Meet the cast of this summer’s Young Artists production of The Marriage of Figaro, as we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the scheme.
The Young Artists Scheme at Opera Holland Park was launched in 2011 to open doors into the industry for emerging directors, conductors and singers, with the generous financial support of the late Christine Collins.
Since its launch, we have worked with singers who have gone on to develop their careers with other companies at home and abroad. Crucially, many of them have returned to Opera Holland Park each summer – not just as regular principals but in a variety of roles, including our Inspire education and outreach work and our online music lessons.
Our 2021 Season opens with a production of The Marriage of Figaro in which the director Oliver Platt, and principals Nardus Williams, Julien Van Mellaerts, Elizabeth Karani and Claire Lees are all alumni of the scheme. In addition to this, former Young Artists appear in principal roles across the season in La traviata, The Cunning Little Vixen, L’amico Fritz and our co-production of The Pirates of Penzance with Charles Court Opera.
This year’s Young Artists will rehearse alongside the main cast of The Marriage of Figaro. They will receive individual mentoring, language coaching and a dedicated sitzprobe with the City of London Sinfonia.
The scheme culminates in four main stage performances, two of which will be for local school children as part of our Inspire programme. The other two public performances take place on 14 June at 7.15pm and 26 June at 2pm. Booking opens on 14 April.
The 2021 Young Artists cast and creatives are as follows:
Lada Valešová – Associate Conductor
Rebecca Meltzer – Associate Director
Thomas Ang – Répétiteur
Jacob Phillips – Count Almaviva
Siân Dicker – Countess Almaviva
Charlotte Bowden – Susanna
Jolyon Loy – Figaro
Charlotte Badham – Cherubino
Hannah Bennett – Marcellina
Alex Jones – Bartolo
Isabelle Peters – Barbarina
Guy Withers – Basilio/Don Curzio
Find out more about the 2021 Young Artists below. Select one of the artists’ names to learn more about them.
Lada | Rebecca | Thomas | Jacob | Siân | Charlotte Bowden | Jolyon | Charlotte Badham | Hannah | Alex | Isabelle | Guy
Lada Valešová – Conductor
What aspect of your role are you most excited to tackle?
Acting as a conduit between the singers and the orchestra and having the honour to work on Mozart’s masterpiece.
How would you describe your conducting style?
I aim for clarity, passion, honesty and communication. I am a servant to the composer and the music.
Which opera do you dream of conducting and why?
Janáček’s Jenůfa. It appeals to me on every level. The symbiosis of drama and music is completely organic, the psychology of characters and their journey masterfully captured in every note. The music goes directly to our hearts and the final scene is transcendental. Forgiveness, redemption, love.
Which opera would you most like to work on musically and why?
Šarlatán by Pavel Haas. I champion his music. This opera is his masterpiece and has been unjustly neglected. It is my dream to bring it back to the repertoire, or at least to give audiences a chance to hear it for the first time.
Who’s your musical role model?
There are many, but one who appeals to my personality is Leonard Bernstein: conductor, pianist, pedagogue, composer, educator and an amazing communicator.
What music do you like to listen to in your spare time?
I enjoy listening to jazz, especially Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker and Bill Evans. I am inspired by their spontaneity of improvisation and joy of music making. I also love listening to choral music of all origins.
If you could work with any artist past or present, who would it be?
Although he’s a producer, not necessarily an artist, working with Sergei Diaghilev would be fun. In a very short span of time, and despite many obstacles, he produced unforgettable seasons of the Ballet Russes, commissioning composers such as Stravinsky and Debussy. It would have been exciting to be in the epicentre of all those new creations.
Do you have any pre-show rituals or superstitions?
It is all about arriving to the optimal mental space on the day, and that journey differs each time. Breathing is the key, and nothing teaches you breathing better than working with singers!
What’s one piece of advice you’ve been given as an artist that has stayed with you?
It’s not about you, it’s about the music.
What are you most excited to learn or experience during your time as an OHP Young Artist?
I’m looking forward to the experience of working with the orchestra and bringing the stage and pit together – creating a space where everyone is enabled to do their best.
Rebecca Meltzer – Associate Director
What aspect of your role are you most excited to tackle?
Exploring two strong female protagonists and staging the many phenomenal ensembles within the opera.
How would you describe your directing style?
Physically ambitious and detailed.
