A Traveller’s Tales
Sunday 28th February at 3pm
Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest
Christopher Lincoln Bogg (tenor) and Alan Hicks (piano)
Christopher returns to Canberra, his birthplace where his personal journey began, to perform songs he has sung in many distant places. The songs, all significant to him in some way, speak to the theme of travel, of journeymen, of being in places distant from one’s home, and of the way we experience the moments that mark our journey through life. They explore the relationship between music and text, some pieces functioning almost as tone poems where musical elements dominate. Others are expressed with a musical simplicity in which the resonances of the text are able to shine. The program includes songs by Schubert, Schumann, Ravel, Vaughan Williams, Walton, Benjamin, Sondheim and Bridge.
Northern Lights
Sunday 10th April at 3pm
Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest
Christina Wilson (mezzo-soprano) and Alan Hicks (piano)
Music from lands illuminated by the Aurora Borealis.
Songs and piano solos from Nordic composers including Edvard Grieg and Jean Sibelius, Scottish favourites and Samuel Barber’s Hermit Songs. This husband and wife duo has presented many recitals for Art Song Canberra and also for the Lieder Society of Victoria, the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, the AIM concert series at the Art Gallery of NSW and by invitation at the 2013 International Conference of Voice Teachers at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.
Tchaikovsky Romance
Sunday 19th June at 3pm
Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest
Rada Tochalna (soprano), Lucas de Jong (baritone) and Janis Cook (piano)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote over a hundred romances. The genre had become his lyrical journal, to which he returned to throughout his life. The rest of Tchaikovsky’s music is permeated with melodic patterns, emotional immediacy and sincerity typical for the romance. The concert will present a selection of romances by Tchaikovsky and will conclude with the musical drama of Eugene Onegin – the final duet of Onegin and Tatyana.
Soirée at St Alban’s
Sunday 26 June at 3pm
St Alban’s Church, 34 Chappell Street, Lyons
The Members’ Soirée will be a social gathering of members of Art Song Canberra in which we make music together, taking us back to the origin of Lieder societies. A small group of members will sing informally in the company of other, like-minded people. Members and their friends are cordially invited to attend. If you are interested, please send a message via the contact form . No costs are entailed. Non-members can participate by becoming a member at $25 per person.
Where Go the Boats?
Sunday 31st July at 3pm
Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest
Louise Page (soprano) and Phillipa Candy (piano)
A concert for the depth of winter, as we dream about escaping to warm and exotic places. Come on a journey of adventure, running towards the sun and leaving despair and disappointment behind. Songs by Duparc, Quilter, Fauré and featuring Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer.
Art Song Canberra and Wesley Music Centre present
Masterclass for Performers of Art Song by Andrea Katz
Saturday 27th August at 2pm
Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest
Andrea Katz of Songmakers Australia, will give a masterclass for singers and accompanists. Audience will be very welcome. The masterclass is kindly and generously sponsored by the Wesley Music Foundation.
The call for applications is open until 1 August. Please see the call document for details as well as admission fees for audience members.
Lyric Rhapsody
Sunday 28th August at 3pm
Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest
Merlyn Quaife (soprano), Nicholas Dinopoulos (bass-baritone) and Andrea Katz (piano) of Songmakers Australia
A rare opportunity to hear wonderful vocal duet repertoire (strictly, trio – there’s a pianist there, too!). A selection of songs and duets of love and romance by Brahms will be followed by Dvorak’s six Moravian Duets and Shakespeare love songs by Quilter and Grainger. And a surprise to finish!
From Russia (and New Zealand) with Love
Sunday 9th October at 3pm
Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest
Jeremy Tatchell (baritone) and Elena Nikulina (piano)
Join Jeremy Tatchell and Elena Nikulina as they take you on a journey to their countries of birth, celebrating the songs of Russian and New Zealand composers. The program will include works by Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky (Songs and Dances of Death), Lilburn (Sings Harry) and Farquhar (Three Scots Ballads).
