The
VANBRUGH
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ENSEMBLE
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Soloists
Samantha Clunies-Ross, Piano
Piano Concerto K466 in D Minor Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Samantha Clunies Rosss was awarded a scholarship to attend Chetham's School of Music at the age of 8. She studied there for four years before continuing her musical education at the Purcell School of Music under the tuition of Rustem Hayroudinoff and later Andrew Ball.
Samantha has performed at concert venues across the UK and abroad, including the Southbank Centre, St James's Church Piccadilly, Wigmore Hall, the Royal Northern College of Music and the Fazioli Concert Hall in Sacile, Italy.
Samantha has recently taken up a scholarship to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Philip Jenkins, after receiving offers from the Royal Academy of Music and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.
Aurore Lacabe, Mezzo-Soprano
After graduating in English and Linguistics in her native France, Aurore moved to England and trained at Trinity College of Music, where she gained an advanced postgraduate diploma in vocal studies with Distinction.
Since graduating, Aurore has performed with companies and festivals including Grange Park Opera, Unexpected Opera, Stanley Hall Opera, Opera Up Close and Opéra de Baugé (France). Her roles include Mère Marie (Les Dialogues des Carmélites), Olga (Eugene Onegin), Mercedes (Carmen), Siebel (Faust), Dido/Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas), Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), Rosina (The Barber of Seville), Flora (La Traviata), Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus) and Stéphano (Roméo et Juliette).
Aurore is also a regular oratorio soloist, and has performed a wide range of sacred repertoire, from Bach to Duruflé, throughout England and France, in stunning venues such as Winchester Cathedral, St James’s, Piccadilly or St Martin in the Fields.
Les Nuits d'ete Hector Berlioz
She is delighted to be singing the Nuits d’été tonight, as she has sung Berlioz’s beautiful cycle many times in recitals, but this will be her first performance of the piece with an orchestra.
This Autumn, Aurore will sing Elvira (Don Giovanni) for Opera Vera.
Martin Bartlett, Piano
Piano Concerto K491 in C Minor Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Martin James Bartlett began learning the piano aged 6, two years later starting studies at the Royal College of Music's Junior Dept with Emily Jeffrey. Since 2010 Martin has been a student at the Purcell School of Music, continuing his keyboard studies with Emily. Martin has performed in many competitions and festivals, enjoying considerable success. Notably, in March last year he was one of only 5 pianists chosen nationally to perform in the keyboard final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2012, the live performance of which was broadcas on BBC4 in Apriil. Martin has recently formed a duo with BBC Young Musician of the Year winner, cellist Laura van der Heijden. They have given numerous recitals including a recent live broadcast on BBC Radio 3's 'In Tune' arts programme.
Martin won first prize in the Royal College of Music's Teresa Carreno Competition, as a result of which he performed a solo recital in Bolivar Hall, London in February 2013. He also won a Purcell School's Middle School Concerto and the Freddy Morgan Competition at Purcell School, following which he gave a solo recital in the Purcell Room on 4th March 2013.