What’s your favourite musical memory?
A toss-up between performing in a production of The Magic Flute at age 9, and playing the final movement of Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony with my University Symphony Orchestra in Durham Cathedral.
Which opera do you dream of directing and why?
Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen – it has so many layers.
Which opera would you most like to work on and why?
Something by Handel. Dramatically speaking, Handel’s work is really difficult to get to the heart of, but once you crack the code, it’s pure magic.
What music do you like to listen to in your spare time?
A lot of folk – traditional, contemporary. You name it.
What’s one piece of advice you’ve been given as an artist that has stayed with you?
The creative process is one of surrender, not control. Listening to others is the key to creative leadership.
What are you most excited to learn or experience during your time as an OHP Young Artist?
Directing my first opera in Italian.
Thomas Ang – Répétiteur
What aspect of your role are you most excited to tackle?
Figaro is my favourite opera. I love how it changes with different directors’ interpretations every time I work on it.
How would you describe your playing style?
I play with a very physical rhythmic groove, owing to my education in jazz and folk drumming.
Which opera do you dream of directing/conducting/playing for and why?
I dream of conducting Die Gezeichneten by Franz Schreker – it’s hugely underrated and the music is stunning. It’s definitely not performed enough.
Which opera would you most like to work on musically and why?
Eugene Onegin, because I love Russian music.
Who’s your musical role model?
The pianist Hamish Milne (RIP).
What music do you like to listen to in your spare time?
Video game remixes, jazz, harsh noise, microtonal music. Sometimes also classical – mostly contemporary and late-20th century.
Do you have any pre-show rituals or superstitions?
I don’t eat before shows, only after.
What’s one piece of advice you’ve been given as an artist that has stayed with you?
Practise with the metronome set to tick only once every one or two bars.
What are you most excited to learn or experience during your time as an OHP Young Artist?
I’m just excited to be playing Figaro again, both with old friends and new colleagues. And I’m excited to make working relationships that will last throughout my career.
Jacob Phillips – Count Almaviva
What aspect of your role are you most excited to tackle?
I am most excited to step into the shoes of one of opera’s most iconic characters. The Count is perfectly rounded with anger, frustration, lust, and a vulnerability I’m looking forward to exploring.
How would you describe your voice?
I am a baritone, and I enjoy singing lots of the Mozart and bel canto repertoire.
What’s your favourite musical memory?
Seeing my first opera, Don Giovanni, at Covent Garden. I remember being blown away by the visceral sound of the orchestra and incredible singing.
What’s your dream operatic role?
Don Giovanni – perhaps the most infamous character in opera. He has beautiful arias and, in my opinion, the most thrilling final scene both musically and dramatically.
Who’s your musical role model?
I can’t decide but here’s my shortlist: Mark Wildman (my singing teacher), Piero Cappuccilli, and Frank Sinatra.
What music do you like to listen to in your spare time?
Aside from opera, I really enjoy listening to bossa nova, with João Gilberto being one of my favourites. I also love the Arctic Monkeys – Alex Turner is such a great storyteller.
If you could sing a duet with any singer past or present (doesn’t have to be an opera singer), who would it be?
Franco Corelli.
Do you have any pre-show rituals or superstitions?
No rituals as such, but I enjoy exercising on the morning of a show to wake up my body. Though we will see if I embrace that for my 12pm matinee shows!
What’s one piece of advice you’ve been given as an artist that has stayed with you?
Always be honest, prepared, and find the enjoyment in what we do.
What are you most excited to learn or experience during your time as an OHP Young Artist?
I am excited after many months of singing into my living room wall to work with all the other wonderful singers, conductors, and musicians. And of course to explore this exciting role and opera for the first time!
Siân Dicker – Countess Almaviva
What aspect of your role are you most excited to tackle?
I’m looking forward to exploring the power play between the Countess and those around her. She’s a character that can so often be seen as a victim but so much of the opera’s plot is actually motivated by the decisions made by her and Susanna. I’m really looking forward to exploring their relationship specifically, especially considering the differences in their social ranks, and how this affects their potential friendship and positions of power within the plot.
How would you describe your voice?
I’m a spinto soprano. I would love to go on to sing more dramatic repertoire, but I’m really enjoying singing full lyric and spinto repertoire now – the Countess feels like the perfect fit at the moment.
What’s your favourite musical memory?