Soirée at St Alban’s
Sunday 23 October at 3pm
St Alban’s Church, 34 Chappell Street, Lyons
The Members’ Soirée will be a social gathering of members of Art Song Canberra in which we make music together, taking us back to the origin of Lieder societies. A small group of members will sing informally in the company of other, like-minded people. Members and their friends are cordially invited to attend. If you are interested, please send a message via the contact form . No costs are entailed. Non-members can participate by becoming a member at $25 per person.
Dynasty of Song: Garcia, Malibran, Viardot
Sunday 13th November at 3pm
Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest
Karen Fitz-Gibbon (soprano) and Alan Hicks (piano, see concert 1)
Manuel Garcia was a celebrated Spanish tenor, the most famous vocal teacher of the 19th century and an affirmed tyrant. His daughters, Maria Malibran and Pauline Viardot, would become, respectively, the greatest operatic superstar of the 19th century and an acclaimed pianist and singer with far-reaching influence. Together their stormy lives would intertwine with a glittering array of 19th century musical celebrities from Rossini and Lorenzo da Ponte to Tchaikovsky, Chopin and Fauré. All three of them were also composers, and their songs are marked by their vocal prowess.
Discover the musical legacy of this extraordinary family, as their music and their stories are woven together in an afternoon of fiery Spanish temper and refined French salons, of rockstar fame and premature tragedy, poetic delicacy and earthy fun.
The Artists
Christopher Lincoln Bogg was born and raised in Canberra before going on to enjoy a long career as an international opera, concert and recital singer. After ten years of performances as a member of the Canberra Children’s Choir, the Canberra Youth Orchestra and many other local arts organizations, he left for Melbourne in order to study at the Victorian College of the Arts with Dame Joan Hammond, making a reputation for himself as a soloist in concert choral works and studio recordings for the ABC. On graduation he was offered a Young Artist position with the Victoria State Opera from which he progressed to major roles in companies throughout Australia and New Zealand. A finalist in the first year of the Australian Singing Competition, a winner of the Dame Joan Sutherland Scholarship and the Bond Family Scholarship for Tenors, it was receiving the German Opera Award from Opera Foundation Australia which took him to Germany on contract with Cologne Opera, the springboard to what has been a long European-based career.
In an opera career spanning more than three decades, he has worked at major world houses such as San Francisco Opera, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Het Musiktheater in Amsterdam, Flanders Opera, the National Opera of Bulgaria and Welsh National Opera and in important Germany companies which include Cologne, Dresden, Dusseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt, Hannover, Leipzig, Kassel, Kiel, Nuremburg, Weimar, Wiesbaden and many others. Christopher’s wide ranging operatic repertoire comprises over sixty major roles and covers both familiar and lesser known works of Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Puccini, Verdi, Bizet, Gounod, Meyerbeer and Berlioz as well as a significant number of twentieth century masterworks and first performances of new works. He has sung roles with great technical difficulties such as the florid singing in Argirio (Tancredi), the exposed bel canto of Percy (Anna Bolena), the many dramatic top Cs for Arnold (William Tell) and the powerful lyricism of Aeneas (Trojans) as well as portraying complex characters as diverse as Don Jose (Carmen), Alwa (Lulu), Zvigny (Osud), Stewa (Jenufa), Sandy (The Lighthouse), Dov (Knot Garden) and Novice (Billy Budd).
For Opera Australia his roles include Almaviva (Barber of Seville), Ramiro (La Cenerentola), Nemorino (L’Elisir d’Amore), Leicester (Maria Stuarda), Fenton (Falstaff), Rinuccio (Il Trittico), Nadir (Pearl Fishers) and as “the Boy” in the world premiere of Madeline Lee for which he was nominated for a Helpmann Award. Christopher’s concert repertoire includes most of the concert choral classics from Monteverdi to Verdi, from Bach Passions to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. He has performed with choirs in Australia such as Sydney Philharmonia and Melbourne Chorale and with orchestras, choirs and festivals throughout Europe. Alongside his work in opera and concerts Christopher has continued an active interest as a recitalist with a particular interest in English art song and German Lieder. In 2000 he was the only foreign national to be a participant in a festival of German Lieder at the national pavilion at Expo in Hannover, where his performances included specially commissioned works. He has also recorded a number of CDs of twentieth-century German song for the Orfeo label.
