Sopranos

Elinor Jane Moran

Elinor was a student at the prestigious Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester before moving to London to study voice at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.  Whilst at the Guildhall she won the Worshipful Company of Horners’ Becker Scholarship to complete her Masters Degree in performance and the Tracey Chadwell Memorial Prize for Contemporary Song.

She is experienced on both opera and concert stages and has performed in many of the major concert halls in the UK and as far away as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the US.  She has appeared as a soloist aboard The Minerva II for the Swan Hellenic Cruise Line, and has entertained at corporate events at venues including Skibo Castle, the HMS Belfast, The Gherkin, King’s Road Gallery, Burlington Arcade, Chelsea Marquee, The East India Club, Bridgewater Hall, Huddersfield Football Stadium, Tower Of London, Olympia Exhibition Centre, The Dixie Queen and most of the City Livery Halls.  In 2004 Elinor was a soloist at the world famous Thursford Christmas Spectacular. 

In November 2008, as a soloist and member of the Gala Ensemble, Elinor released a classical chart number one selling album on the SONY BMG label of Gilbert and Sullivan Highlights.

Her recent operatic roles include Pamina The Magic Flute, Susanna The Marriage of Figaro, Rusalka/Voran May Night, Rowan The Little Sweep, Zerlina Don Giovanni, Gretel and Dew Fairy and Sandman Hansel and Gretel, Mercedes Carmen, Second Lady The Magic Flute, Polly Peachum The Threepenny Opera, Forester’s Wife and Owl The Cunning Little Vixen.  In 2005 Elinor was the recipient of the Garsington Young Artist’s Award.

Oratorio performances include Mozart Requiem, in the Cadogan Hall, Haydn Nelson Mass, Mozart Coronation Mass, Faure Requiem, Mozart Vespere Solonne De Confessore, Rutter Feel The Spirit, Magnificat, Mendelssohn Elijah, Vivaldi Gloria.

As well as being a busy performer Elinor is in much demand as a vocal animateur for opera companies such as Opera North, English Touring Opera and the Royal Opera House, with whom she performed in Orlando Gough’s On The Rim Of The World at Covent Garden in March of this year.  She is also a guest tutor for the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus in Toronto. 

Over the summer in 2009 Elinor will be performing Michaela in Carmen for Opéra à la Gozinère in France and will return for a fourth time to the International Festival of Music in Shannon, Limerick as a resident artist and principle vocal coach for the Children’s Opera Faculty.

Anita Watson

After completing a Bachelor of Music from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Australian soprano Anita Watson graduated with honours from the Australian Opera Studio.  She was a member of the Cologne Opera Studio 2006-7 and the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden from 2007-9.

Anita was the winner of first prize and the audience prize at the 2009 ARD International Music Competition in Munich.

Anita has won prizes in many prestigious competitions amongst them The Australian Singing Competition, Queen Sonja International Music Competition in Oslo, Neue Stimmen in Germany and the 2009 Placido Domingo Operalia Competition. 

Her performed roles at the Royal Opera House included the title role in Donizetti's Rita, Flowergirl (Parsifal), First Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Naiad (Ariadne auf Naxos), Gretel and Dewfairy (Hänsel and Gretel) and Second Woman (Dido and Aeneas). She also understudied Contessa (Le Nozze di Figaro), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) and Mimì (La Bohème).  Other roles have included the title role in Handel's Xerxes, Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare, Lucia in The Rape of Lucretia, Pedro in Don Quichotte, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro and Micaela in Carmen for the Australian Opera Studio, Barena in Jenufa for Cologne Opera and Ann Putnam in The Crucible for IVAI.

During the years Anita has been heard in many live broadcasts including Parsifal, Don Carlo, Mavra and Hänsel und Gretel as well as solo recitals for ABC radio.

Anita has appeared with numerous concerts and recitals in Australia, in the USA, Austria, Germany, Japan, Hungary, China, Finland, Israel and the UK, Her oratorio repertoire includes Carmina Burana, Mozart's Requiem, Tippet's A Child of our Time, the Fauré Requiem, Mozart's Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, Handel's Messiah, and Gounod's Redemption. Most recently Anita performed Beethoven Symphony no. 9 with Antonio Pappano in Rome and Siena with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.

Michelle Sheridan

Irish soprano Michelle Sheridan studied at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, the Royal College of Music, London and the Flanders Opera Studio in Ghent, Belgium. Prizes include the Ford/Sunday Independent ‘Spirit of Life’ Bursary for most promising young Irish artist.

She has performed the roles of Despina (Così fan tutte) for Garden Opera and Co-Opera, Pamina (The Magic Flute), Musetta (La Bohème)and Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro) for Opera à la Carte; Barce (The Kiss) and Sand Man and Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel) for Opera Theatre Company; Hyacinthus (Apollo and Hyacinthus) for OTC / Classical Opera Company; Pepick (The Cunning Little Vixen) at the Janaçek Theatre in Brno, Zerlina (Don Giovanni) for Opera Ireland, English Touring Opera and at the International Music Festival in Bermuda; Barbarina (The Marriage of Figaro) for OTC and ETO; Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) for ETO; La Madelon and La Julienne (La Jolie Parfumeuse) at Flanders Opera, Micaela (Carmen) at the Aberdeen International Youth Festival and for Opera à la carte and Xenia (Boris Gudonov) for Opera Ireland.