I saw my first opera when I was 17. My mum took me to see a WNO touring production of Figaro for my birthday and I absolutely loved it. It was then that I decided this was what I wanted to be doing for the rest of my life!
What’s your dream operatic role?
I think if I had my choice of singing any role in the world it would have to be Isolde in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde… But that’s a long way off for now!
Who’s your musical role model?
I’ve always loved listening to Leontyne Price – she is a force of nature! I also love Jamie Barton. I remember watching her sing the Witch’s aria from Hänsel und Gretel on Cardiff Singer of the World and thinking she was just incredible. I’ve been a huge fan ever since.
What music do you like to listen to in your spare time?
I genuinely like anything really, although my go-to playlists are 90s pop, Queen, Elton John, Motown and anything Mozart!
If you could sing a duet with any singer past or present (doesn’t have to be an opera singer), who would it be?
Freddie Mercury – how amazing would it be to have sung with him like Montserrat Caballé did on ‘Barcelona’?
Do you have any pre-show rituals or superstitions?
I don’t think so… The only thing I can think of is that I’m always a bit concerned if the pre-show rehearsal has gone really well. I panic that I’ve peaked too soon and that the real thing won’t be as good.
What’s one piece of advice you’ve been given as an artist that has stayed with you?
It was drilled into us during our opera course training that it’s not about us as performers – it’s about the audience experiencing our characters’ stories. I think that’s valuable on so many levels, and in a lot of ways I feel like it takes the pressure off of performing. I’m simply there to tell someone else’s story, not to worry about how I’m being perceived while I’m onstage.
What are you most excited to learn or experience during your time as an OHP Young Artist?
Without a doubt I am the most excited to experience singing with other people again. It will feel like a total luxury after this difficult year. And the thought of hearing a live orchestra again, let alone singing with one, is surreal. I’m also excited to work with the Young Artists production team and explore the nuances and complexities of singing a character like the Countess in a safe and supportive environment.
Charlotte Bowden – Susanna
What aspect of your role are you most excited to tackle?
A large chunk of my role, and actually a large part of the opera as a whole, is secco recitative. I’m very excited to be in the same space as the rest of the cast and get all those wordy Italian conversations flowing!
How would you describe your voice?
I’m currently hanging out in the light lyric soprano category.
What’s your favourite musical memory?
Performing at Wigmore Hall with the London Handel Festival a few days before the first lockdown in March 2020. It was a wonderful experience, particularly listening to Katie Bray singing many, many fast notes spectacularly! I’ve been hanging on to that memory over the last year until we can all make music together again.
What’s your dream operatic role?
A dream role I would love to sing soon is Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier. Strauss writes so well for sopranos, and the final trio is the most incredible piece of music.
Who’s your musical role model?
This is a hard one! There are so many singers I look up to, but I think if I had to pick just one it would be Maria Callas. She gave characters such humanity and intelligence, something I aspire to.
What music do you like to listen to in your spare time?
I like a mix of everything, but my current favourite is having a bit of a boogie to Baroque music with loads of plucked strings and drums – bit niche I know! I really like the L’Arpeggiata Improvisations on Henry Purcell and Monteverdi Teatro d’Amore discs.
If you could sing a duet with any singer past or present (doesn’t have to be an opera singer), who would it be?
I have a big musical crush on Esperanza Spalding. I play the bass and in another life would love to have been a jazz bassist/singer. She’s a creative genius.
Do you have any pre-show rituals or superstitions?
A guitar teacher at my school once told me he ate 3 bananas before every concert – something to do with the B vitamins helping to calm nerves. I’m not sure it’s scientifically proven, but I always eat at least one just in case.
What’s one piece of advice you’ve been given as an artist that has stayed with you?
To always create a character anchored in your own personality. Building a persona starting with shared traits and then expanding from there keeps your character believable and rooted in truth.
What are you most excited to learn or experience during your time as an OHP Young Artist?
The Young Artists programme at Opera Holland Park is an incredible opportunity for a young singer. Having the chance to learn from the main cast and also perform roles in full with the Young Artists cast will be invaluable preparation for the future. I can’t wait to get started!
Jolyon Loy – Figaro
What aspect of your role are you most excited to tackle?
I’m most looking forward to fleshing out Figaro’s depth of character. He really goes through every emotional state, from joy to rage, but always with intelligence and charisma.