Alan Hicks is one of Australia’s foremost vocal coaches and accompanists. He is Director of the University of Canberra Chorale and a vocal coach in the Opera Unit at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Alan performs regularly around Australia in recitals and Festivals with leading national and international artists. In collaboration with the Friends of Opera he coordinates high-level performance opportunities for young professional singers at embassies and consular venues around Canberra. Theatrical credits include musical preparation for Albert Herring, Dido and Aeneas, Grimm and the Blue Crown Owl, Die Zauberflöte, Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi, Die Fledermaus, and chorus master for Tosca, The Barber of Seville, La Traviata and From a Black Sky. In 2013 he made his stage debut at the Street Theatre as Alain/Claude in the award-winning Bijou, starring and written by Chrissie Shaw, with regional tours and a return season in September 2015.
Alan performs in fortepiano duo partnership with Geoffrey Lancaster AM. Their recent performance of Mozart’s Sonata in F major K497 for the Royal Schools Music Club in Perth was reviewed by Neville Cohn as: “…a performance of highest order, the players shaping to a myriad of subtleties like fine wine to a goblet.” At the Australian Flute Festival he has given recitals with Aldo Baerten (Belgium), Jane Rutter (Australia), Luca Manghi (Italy/New Zealand) and Roberto Alvarez (Spain/Singapore).
Winner of the Australian Singing Competition’s Marianne Mathy Award and prize winning graduate of the Canberra School of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music and the National Opera Studio London, mezzo-soprano Christina Wilson has appeared in performances throughout the UK, Europe, the USA and Australia. She has sung as a soloist at the Royal Albert Hall, Westminster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral and in recital at the Wigmore Hall, the Temple Square, USA and the Paris Conservatoire. With companies such Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Wexford Festival Opera, Belfast Opera and the State Opera of South Australia she has sung the roles of Clitemnestre, Carmen, Cenerentola, Rosina, Cherubino, Dido, Dorabella and in recent years with the Canberra Choral Society the Handel roles of David (Saul), Irene (Theodora) and Dejanira (Hercules).
Christina is broadcast regularly on ABC FM and appears as a soloist locally and nationally in concert and oratorio. She has been a featured soloist for “Voices in the Forest” at the National Arboretum, and in the Canberra Symphony Orchestra Prom Concert at Government House. President of the ACT Chapter of ANATS, Christina regularly adjudicates and gives masterclasses nationally and internationally. She has taught singing and voice at tertiary level for many years, currently at the University of Canberra where she also runs classes for UC Music and TQI accredited voice workshops for teachers.
Rada Tochalna was born in Sevastopol where she began her musical career as a pianist, graduating with Honours from the Music Academy in Lviv (Ukraine). She continued under Professor of singing Igor Kushpler, actively participating in various musical festivals such as Summer Festival in Kiev, 13th Ukrainian Days festival in Szcsecin (Poland) (2009) and Festival Oksany Petrusenko in Sevastopol. She was chosen by the Minister of Culture, Sevastopol, to perform for the President of Ukraine (2010). She then undertook her Master of Arts degree in Music Performance at the Zurich University of the Arts with world-renowned mezzo-soprano Cornelia Kallisch, where she received Honours. Rada has appeared in numerous operatic roles, including Caroline (Il matrimonio segreto), Constance (Dialogues des Carmélites), Amor (Orpheo ed Euridice), Fairy Godmother (Cendrillon), Foreign Woman (The Consul) and First Lady (Die Zauberflöte) in Melbourne during 2014.
In 2012 Rada was a semi-finalist of the Stenhammar and Montserrat Caballé International Singing Competitions. In 2014 she was the recipient of the Henkell Family Young Artist Fellowship at The Opera Studio Melbourne, and the Alice Amy McDonald Trust Travelling Fellowship. She took part in Nagambie Lakes Opera Festival in 2015, as well as Spring Street Beat Festival of the Parliament of Victoria (2015) and Melbourne East Arts Festival 2015.
