David Butt Philip is back with St Paul’s Opera for the third Masterclass and we are most grateful to him for, once again, finding time in his busy schedule for this event which is growing in popularity both with our candidates and audience.

 David has appeared on many of the world’s top operatic stages since the last Masterclass in November 2018, including Deutsche Oper Berlin (title role - Der Zwerg), ENO (War Requiem), Royal Opera House (Grigory Otrepiev – Boris Godunov), Opera Holland Park (Count Vaudemont – Iolanta) and Oper Köln (title role – Hamlet, Dean).   

Engagements in 2020 include the roles of Florestan (Fidelio) at the National Theatre Opera, Prague, Beethoven 9th Symphony (Hallé/Elder) at the Bridgewater Hall and the Barbican, and the roles of Don José (Carmen) and the Prince (Rusalka) at the ENO, rounding up with Opera Australia in Melbourne (title role – Lohengrin).

PROGRAMME

STEPHANIE HERSHAW

Padre, germani, addio! (Idomeneo: W A Mozart)

Stephanie is currently in the final year of her Masters at the Royal College of Music, under the tuition of Rosa Mannion and Gary Matthewman. She is the Midori Nishiura Scholar, a Leeds Lieder Young Artist and is supported by the Josephine Baker Trust. Prior to this, she graduated with a First Class Honours Degree from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. During her third year, Stephanie had the privilege of gaining a place to study in Leipzig, Germany, at the renowned Hochschule für Musik und Theatre - Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. This summer, Stephanie looks forward to making her debut with Westminster Opera Company as Dew Fairy in Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel.

JACK LAWRENCE-JONES

Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen (Die Tote Stadt: E Korngold)

Jack is a classically trained baritone, based in London, who enjoys a varied career of opera, concert and recital work. He is a Britten Pears Young Artist, a London Festival Opera Young Artist, a Garsington Alvarez Young Artist and a Live Music Now Artist. He is a member of Experimental vocal group Shards.  When not singing, Jack enjoys computer programming, improvising on the piano and playing squash.

HEIDI JOST

Nobles Seigneurs Salut (Les Huguenots: G Meyerbeer)

Canadian mezzo-soprano Heidi sings on both the opera and concert stages. Operatic roles include Sister Helen in Dead Man Walking, Giulio Cesare, Rosina, Sesto, Dorabella and Cherubino. Concert roles include Schubert's Ständchen and Augusta Holmes' La Vision de la Reine (L'illusion) with Gloriana choir, Handel's Te Deum & Jubilate, and Israel in Egypt with the New London Singers, Rachmaninov Vespers Op. 37 with the New London Singers and Saint-Saens Christmas Oratorio with the Thirteen Strings in Ottawa. She has toured Pergolesi's Stabat Mater with the Quatuor Despax string quartet in Quebec. Based in North London she is a Music and French teacher at St. Margaret's School Hampstead, where she also teaches private singing pupils. 

GEORGE REYNOLDS

Papageno’s Suicide aria (Die Zauberflöte: W A Mozart)

George is a 21 year old English baritone currently studying as an undergraduate at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under the tutelage of Gary Coward. George sang as the cover Figaro in St Paul’s Opera’s 2019 summer production of ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’. George is currently working as a chorus member for Opera Holland Park’s productions of ‘Eugene Onegin’ and ‘Rigoletto’ and will be singing the role of ‘Fiorello’ in Clonter Opera’s production of ‘Il Barbiere di Siviglia’ for their 2020 summer season. 

ELEANOR STRUTT

King Harald’s Saga - Opening of Act 1 (Judith Weir)

Eleanor graduated from King’s College, London with a first in music in 2016, and Trinity Laban with a Distinction in her Master’s Degree last year. She currently studies with Joan Rodgers, whilst working as the President for the Student Union at Trinity Laban. She made her professional debut as Barbarina in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro with Heritage Opera, aged 18. Following this, she has become a Young Artist with the company, singing roles in every subsequent production, including Madame Butterfly, Rigoletto, The Pirates of Penzance, The Magic Flute, La Boheme, Tosca, The Barber of Seville and La Traviata. Other roles have included Lena in Svadba for Trinity Laban Opera; Susanna, in Le nozze di Figaro for King's Opera; and Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, Conservatoire de Musique de Genève. Her assistant director credits include Le Nozze di Figaro at SPO.

PIANIST: PANARETOS KYRIATZIDIS

Described as ‘A punctilious pianist…’ (Opera Now) ‘…with acutely responsive, intuitive playing…’ (Opera Magazine), Pan is increasingly sought after as a collaborative performer, vocal coach and musical director. A Britten Pears young artist, he has won the Gerald Moore Award, Oxford Lieder Young Artist Platform, the Emmy Destinn Awards Accompanist prize and, most recently, the duo prize at the London Song Festival with Erika Mädi Jones. He has performed in many of the UK’s most prestigious venues and broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. He is a staff member at Trinity Laban and at Morley College, where he co-leads the new and very successful Introduction to Opera Performance course. He is also the musical director of The Opera Makers, a new dynamic collective aspiring to broaden the potential of fringe and studio opera. Pan is Musical Director for SPO’s summer production of Albert Herring.