How would you describe your voice?
I am a baritone with a fairly rich and warm sound. Luckily it is quite versatile and suits a variety of repertoire right through from Baroque to Romantic.
What’s your favourite musical memory?
I have the fondest memories of my time as a chorister at Worcester Cathedral. It was akin to a full-time job back then, and that intense schedule fostered such a profound connection to music and to music-making with others. It was also so much fun!
What’s your dream operatic role?
Aside from Figaro of course, I’d love to sing Wolfram in Wagner’s Tannhäuser at the Bayreuth Festival one day.
Who’s your musical role model?
I have so many. My dream quintet-in-concert would probably be Renée Fleming, Elina Garanca, Jonas Kauffman, Simon Keenlyside & Bryn on bass.
What music do you like to listen to in your spare time?
My Spotify playlist is a strange mix of opera, old-school American greats like Andy Williams, Barbra, Aretha etc., and the most mainstream, nauseating dance pop.
If you could sing a duet with any singer past or present (doesn’t have to be an opera singer), who would it be?
Probably Renée Fleming. Her virtuosity is just outstanding, and her intelligence of expression almost unparalleled. I would learn so much from her.
Do you have any pre-show rituals or superstitions?
I actually don’t! I don’t like the idea of making ‘fate’ or something external to me responsible for my performance. I like to think I have more control over things!
What’s one piece of advice you’ve been given as an artist that has stayed with you?
I’m not sure it’s advice anyone has ever given me, but I do firmly believe that who you choose to be off-stage is magnified on-stage. It always encourages me to be as honest, open and generous as I can be in my day-to-day life.
What are you most excited to learn or experience during your time as an OHP Young Artist?
I’m really excited to perform Figaro with an orchestra. Hearing the Mozartian swell behind me will be so electrifying. I can’t wait!
Charlotte Badham – Cherubino
What aspect of your role are you most excited to tackle?
I love gender-role swapping in all theatre. I think it raises lots of challenging questions, and thus opens up so many ways of playing a role. So I’m looking forward to seeing what main cast director Oliver Platt and Young Artists director Rebecca Meltzer have in store for this Cherubino!
How would you describe your voice?
Warm, lyric mezzo.
What’s your favourite musical memory?
The first time I sang with orchestra as an operatic soloist in college. There’s nothing like the feeling of an orchestra underneath you.
What’s your dream operatic role?
Naughty, mischievous Hansel – I love a good trouser role!
Who’s your musical role model?
It’s almost impossible to choose, but at the moment I enjoy watching Kate Lindsey a lot. I feel she really captures the comic essence required of certain trouser roles.
What music do you like to listen to in your spare time?
Toe-tapping jazz.
If you could sing a duet with any singer past or present (doesn’t have to be an opera singer), who would it be?
Freddie Mercury – absolute stage animal!
What’s one piece of advice you’ve been given as an artist that has stayed with you?
Always remember that you’re performing because you love it, and let that always be at the centre of what you create.
What are you most excited to learn or experience during your time as an OHP Young Artist?
Opportunities like the Opera Holland Park Young Artists scheme are few and far between for young singers. Especially a programme which allows you to experience the whole process, from rehearsing, the sitzprobe, dress and tech, through to a fully staged show. It’s a valuable experience and I will be relishing every minute.
Hannah Bennett – Marcellina
What aspect of your role are you most excited to tackle?
I am really looking forward to exploring all the different sides of her character. There is a hilarious reveal in Act 3, where you find out that Figaro is, in fact, Marcellina’s long lost son, and you see this whole new side of her. Her relationships with the other characters change quite dramatically as the story progresses, which will be a great challenge to work on.
How would you describe your voice?
I am a mezzo-soprano.
What’s your favourite musical memory?
When I was younger, I was a member of Bedfordshire Youth Opera. My first show with them was Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. I owe my love for opera to this company. I loved the show, the costumes, and all the waltzing. As a non-dancer, I still feel dizzy thinking about all those turns!
What’s your dream operatic role?
My dream role would have to be Jonathan Dove’s Pinocchio or Rosina in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia. I love the music for both, and they are such fun characters!
Who’s your musical role model?
Anne Sofie-von-Otter. I love how she throws herself into the music and character. She is fearless and nails every style. I could listen to her singing French Song or Handel all day.