Lucas de Jong studied at the Melba Conservatorium, Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne University and at the National Opera Studio, London. For Melbourne Opera, he has appeared in the title role of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, as Scarpia in Tosca, Marcello in La Bohème and Germont Père in La Traviata.He has performed with leading international companies including Opera Australia and Victoria State Opera. He appeared as Count Almaviva in The Marriage Of Figaro for Glyndebourne Festival Opera and for Welsh National Opera, as Morales in Carmen for the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. He sang the title roles of Don Giovanni for Opera Atelier in Toronto and of Eugene Onegin for Holland Park Opera and appeared as Marcello in La Bohème, Sharpless in Madam Butterfly, Escamillo in Carmen and Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, all for European Chamber Opera.
Performances in recent years for Opera Australia include Zurga in The Pearlfishers in The Domain in Sydney and in the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, Sharpless in Tosca, Silvio in I Pagliacci and Escamillo in Carmen and St. Brioche in The Merry Widow. He has also appeared as Valentin in Faust for WA Opera and Ping in Turandot for Opera Queensland. His concert engagements include Brahms’ Requiem for the London Oriana Choir and for the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Society, Mozart’s Mass In C, Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Carmina Burana for the Melbourne Chorale.
Janis Cook combines professional performance with a keenness to promote meaningful engagement with music through her teaching, writing and innovative concert programming. She has collaborated with colleagues in many chamber scenarios such as MSO Chamber Players, ABC Sunday Live and her own Cook & Co curations. Janis’ career includes: appearances as a soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and leading community orchestras; soundtrack recordings for many movies such as Babe, Cosi and The Dish; several years touring as a repetiteur with the Australian Ballet Company; and extensive work with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as principal keyboard artist including tours to Japan, Europe and Russia and numerous compact discs recordings including the award winning Simple Gifts.
Janis is an experienced adjudicator and examiner who contributes thought provoking articles to industry publications and presents at leading pedagogical seminars. She is the author of a recent book, THE REST, a compilation of keyboard excerpts from mainstream chamber and orchestral literature carefully selected and informatively annotated as a resource of reference and enrichment for aspiring pianists. A direct descendant of the Liszt tradition, Janis teaches piano at all levels. She believes that it is important to foster in students an awareness of the many parallels and connections between music and other aspects of life.
Louise Page OAM is one of Australia’s most highly regarded and versatile singers. She has appeared in opera, operetta, oratorio, cabaret, recital and broadcasts, for various groups throughout Australia and Europe. She is the winner of the inaugural Mietta’s Song Recital Competition, the vocal grand final of the ABC Young Performer of the Year Award, the Robert Stolz/Apex scholarship to Vienna and the Belgian Radio and Television Opera en Bel Canto Prize. She has performed throughout Europe, including roles at the Vienna State Opera as a member of the young artist program.
Based in Canberra she performs regularly in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and regional areas. Louise has been a soloist with the Sydney, Queensland, Canberra and Central Coast Symphony Orchestras and the National Capital Orchestra. She has performed for many organisations including Musica Viva, the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, the Canberra International Chamber Music Festival, Art Song Canberra, the Mackay Region Festival of Arts, and has on several occasions been a featured artist for the ABC’s Sunday Live national broadcasts. She also featured as a headline artist in the inaugural “Voices in the Forest” concert at the National Arboretum in 2011 and has made many guest appearances since then.
Louise received a Canberra Critics Circle Award for music in 2007. In the same year she was recognized with the Canberra Times Artist of the Year award, in particular for her presentation Nellie Melba: Queen of Song which she devised for and performed in the Canberra International Music Festival that year. She has recorded seven CDs of music varying from Lieder to operetta, premières of Australian music and Christmas songs. In the 2013 Australia Day Honours List Louise was awarded an OAM for services to the performing arts.
