Soloists
Penelope Randall-Davis (soprano)
In her signature role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Magic Flute, Penelope Randall-Davis has appeared all over the world. In England she has appeared with English National Opera, Opera North, Welsh National Opera, and Scottish Opera.
In 2004 she premiered a new production at the Teatro all’Opera di Roma followed by a televised open-air performance in the Piazza del Popolo. Appearances followed at the Sydney Opera House, La Fenice, Venice, for New Zealand Opera, for Opera Atelier in Toronto (for which she was nominated for a Dora award) and Opera Holland Park with Dr Jane Glover and Simon Callow. Other operatic roles include: soprano soloist in Jonathan Harvey's Inquest of Love at the Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels; the Bride in Rameau's Les Boreades with Graham Vick directing the City of Birmingham Touring Opera; the Russian Mother in Glyndebourne Touring Opera’s production of Britten's Death in Venice; and multiple appearances in the Verdi coloratura roles of Violetta (La Traviata), and Gilda (Rigoletto).
In concert she has appeared with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, in the Aldeburgh, Brighton, Cheltenham and Dijon Festivals and in London’s Purcell Room - as well as regular oratorio and recital appearances in this country. Penelope recently appeared as a guest artist in concerts in Durham’s international Brass Festival, and has just appeared as Alcina in the newly-formed Barefoot Opera’s inaugural performances of Handel’s Alcina at the Arcola Theatre in London. This successful project has now been re-created as a film by award winning film-maker Nicola Bruce. 2011-12 brings further appearances in oratorio and The Magic Flute.
http://www.peneloperandall-davis.com
Born in Brighton, Tim took piano lessons at the age of six and just three years later headednorth to Manchester and Chetham's School of Music where his teachers included Charles Hopkins and Ryszard Bakst. He graduated from Trinity College Cambridge in 1995 and at short notice, was asked to replace Alfred Brendel in two performances of Schoenberg’s Piano Concerto with the CBSO and Sir Simon Rattle at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall and the Royal Festival Hall, London.
Since then Tim has performed with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony and Trondheim Symphony orchestras and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. Performances of Britten's 'The Turn of the Screw' with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra led to recording of the work for Virgin Classics.
Chamber music is a central part of Tim's musical life. He is a regular at the Plush Festival in Dorset and has given concerts with violinist Lucy Jeal and with members of the RLPO.
Recitals include performances in Tilburg, Holland, at the Schumannhaus in Bonn and throughout the UK. On recommendation of Alfred Brendel Tim was chosen as the 2005 scholar of the Ruhr Klavier Festival, an honour which includes a recital at the festival.
Tim has a duo partnership with cellist Adrian Brendel. They have given tours of Spain, Germany, Italy and the UK and yearly performances at the Plush Festival. He has also performed at the Aldeburgh Festival with the Elias Quartet and at the Bath Festival. Tim has collaborated with many chamber musicians including Paul Lewis, Peter Cropper, the Elias Quartet, the Vertavo Quartet, Christian Poltera, Charles Owen and the members of the Kungsbacka Piano Trio. He has a regular duo partnership with violist Robin Ireland. Their CD of Shostakovich and Prokofiev is due for release in 2010. In 2009 Tim gave concerts in Essen and Hannover as part of series devised by Alfred Brendel.
Future plans include performances at a Mendelssohn Festival in King’s Place, London with the Elias Quartet, concerts in Germany and tours of Britain with Ensemble 360, a return visit to the Vertavo Quartet’s festival in Elverum, Norway and a recording of the Brahms Viola Sonatas with Henninge Landaas.
Details taken from the Music in the Round website:
http://www.musicintheround.co.uk/editorial.php?id=67
Harry started to learn the violin when he was three years old. At the age of 11, after learning with Dr David Milsom and attending Sheffield Music School, he gained an ABRSM scholarship to further his studies at Junior Royal Northern College of Music under Nina Martin. He has performed on many occasions in Sheffield and Manchester.
Harry has been a member of the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain for the last four years, and has led each of the orchestras during that time. In July 2011 he played the solo of Schindler’s List with the NCO Northerlies Orchestra, and is looking forward to playing Zigeunerweisen with them in 2012.
Harry has a particular love of chamber music, and joined ProCorda North at the age of nine. As the Leader of the Jastlesson Quartet, formed in 2010 from two pairs of siblings that were all members of the National Children’s Orchestra, he has performed at the Aberystwyth Music Fest in July 2010 and 2011 where they were coached by the Sacconi and Solstice Quartets, and the London String Quartet weekend at Chethams in March 2011 where they received guidance from the Carducci Quartet and Pavel Fischer. In July 2011 the quartet won the ABRSM Chamber Music Award at the National Music For Youth Festival in Birmingham, where Harry also won the NUT Student Composition Award. Other compositions have included a piece for members of the Black Dyke Mills Band.
A Music Scholar at Mount St Mary’s College, Spinkhill, Harry also plays the piano and organ.
A postgraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music, young Sheffield-born mezzo-soprano Anna Harvey is quickly gaining a reputation as a versatile and expressive performer, with a particular affinity with the 20th Century British repertoire. A recent graduate in Music of Jesus College, Cambridge, Anna currently learns with Elizabeth Ritchie and Iain Ledingham, with previous teachers including Mark Wildman, Vivian Pike and Lynette Alcantara.
Passionate about 20th Century British repertoire, Anna has recently performed at Opera Holland Park (Etcetera), Rosslyn Chapel and Kettle's Yard, Cambridge, in repertoire including Albert Herring ('Harvey's deliciously fussy Mrs Herring', Fiona Maddocks, The Observer, July 2011), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Hippolyta) and Dring's Seven Shakespeare Songs.
www.annaharvey.org
The Sheffield Chamber Orchestra gratefully acknowledges assistance from
and
Conductor
Robin McEwan
Concert programme
3rd December 2011
3rd March 2012
19th May 2012
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Soloists
Penelope Randall-Davis
Tim Horton
Harry Castle
Anna Harvey
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