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The performers

  • Janet Oates: artistic director, soprano, composer
  • Suzy Robinson: soprano
  • Felicity Hayward: soprano
  • Charlotte Bröker: soprano
  • Emily Peace: soprano
  • Olivia Moss: soprano
  • Michael Keen: harpsichord and renaissance recorder
  • James Bramley: theorbo
  • Arngeir Hauksson: theorbo
  • Toby Carr: theorbo

Janet Oates (soprano; composer; artistic director)

Janet was awarded a PhD from Royal Holloway (2010, following a distinction in her MMus there) and is an active member of CoMA (Contemporary Music for All, for whom she teaches on summer schools and runs the CoMA Singers), the London Composers' Forum, and the Richmond New Music Collective (co-founder). Works include two operas and an oratorio for baroque forces, all successfully produced; several song cycles; short choral works, and prize-winning songs. As a singer she enjoys contemporary song, especially premiering new works including those by Greg Rose and Tansy Davies, as well as singing early music in her ensemble Duo Maddalena, and modern/pop music in her a capella trio The Decibelles!. She has performed solo concerts in the Holywell music room and St John's Smith Square as well as many other venues across London.

Suzy Robinson (soprano)

Suzy was a choral scholar at Kings College London, and is an alumna of the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme at Aldeburgh. She has trained for a number of years with Ashley Stafford. Roles include Marianne in Marianne Dreams (Andrew Lowe-Watson, premiered at the Lilian Baylis theatre), Dido in Dido and Aeneas (Morley College). She has performed with the all-female group Psallite at the Purcell Room and QEH and on their recording Three Spells, Judith Cloud. She also premiered Janet Wheeler's new work Songs and visions of joy and performed at the QEH in a Fairy Queen Dream with Harvey Brough and Andrea Brown. Suzy has toured the Netherlands and broadcast with Schola Pietatis Antonio Vivaldi and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

Felicity Hayward (soprano)

Felicity studied on the Opera course at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, supported by the Geraint Evans award, and completed undergraduate studies at Trinity College of Music (now Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance), graduating with First Class Honours and winning the Silver Medal, the Gladys Puttick prize and the Chamber Music Prize. She is currently based in London. Hugely experienced in opera roles, oratorio engagements and contemporary song, Felicity joined Philomel for our March concerts with 24 hours' notice and proved her expert musicianship!

Charlotte Bröker (soprano)

Charlotte is a Franco-German high soprano, working as a soloist in London. Her repertoire is wide-ranging from early music with recent concerts including Bach cantata BWV 51 Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen to newly commissioned works. She was a choral scholar and solo recitalist at Emmanuel College, Cambridge while reading for a History of Art degree at Clare College, Cambridge. Not wishing to abandon her passion for fine art and philosophy she then completed a masters in 20th century art and theory at the Courtauld Institute, while training with singing teacher Ashley Stafford (RCM). She will continue her vocal studies in September under Patricia Rozario (OBE) with a scholarship on the MA course at Trinity Laban conservatoire.

Emily Peace (soprano)

Emily is currently in her third year of study at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, studying with Marie Vassiliou. Originally from Yorkshire, Emily is hoping for a career in performance, and aspires to sing operatic roles such as Mimi in La Bohème. Having sung since she was 9 years old, Emily also has a strong passion for languages and teaching and hopes to feature both in a future career.

Olivia Moss (soprano)

Olivia graduated from the University of York with a BA (hons) in Music in 2016 then studied for a year at the Morley College Opera School. Olivia was honoured to have been selected for the Glyndebourne Academy 2017, where she benefitted from an intensive training programme, led by Mary King. She also studies privately with Rosa Mannion and Richard Jackson. Recent performance highlights for Olivia include two performances of Bernstein's 'Mass' at the Royal Festival Hall in April under the baton of Marin Alsop, where she also sang the soprano solo. Olivia also played Suor Dolcina in a new production of Puccini's 'Suor Angelica' for the Heraklion Piano Festival in Crete in February. Olivia also recently performed in the final showcase performance for the Glyndebourne Academy 2017.

Michael Keen (harpsichord, recorder)

Michael Keen studied at the RCS and has worked as an accompanist for many years, playing for soloists, choirs, opera groups and instrumentalists. He currently works with Richmond Opera where he plays continuo. He also studied recorder and early music at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague, and has played recorder at several major concert venues including The Purcell Room and for the Daily Service on BBC Radio, as well as producing a recording of baroque recorder music with harpsichordist Helena Brown, called Duo Pastorale and available online.

James Bramley (theorbo)

James performs throughout the UK and abroad as a soloist and accompanist, in ensembles and as a continuo player. He recently completed his postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and has worked with artists including Emma Kirkby, Rachel Podger and in side-by-side projects with the Academy of Ancient Music. He has given concerts and recitals for The Lute Society, the London Handel Festival, Dartington International Festival, Brighton Early Music Festival and Brecon Baroque Festival. Recent broadcast work includes Pepys the Musician (BBC Radio 4) and The Miniaturist (BBC One).

Arngeir Hauksson (theorbo)

Toby Carr (theorbo)

A lutenist and guitarist from London, Toby has performed with some of the finest musicians in the business. Having studied at Trinity Laban and the Guildhall School he is now active as a soloist, continuo player and chamber musician working in the field of historically informed performance, bringing old music to new audiences in exciting and innovative ways. This has included working with many of the foremost period instrument groups around, including Dunedin Consort, Academy of Ancient Music, Early Opera Company, La Nuova Musica, and Irish Baroque Orchestra. Toby has also worked for the Royal Ballet, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Longborough Festival Opera and for English Touring Opera for four tours from 2016-2020. Toby is a founding member of Ceruleo and Lux Musicae London, and appears on a recent recording of the works of Barbara Strozzi by Fieri Consort. In 2019 he made his Wigmore Hall debut with Dame Emma Kirkby and her group Dowland Works. Settled in Greenwich with his wife and collaborator, baroque harpist Aileen Henry, Toby's interests outside of music include cooking and travelling, though when not working he generally tries to do as little as possible.

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By Projonix