Phillipa Candy is a highly respected professional musician, as an accompanist, conductor, pianist, private teacher, college teacher, repetiteur, and vocal coach. In the United States she performed regularly in Philadelphia. In Australia she has performed in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and regional areas. She has been awarded various prizes in Australia and the United States for performance and academic excellence. She studied vocal accompaniment with the late Geoffrey Parsons in London. She first toured with Musica Viva in 1988 as founding pianist with the group Austral Skies. Since 2011 she has been touring with Louise Page in the shows Nellie Melba: Queen of Song and The Magic of Operetta.
After returning to Australia in 1992, Phillipa formed an artistic partnership with soprano Louise Page to promote and foster art song. They have made several CDs. Recently they joined with members of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, recording works of the composer/conductor/pianist Horace Keats for Wirripang.Phillipa has performed for ABC “Sunday Live” with Louise Page, teaming up with flautist Teresa Rabe, and in 2014 with violinist Barbara Jane Gilby. She teamed up with mezzo-soprano Sally-Anne Russell in 2008 and 2011 for recitals for Art Song Canberra. Phillipa and Louise performed in the 2014 International Chamber Music Festival, giving Australian premieres of works by first-rate World War I composers such as Antoine, Eisler and Jürgens.
A performer of great versatility, the distinguished soprano Merlyn Quaife has performed opera, oratorio, Lieder, chamber music and contemporary music to great acclaim throughout Australia, Europe and the USA. She has also performed as soloist with the Singapore Symphony and the Voronesz Philharmonic (Russia). She has appeared with all the State Opera Companies in roles ranging from the bel canto Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor) to the minimalist Chiang Ch’ing (Nixon in China). She has performed with all the Symphony Australia orchestras, featured in repertoire of every conceivable style from Handel to Ligeti. She has recorded a number of CDs including ‘Aria for John Edward Eyre’ by David Lumsdaine which won her a Sounds Australia Award, she also appears on Naxos, Move, Tall Poppies and ABC Classics. In 1994, Merlyn made her American debut at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, singing the title role in Gordon Kerry’s opera ‘Medea’ with Chamber Made Opera, which she also sang to great acclaim in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra seasons. In 1995 she sang the role in a new production by the Berliner Kammeroper and this production saw a return season in 1997/98. Merlyn is also a regular soloist at St. Francis, a role she has enjoyed for many years. She has had the privilege of performing twice with Vladimir Ashkenazy and the SSO.
In 2004 she combined her two loves, horses and singing, performing the fiendishly difficult Queen of the Night on horseback. In 2013 Merlyn sang Ortlinde in ‘Die Walküre’ in Opera Australia’s acclaimed RING CYCLE. In the same year she was awarded an AM for ‘services to music’. From 1995-2007 she headed the Vocal Department at the Faculty of Music, the University of Melbourne. In 2014, Merlyn has been appointed Associate Professor at Monash University, in charge of the classical voice program. She is currently introducing an innovative program unique to Monash but inspired by programs in Europe and the USA linked with her considerable experience as an educator.
Nicholas Dinopoulos studied at The University of Melbourne with Merlyn Quaife AM and furthered his training at The Opera Studio Melbourne. A prolific concert artist and recitalist, he is frequently heard in live-to-air broadcasts on ABC Classic FM and 3MBS FM and is a core member of Songmakers Australia under the artistic patronage of Graham Johnson. A performer of many and varied operatic roles, he recently created the role of The Poet in the world premiere performances of Constantine Koukias’ The Barbarians (Helpmann Award nomination, Best Opera category) for IHOS Opera / MONA FOMA 2012. The 2013 season marked debuts for both Victorian Opera (Melbourne) and Pinchgut Opera (Sydney).
