Baritones

David Stephenson

David Stephenson, Baritone, was born in Aberdeen and trained as an electrical engineer before entering the Royal College of Music where he won several prizes.

Following appearances with Haddo House, Bath and Wessex Opera, the Broomhill Trust, and Opera East, he made his debut with DGOS Opera Ireland as Alidoro in La Cenerentola.

Since then his operatic appearances have included Speaker Die Zauberflöte and Angelotti, Tosca Opera Ireland, Malatesta, Don Pasquale and Johann, Werther Wexford Festival Opera, Morales and Escamillo, Carmen, Silvio, Pagliacci Raymond Gubbay/Royal Albert Hall, Ariodate Xerxes Halle Handel Festival, Harlekin, Ariadne Auf Naxos (also broadcast), Marchese d' Aubigny La Traviata, Papageno, Die Zauberflöte, Guglielmo, Cosi Fan Tutte and Turn Of The Tide Scottish Opera, Escamillo, Carmen, Silvio in Pagliacci (recorded for television), Sharpless, Madame Butterfly and Papageno, Die Zauberflöte Welsh National Opera, Simone, La Finta Semplice and Roland, Fierrabras Buxton Festival Opera, Poulenc's Le Bal Masqué, The Gaoler, Dialogues des Carmelites, Marullo, Rigoletto,

Enrico, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Andrey Shchelkalov, Boris Godunov for English National Opera, Brixi double bill MusicTheater Transparant, Belgium, and Escamillo Carmen Opera Zuid, Netherlands and Festival de Perelada, Spain, Count Almaviva, Le Nozze Di Figaro, Guglielmo, Cosi Fan Tutte (and Japan tour) Marcello, La Bohème, Falke, Die Fledermaus, Dandini, La Cenerentola, Enrico, Lucia di Lammermoor, Pasha Selim, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, the title role, Eugene Onegin (Russian), Figaro, Barbiere di Siviglia, Sharpless, Madama Butterfly, title role, Don Giovanni, Dr Malatesta, Don Pasquale, the Baron, La Traviata and Father, Hänsel and Gretel for Diva Opera, Falke Die Fledermaus, Mikado Mikado, Shadbolt Yeomen Of The Guard, Willis Iolanthe, and Captain Corcoran, HMS Pinafore for Carl Rosa Opera, Count Robinson, Il Matrimonio Segreto for Les Azuriales Opera.

His extensive concert appearances have included Fauré Requiem Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Raymond Leppard, Vaughan-Williams Five Mystical Songs and Mozart Requiem Orchestra of St John's Smith Square and Queen Elizabeth Hall and Messiah Claudio Scimone and I Solisti Veneti in St Mark's Cathedral and Bergen, Norway.

David’s recordings include the Gaoler,The Carmelites with ENO on the Chandos label, Messiah highlights with the London Symphony Orchestra, broadcasts on BBC Radio 2 in Friday Night Is Music Night and on BBC Radio 3 in Stephen Storace's No Song, No Supper for Britannia at the Opera, an appearance in BBC Television's 1996 New Year's Eve special and Hogmanay Gala’s for Raymond Gubbay at the Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow.

He has recently performed the role of Scarpia (to critical acclaim) for Opera Holland Park and Guglielmo, and Marcello for Diva Opera.

Forthcoming engagements include Escamillo for Opera Holland Park and Diva Opera in 2010.

Peter Willcock

Peter Willcock, originally from Worcestershire, trained in visual arts, dance, theatre and music at Brighton University and then continued his studies at Trinity College of Music where he was funded by numerous awards and scholarships. He has worked with many companies in the UK including English National Opera, Royal Opera, Opera North, Grange Park Opera, Grimebourne Opera and Pimlico Opera.

Festivals include, Edinburgh, Cheltenham, Dartington, Belle Ile sur Mer, Huddersfield and Brighton. Roles Include Monterone (Pimlico/Grange Park), Sid/Billy-Fanciulla (Grange Park), Crespel/Hermann/Schemil-Hoffman, Zuniga (Opera Brava), Aeneas, Nettuno-Idomeneo and numerous roles in modern operas/performance pieces. He's also a well heeled recitalist/choral singer, having worked as a soloist under the baton of Sir Charles Mackerras, Martyn Brabbins and Diego Masson.

Whilst establishing a career as a mainstream soloist Peter is also quite at home in the world of contemporary music, music theatre, early music and multi disciplinary performance. Peter also works extensively in opera education. Working closely with the education depts of companies such as Opera North and The Royal Opera House and Grange Park on numerous and varied projects.

Oliver Gibbs

Born in London and gained a degree in Theatre Studies and English Literature at Lancaster University and a postgraduate
diploma in acting from the London Academy of Performing Arts. After initially following a career in acting he subsequently concentrated on his singing. He has performed principal roles such as Eugene Onegin, The Count and Figaro Le Nozze di Figaro, Coppelius Tales of Hoffmann, and Malatesta Don Pasquale with Opera South-East, Midsummer Opera, Aquarian Opera,
and Opera Del Mar. He has also appeared as Dromio di Efeso in Storace's Gli Equivoci at the Batignano Festival in Tuscany and presented a solo recital at the Edinburgh Festival. Other roles include Mustapha Italian Girl in Algiers, Giorgio Germont La Traviata, Silvio I Pagliacci, and Rodrigo Don Carlo, as well as Captain Corcoran H.M.S.Pinafore for Carl Rosa Opera, Dr Bartolo Barber of Seville for Opera East, and Father Hansel & Gretel for Opera Minima. He recently performed the lead role John Dee in the new
opera Songs of Alchemy by Kirsten Morrison (a role created for him), and is currently appearing as Sharpless Madam Butterfly for Opera Up Close. He is also a member of the extra chorus at the Royal Opera House and English National Opera.

Aidan Smith

Originally from Gloucestershire, Aidan began to sing aged 15, and when he was 18, moved to London to continue his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Robert Dean. He was then awarded the Stokes Scholarship from the Royal Academy of Music to complete his studies there with Mark Wildman. Aidan now studies privately with Robert Dean and David Drummond.
Aidan now enjoys a varied singing career with recent highlights including The Royal Opera’s productions of The Beggar’s Opera playing Ben Budge and the Dido and Anæas/Acis and Galatea double bill. Kevin in The Office the Opera by Anne Chemlewski for The BBC; La Corporal in La Fille Du Regiment for Opera Holland Park; Benoit in La Boheme for Longborough Festival Opera’s young artist scheme and understudying The Marquis of Forlimpopoli in Mirandolina by Martinu for Garsington Opera.
Recent operatic roles include: Escamillio in Carmen for Swindon Opera; Sir Joseph Porter in HMS Pinafore for Charles Court Opera; Osmin in Die Entfürung aus dem serail for Opera Loki; Black Bob The Little Sweep by Benjamin Britten for Longborough Festival Opera and the title role in The Marriage of Figaro for Hampstead Garden Opera
Aidan’s most recent recordings include: Tosca for ORF (used on the James Bond film Quantum of Solace) and The Beggar’s Opera for Chandos.
Aidan’s extensive concert platform experience includes performing Haydn’s Creation at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford. Winterreise in the Chichester International Music Festival, The Messiah in Hamburg, Germany and Britten’s Spring Symphony in Austria. Aidan loves travelling and has been lucky enough to sing as a soloist on a Swan Hellinic cruise to the Caribbean and on a recital tour to Zimbabwe. Aidan has also toured France and Spain singing with the European Baroque Academy, conducted by William Christie.
Aidan also enjoys teaching and has a number of private singing students as well as directing a parent-pupil choir in Herne Hill for the London Music Masters.