with the City of Cambridge Symphony Orchestra conducted by Robert Hodge and a performance of Bach’s St John Passion conducted by Jonathan Willcocks at the Leith Hill Music Festival.
HORACIO LÓPEZ REDONDO
Horacio is a London based accompanist and chamber musician who performs extensively in the UK. Horacio (Spain, 1984) joined the Royal Academy of Music in London to further his higher education. Enrolling in the MA Piano Accompaniment program with Malcolm Martineau and James Baillieu. He graduated o 2013 with Distinction, when he was Highly Commended in the “Christian Carpentier Prize” to the Best Accompaniment Exam. Horacio has performed as an accompanist at some of the most prestigious UK venues, including Royal Festival Hall, Cadogan Hall, St Martin in the Fields, St. James' Piccadilly and Southwark Cathedral in London.
HARRY RYLANCE
Harry Rylance is a 22-year-old pianist that has lived and studied in Korea, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Hungary, the U.S. and the UK. He entered the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest at the age of 11 and studied with teachers such as the late Zoltán Kocsis, he continued his piano studies in Boston and New York. His performances in the US include acclaimed performances of Rachmaninoff’s 2ndPiano Concerto with the Boston Civic Symphony Orchestra. In 2015 Harry commenced a scholarship at The Royal Academy of Music, where he studies with Joanna MacGregor.Awards include the Pisani Piano Award and Allan Murray Scholarship.
BENJAMIN SCHILPEROORT
Benjamin Schilperoort, bass-baritone, studied Voice at the Royal Academy of Music and History at Cambridge University. His recent roles include Colline La Bohème and Fiorello Il Barbiere di Siviglia (for Opera Brava), Il Commendatore Don Giovanni (for Royal Academy Opera), cover of Masetto Don Giovanni (for British Youth Opera), and Seneca L’Incoronazione di Poppea (for Hampstead Garden Opera). Benjamin has performed at Leeds Lieder Festival, and as a soloist in the Kohn Foundation Bach Cantata Series. In addition to his performing career, Benjamin is in high demand as a vocal teacher, and has given masterclasses at leading schools.
ROXANNA SHINI
British-Iranian pianist Roxanna Shini Mehrabzadeh is currently in her final year of undergraduate studies at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance under Professor Yekaterina Lebedeva. She performed at St.John’s Smith Square, Yamaha Music London, Chetham's School of Music, Cambridge University, Buscot Park, Auditoria Joaquin Rodrigo in Madrid, Nafplio Voulefitoken in Greece.Roxanna took part in international festivals and masterclasses with Nikolai Demidenko, Artur Pizarro, Charles Owen, Kathryn Stott, Pascal Rogé, Daniel Shapiro and James Willshire. Awards include 2017 John Longmire Beethoven Piano Competition, ‘highly commended’, the Stonevale and Buscot Theatre Concert Series at the Musical Odyssey Summer School.
MAYA SOLTAN
Maya Soltan is a Russian pianist and a coach. She trained at the Moscow State conservatory, Royal Academy of Music and National Opera Studio. She was awarded the Elena Gerhardt Accompanist’s prize at the Royal Academy of Music and First prize at the North London Piano festival. Maya accompanied singers in masterclasses with Kiri Te Kanawa, Simon Keenlyside and Kasper Holten. Recent highlights include collaborations with Longborough Festival opera, British Library and Philarmonia Voices.
DAN D’SOUZA
Dan D’Souza was educated at Tiffin Boys School, the University of Cambridge, and the Royal College of Music. He is the winner of the 2018 Dame Patricia Routledge English National Song Competition and the 2018 RCM Lieder Competition. His recent opera roles include Conte Perrucchetto in La Fedeltà Premiata at the Royal Opera House Mumbai and Starveling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the Royal College of Music International Opera School.
MARIA TARASEWICZ
Maria has gained an international reputation as a chamber musician, duo partner and a pedagogue. She collaborated with many inspiring artists including Maxim Vengerov, Ivry Gitlis, Leonid Gorokhov and Lü Siqing to name just few. Maria is a cofounder of The Thinking Musician©, the platform organising summer music courses combining music as art, philosophy, intellectual provocations and speaking of the artist’s role in world. Recent engagements include festivals in UK, China, Norway and Italy. Maria has performed in all of London major concert venues including Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, Royal Albert Hall and many others. She also appears regularly on BBC Radio 3.
ROSAMOND THOMAS
Rosamond is a mezzo-soprano currently in her fourth year as an undergraduate at the Royal Academy of Music. She has achieved the Arthur Burcher Memorial Prize twice, and the Arthur S Sykes Award. She represented the Academy at the Kathleen Ferrier Bursary Award in 2016. She performed chorale for the Kohn Foundation Bach Cantata series, the Spencer Collection, and a recital of 20th Century Russian music. Recent concert performances include Dvorak’s Stabat Mater, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, Handel’s Messiah, Durufle’s Requiem and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. In 2017 Rosamond performed the role of Julius Caesar, in Handel’s Julius Caesar, for Kings College Opera.
ALICE USHER
Alice Usher studies with Alison Wells and trained with Dennis O’Neill and Nuccia Focile at WIAV. She also held a choral scholarship at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, and was awarded the MMus Prize at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. Alice's operatic experience includes La Contessa Le nozze di Figaro (Bloomsbury Opera), Kate Pinkerton Madama Butterfly (Southbank Sinfonia). Solo concert engagements include Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem and the Missa Mirabilis by Stephen Hough for a BBC broadcast.
Masterclasses include Dame Kiri Te Kanawa at WIAV and Brigitte Fassbaender at the Wigmore Hall. In 2017, Alice was a finalist in the AESS Patricia Routledge National English Song Competition.
Tickets:
£20 / £16 / £5 (STUDENTS ONLY, limited offer)
Tickets for BOTH concerts £35 / £28
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