Nicholas’ extensive concert repertoire includes the Puccini Messa di Gloria, Britten Rejoice in the Lamb, Dvořák Stabat Mater and Mass in D, Rossini Stabat Mater and Petite Messe Solennelle, several Haydn and Mozart masses, Mozart Vesperae solennes de confessore and Requiem in addition to several oratorios by Handel and the St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, Mass in B minor, Magnificat, Ascension Oratorio and various cantatas by J.S. Bach. He has also given the world premiere performances of several new works from among the rising generation of Australian composers. Past engagements include performances of Grainger’s Tribute to Foster for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis (and a subsequent recording for Chandos Records, Keeper of the Madhouse (The Rake’s Progress) for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Schubert’s Schwanengesang for Art Song Canberra with associate artist Andrea Katz, Buxtehude Membra Jesu Nostri for the Melbourne Festival, Monteverdi Vespers for Bach Musica NZ, a fourth consecutive invitation to the Peninsula Summer Musical Festival and further recitals with Songmakers Australia at the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, Art Gallery of NSW, Melbourne Recital Centre and for Musica Viva.
Andrea Katz is a pianist, accompanist and vocal coach of extraordinary versatility. Argentine born, she is equally at home with Chamber Music, German Lieder and Grand Opera. She studied piano with Francisco Amicarelli and Jorge Fontenla at the School of Music of the National University of San Juan, Argentina. She studied with Vlado Perlemuter in Paris, Alexander Tamir in Jerusalem and specialised in the interpretation of German Lieder with Graham Johnson in London.Since becoming an Australian resident in 1990, she has worked with all major musical organisations in the country: Opera Australia, Victorian Opera, Sydney Symphony, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane Festivals, Sydney Music Conservatorium and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. She works regularly with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Aldeburgh Festival (UK) and Auckland Philharmonia.
A prolific recital pianist, she performs regularly with prominent Australian and international singers and ensembles, including a yearly season at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Highlights of the last eleven seasons are recitals with Yvonne Kenny, Peter Coleman-Wright, Emma Matthews, The Sydney Omega Ensemble, The Sydney Soloists, cellist David Pereira, and violinists Pekka Kuusisto and Gil Shaham. She is the founder of Songmakers Australia, a vibrant vocal ensemble dedicated to performing repertoire in programs of superbly themed settings and song. Since 2009 she is the Director of the Vocal Ensemble at the University of Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. Currently she also teaches at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music at Monash University. She has released two CDs with soprano Merlyn Quaife, “Lest we Forget” and “Fortune my Foe”.
Since their foundation in 2011 Songmakers Australia have built a reputation as one of Australia’s leading ensembles, bringing together some of the country’s most prominent singers and instrumentalists in a diverse repertoire comprising some of the pinnacles of chamber music. Pianist Andrea Katz teams with soprano Merlyn Quaife, mezzo-soprano Sally-Anne Russell, tenor Andrew Goodwin and bass-baritone Nicholas Dinopoulos in inspired programs that feature a dynamic interplay of song and chamber music. The ensemble presents a yearly subscription series at the Melbourne Recital Centre, where they have been Local Heroes since 2011. They enjoy numerous invitations to perform at leading festivals and recital series Australia-wide (Art Gallery of NSW, Peninsula Summer Music Festival, Art Song Canberra and the Art Gallery of Ballarat) and they are regularly heard nationally in live-to-air broadcasts.
Jeremy Tatchell , New Zealand born, embarked on his singing career from the age of 9 and has achieved extensive performance experience in opera, oratorio, concert and recital. In 2003 he joined the Adelaide-based touring company Co-Opera with whom he has performed many and varied roles throughout Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Now based in Adelaide, Jeremy made his debut for State Opera South Australia in 2011 singing in the chorus in their production of La Sonnambula. Since then he has performed in the Australian première of the 2012 Helpmann Awards “Best Opera” production of Moby Dick and the roles of Rhadamanthus (Orpheus in the Underworld), Surgeon (La Forza del Destino) and Imperial Commissioner (Madame Butterfly) among many others. He has also taken part in SOSA’s workshop of Cloudstreet and SINGular Productions workshop of Innocence Lost as well as performing in Mopoke Theatre Productions’ The Old Maid and the Thief by Menotti in the Adelaide Fringe Festival.
