The Italian Madrigal Group Personnel
Simon Haynes ~ Director /Tenor Simon Haynes was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire and educated at King's College, Cambridge where he held a Choral Scholarship. Whilst at Cambridge he was Musical Director of the University G & S Society and Collegium Regale, a male-voice close harmony ensemble. He studied for the Bar before taking up a place in the Opera School at the Royal College of Music which led to a year at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, Canada on the Music Theatre Program. Professional work has included Glyndebourne Festival Opera, English National Opera, English Touring Opera, Opera National de Lyon, Opera de Rennes, Festival Aix-en-Provence, and the Schütz Choir. A gifted pianist, he studied with Jean Anderson FRAM and works as a repetiteur and accompanist. He currently studies voice with Howard Milner. Helen Groves ~ Soprano Helen Groves trained at the Royal College of Music in London where she won various prizes while studying with Heather Harper. She has extensive experience in both opera and concert solo work. In 1996, she made her solo debut at the BBC Proms with Ivor Bolton and the St James Players since when she has appeared at major festivals and venues across Europe. These include invitations to Utrecht, Bruges, Halle and Lourdes with The Academy of Ancient Music (Hogwood and Goodwin), l'Orchestra National de Lille, Collegium Musicum 90, the New London Consort (Pickett), and The English Concert (Pinnock). Her solo recordings include a disc of Dumont Litanies de Vierges and Lambert Leçon de Tenebres with Ensemble Dumont (Linn), Lalande Grands Motets and Vivaldi Vespers (ASV), as well as regular appearances with New London Consort (Decca) and Musicians of the Globe (Phillips). Margaret Cameron ~ Mezzo-Soprano Margaret Cameron studied at Trinity College of Music and started her career with Kent Opera singing roles in Dido and Aeneas and The Return of Ulysees. She has since worked with English Touring Opera, Music Theatre Wales, The National Theatre and Vocem Electric Voice Theatre. Concert work has taken her to Spain as a soloist with the London Philharmonic Choir and has recently recorded Rachmaninov Vespers with The Choir of King's College, Cambridge which is to be released by EMI Classics. She has also performed, broadcast and recorded a number of contemporary works some of which were composed for her. Julian Stocker ~ Tenor Julian Stocker graduated in Music at York University and from there went to France where he sang for Opera de Nice for 18 months. His current work involves a mixture of solo oratorio, opera, and professional choir work with groups such as the BBC Singers, The English Concert, and The Sixteen. He is a member of Vocem Electric Voice Theatre who specialise in contemporary opera and music theatre, and Wide Angle Voice Theatre who tour performances of opera and musicals in rural communities throughout Britain. Operatic roles have included Belmonte and Pedrillo in Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio, and Orpheus in Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld. He recently played the role of a Samurai Warrior in the premiere of Alejandro Vinao's Rashomon. As a popular oratorio soloist his roles range from the Evangelist part in Bach's St John and St Matthew Passions to Britten's St Nicolas. Thomas Barnard ~ Bass Bass-baritone Thomas Barnard started his musical training in Lichfield Cathedral Choir becoming the Cathedral's first choral scholar in 1987. He continued his training in Durham Cathedral Choir whilst studying Theology at the University. In 1993 he gained an Exhibition to study at the Royal Academy of Music. In 1995 he became a member of the Glyndebourne Festival Chorus prior to being offered a solo contract with Pavilion Opera. Roles to date have included Colline (La Boheme), Don Alphonso (Cosi fan tutte), Monterone/Sparafucile (Rigoletto) and the villains in Les contes d'Hoffmann. During 1998 Thomas has performed Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro) and The Grand Inquisitor (Don Carlos), both for Pavilion Opera and Banquo (Macbeth) for Haddo Opera. Kasia Elsner ~ Theorbo Kasia Elsner, born in London of Polish parents trained as a soloist and continuo player at the Royal College of Music, specialising in both Lute and Theorbo. She has performed extensively in England and Europe working with many well known ensembles such as the English Baroque Soloists, the English National Opera, Les Arts Florissants and Hesperion XX. Kasia has also worked closely with Anthony Rolfe Johnson on a variety of projects; performing as a duo in Scotland and Portugal a recital of Dowland Lute Songs, later broadcast by the BBC. Her continuo playing has led to a range of recordings from Barbara Strozzi with Musica Secreta, Handel and Monteverdi with the English Baroque Soloists, directed by John Eliot Gardiner and French Baroque with Ivor Bolton, to the twelve Locatelli Violin Concertos and Concerti Grossi with Raglan Baroque, directed by Nicholas Kraemer with the soloist Elizabeth Wallfisch recorded for Hyperion. David Gordon ~ Continuo David Gordon is one of London's leading harpsichord players. He plays with ensembles such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the European Baroque Orchestra with whom he has toured most of Europe and South America. He regularly plays with recorder-player Evelyn Nallen, performing recitals in the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, St John's, Smith Square including concert tours of Australia and New Zealand. Recent performances have included Handel Operas with the Opera Theatre Company of Ireland at the Melbourne Festival and Expo 98 in Lisbon. David also leads a jazz/early music group - Respectable Groove - who perform regularly on Radio 3 and have recently cut their debut CD. As a composer, David has had numerous works featured on Radio 3. For further information, please contact: Karen & Julian Stocker Designed by Landmark Internet - E-mail landmark@landmarknet.co.uk |