Oratorio and Concert engagements have included Carmina Burana at the Two Cathedrals Festival in Derry, Creation at the Dublin International Organ Festival, Messiah with Our Ladies Choral Society and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Steve Reich’s Music for 18 with the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra, Berg’s Seven Early Songs at the National Concert Hall, Dublin and Mahler 4 with the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland.

Michelle has recorded recitals for RTÉ and BBC Radio Northern Ireland and in 2002, she recorded the role of Chief Hen for the European Opera / BBC cartoon version of the Cunning Little Vixen, conducted by Kent Nagano.

Valda Wilson

Valda Wilson was born in Sydney, Australia. She grew up in the bushland suburb of Castlecrag and on the family grazing property in the Upper Hunter mountains. She was awarded a Bachelor of Science (Hons1) by the University of Sydney in 2004 before completing a three year Diploma of Opera at Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2007. In September 2008 she moved to London to study at the National Opera Studio on Opera Foundation Australia’s Rockend Scholarship. She now lives in London. Her voice teachers and coaches include Stephen Yalouris, Sharolyn Kimmorley, Yvonne Kenny, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Lillian Watson.
 
On the concert platform Valda has performed Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen and many other Bach Cantatas, Mozart Exsultate, jubilate! and Three Poems of Byron by modern Australian composer Graeme Koehne. She was soprano soloist in the world premiere of Australian Anne Boyd’s youth cantata Dreams for the Earth. Oratorio repertoire includes Bach St Matthew Passion and St John Passion, Handel Samson and Messiah, Mozart Mass in C minor, and Australian Paul Pavoir’s Mass of the Southern Cross. Valda has presented numerous radio recitals for Sydney radio 2MBS and was a member of Pacific Opera’s 2008 Young Artist Program.
 
In July 2009, Valda performed Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro for the Lyric Opera Studio Weimar. At the London National Opera Studio Showcase in June, she played Mlle Silberklang Der Schauspieldirektor. From March through September 2008 she played Rosina in Opera Australia Schools Touring Company production of Il barbiere di Siviglia. Roles with Sydney Conservatorium Opera were Rosina La vera costanza, Geraldine A Hand of Bridge, Amore Paride ed Elena, and Susan A Dinner Engagement.  Other roles include Ilia Idomeneo, Manon Manon, Giulietta I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Cleopatra Giulio Cesare, Aline The Sorceror, Mabel and Edith Pirates of Penzance, Yum-Yum and Pitti-Sing The Mikado. In March 2010 Valda will play Adina in Riverside Opera’s London production of L’elisir d’amore.
 
Recent engagements include concerts at Chatsworth House, Fulham Palace, Wales Millennium Centre with the Welsh National Opera orchestra, the Barrandov Opera, the Two Moors Festival, Young People In The Arts, the Britain-Australia Society at the House of Lords, and a London Rush Hour Concert with tenor Brad Cooper. 
 
Valda was one of six finalists in the Concours de Genève 2009 International Singing Competition in Switzerland, and a semifinalist in Placido Domingo’s  Operalia 2009 International Competition. In 2007 she was a finalist in the Australian National Operatic Aria and in the City of Sydney Opera Awards, and received the Elizabeth Todd Award for Soprano Voice in the Sydney Eisteddfod. Further competition success followed in 2008 including placing in the City of Sydney Opera Awards and winning Opera Foundation Australia’s prestigious Rockend Scholarship and the Robert and Betty Salzer 2009 Award. Valda also appreciates generous financial support from the Australian Music Foundation, the Ian Potter Cultural Trust, the Tait Memorial Trust, the Opus 50 Charitable Trust, the Helpmann Family Trust, and the Opera and Arts Support Group.

Karin Thyselius

Born in Stockholm, Sweden, has undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in solo vocal performance from Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. She is currently learning with Janice Chapman and coaching with Ludmilla Andrews.

In 2004 Karin was a finalist in the Robert Schumann International Singing Competition in Germany, and prior to that had successes in the Schubert Lieder Competition and the Susan Longfield Competition at the GSMD, and was awarded third prize in the Bromsgrove Young Musicians’ Platform 2002.

She has performed throughout the United Kingdom in works such as the Brahms Requiem, Fauré Requiem, Mozart Requiem, Mozart C minor Mass (in King’s College Chapel, Cambridge), Poulenc Gloria, Vivaldi Gloria, and in recital with Eugene Asti. Around Europe her performances have included Schubert Masses in A flat and B flat (The Netherlands), recitals with Tobias Krampen and Alice Turner - both broadcast on Dutch National Radio, and recitals and oratorio performances in her native Sweden.

Karin’s roles in opera have included Despina (Così fan tutte), First Boy and Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), Virtù (L’Incoronazione di Poppea), and Frasquita (Carmen). She has sung with Diva Opera, Grange Park Opera and Clonter Opera.

During autumn 2007, Karin made her critically acclaimed Scottish Opera debut as Berta in their production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia directed by Sir Thomas Allen and conducted by Sergio La Stella. (Read her reviews here.)She was also featured performer in Scottish Opera’s Aria Adventures at Glasgow’s Merchant City Festival in September 2007.

In autumn 2007 she gave a recital for The London Song Festival. Karin is very happy to have been invited to appear again in the 2008 festival, taking place in November in St John’s Smith Square and St George Hanover Square, and will act as an adjucator for the master class auditions. She has also been asked to sing at the memorial concert for the composer Francis James Brown.