Jeremy is also much sought after as a soloist in both oratorio and recital and has performed with both the Canberra and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras on numerous occasions. His repertoire includes Orff’s Carmina Burana, J.S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion & St John Passion, Magnificat, B Minor Mass and Cantatas BWV 56, 82 & 158, Stravinsky’s Les Noces & Mass, Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs & Fantasia on Christmas Carols, Fauré’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah & Israel in Egypt, Haydn’s Creation & Nelson Mass, Purcell’s Come, Ye Sons of Art, Schubert’s Winterreise (for Art Song Canberra) and Schumann’s Liederkreis Op.39. Jeremy was made a young artist in the James & Diana Ramsay Foundation Opera Program in 2014 and in 2015 has become an emerging artist with SOSA through the same program. 2015 has so far seen Jeremy perform the role of Bluebeard (Bluebeard’s Castle) and Colas (Bastien und Bastienne) in State Opera SA’s Opera Studio “Double Bill” productions as well as Masetto in Don Giovanni, his first major role with SOSA.
Elena Nikulina is an accomplished classically trained pianist, having graduated in 1999 from the Donetsk State Conservatoire, Ukraine with a Masters degree in pianoforte and accompaniment. At the Conservatoire she was winner of the ‘Best Accompanist Competition’ and selected to represent the Ukraine as a member of the piano ensemble at the Musical Competition in Pavia, Italy. While in the Ukraine, Elena was the concertmaster to the Donetsk Academy Musical Theatre and the Ballet Troupe of the Donetsk Academy Musical Theatre. She was also a founder member of the Viola Chamber Trio, Donetsk. Elena’s repertoire is wide ranging from classical concertos, sonatas, operas, arias and romances to the modern style. She has performed extensively overseas in the Ukraine, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain as a soloist and four-hand pianist. She has extensive experience as an accompanist working with opera singers, choirs and a range of musicians who have included cellists, flautists, violinists, saxophonists and trumpeters.
Since moving to Canberra in 2006 Elena has performed as a soloist, four-hand pianist and accompanist in Canberra, in Victoria and throughout New South Wales. Her four-hand piano program has been enthusiastically received whenever performed and is now an annual event. Elena has worked extensively with Jeremy Tatchell, accompanying him in 2012 and 2013 in his accomplished performances of Schubert’s Winterreise (for Art Song Canberra) and Schumann’s Liederkreis Opus 39 respectively. Besides performing, Elena is acknowledged in Canberra as a high level piano teacher and has prepared many students for the Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB) examinations up to the Licentiate Diploma in Music, Australia (LMusA) level. She believes giving the gift of music to children, not only gives them an inner confidence, but also provides them with the joy of music that will travel with them through life’s long journey.
Karen Fitz-Gibbon graduated with First Class Honours from the ANU School of Music in 2010, and in 2013 from the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria where she studied with Ms Barbara Bonney. In concert, Karen has appeared as a soloist with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Canberra Choral Society, Oriana Chorale, the Canberra Symphony Orchestra and UC Chorale (conducted by Tobias Cole), for which she won a Canberra Critics Circle Award in 2009. On the stage, Karen has sung the roles of Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Abigail (Grimm and the Blue Crown Owl), Belinda (Dido & Aeneas), Coridon (Acis & Galatea) and Kelly in the Australian premiere of American composer Jeremy Beck’s Black Water at the Adelaide Fringe Festival before touring it in Australia, Malaysia and Singapore. In 2011 Karen completed a national tour with Co-Opera as Susanna in their production of The Marriage of Figaro, touring to Germany, Austria and Switzerland in May 2012. In 2013 she performed the role of Aurora (La Morte D’Orfeo) with The Harp Consort in St Petersburg, Russia, and Belinda (Dido & Aeneas) at the Peninsula Summer Music Festival in Victoria.
Karen has given art song recitals for Art Song Canberra and the National Library of Australia. She has recorded two solo recitals for ABC Classic FM and was a featured artist on their “Saturday Afternoon Concert” program in 2011. In 2014 she was a finalist in the Mietta Song Competition in Melbourne and sang as a soloist with the Darwin Symphony Orchestra.