If you could sing a duet with any singer past or present (doesn’t have to be an opera singer), who would it be?
Ella Fitzgerald. She is incredible. I probably wouldn’t be able to sing from being in complete awe, but who wouldn’t love a chance to see her sing and scat in person?
Do you have any pre-show rituals or superstitions?
I like to go for a walk and get myself moving. I also drink lots of tea.
What’s one piece of advice you’ve been given as an artist that has stayed with you?
Just to take your time, or ‘Wait and Wow’. Especially as a young singer, it’s a reminder to do your own thing and move at your own pace. That way we can enjoy every step along the way.
What are you most excited to learn or experience during your time as an OHP Young Artist?
There are so many things I’m looking forward to. I can’t wait to work with all the other Young Artists. I’m especially looking forward to the rehearsal process and bringing all the characters to life, and to working alongside the main cast.
Alex Jones – Bartolo
What aspect of your role are you most excited to tackle?
I am looking forward to exploring the lower registers of my voice. Typically I do repertoire that sits higher so this is an exciting departure for me.
How would you describe your voice?
Bass-baritone
What’s your favourite musical memory?
Singing Bach’s Magnificat and Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied at the Wigmore Hall on New Year’s Eve.
What’s your dream operatic role?
Wotan in Wagner’s Ring Cycle.
Who’s your musical role model?
Christopher Robinson, who was my choirmaster when I was a treble. I have never met anyone who knew as much about as wide a variety of music as he did.
If you could sing a duet with any singer past or present (doesn’t have to be an opera singer), who would it be?
Freddie Mercury. His voice was absolutely unique and his stage presence was electric.
Do you have any pre-show rituals or superstitions?
Not really to be honest, just standard common sense things like making sure I get enough sleep in the days leading up to the performances.
What’s one piece of advice you’ve been given as an artist that has stayed with you?
When you’re feeling nervous before a big gig, remember that the audience is there to enjoy themselves so want you to do well!
What are you most excited to learn or experience during your time as an OHP Young Artist?
I’m really looking forward to being able to interact musically with the other singers on stage. Collaborative music making is what I love most about our profession, and the last year has obviously been somewhat short of that!
Isabelle Peters – Barbarina
What aspect of your role are you most excited to tackle?
Being playful and vibrantly characterful through Barbarina’s recit, and making her aria my own.
How would you describe your voice?
Light lyric soprano.
What’s your favourite musical memory?
My first full opera role while studying as an undergraduate was Dorabella, so Cosí has long been an important opera to me. I’d been looking forward to singing the role of Fiordiligi for years, and I recently got the opportunity to sing the role for Waterperry Opera Festival in 2020 after the first lockdown. The experience felt so poignant, not only because of the role’s significance to me, but because it felt like such an outpouring of love for opera and the arts. It’s a memory that will stay with me forever.
What’s your dream operatic role?
Violetta in La traviata.
What music do you like to listen to in your spare time?
Indie, folk, and art song.
If you could sing a duet with any singer past or present (doesn’t have to be an opera singer), who would it be?
Franco Corelli.
Do you have any pre-show rituals or superstitions?
I always make sure I wake my body up with stretching, dancing or yoga. I hydrate well and eat a slow-release energy meal before a show. I find positive mantras and power poses really helpful to ground and focus my body and mind. I make sure I get a good night’s sleep the night before too!
What’s one piece of advice you’ve been given as an artist that has stayed with you?
Every person is unique, and that’s what makes art interesting. So trust that what you have to say through your music is worth hearing.
What are you most excited to learn or experience during your time as an OHP Young Artist?
I’m looking forward to being back in the rehearsal room, working on Mozart recitative, and having coachings with the fantastic OHP music staff.
Guy Withers – Basilio/Don Curzio
What aspect of your role are you most excited to tackle?
The chance to portray two very lively but contrasting characters, with many opportunities for comic moments.
What’s your favourite musical memory?
Seeing Rigoletto at The Sydney Opera House at 16 years of age. It was my first opera and I absolutely fell in love with the artform.
What’s your dream operatic role?
Captain Vere in Britten’s Billy Budd.
Who’s your musical role model?
I think it has to be the late tenor Anthony Rolfe Johnson. His recordings of English Song are absolutely beautiful and calm my spirit.
What music do you like to listen to in your spare time?
I love Motown – dancing and singing along whilst driving in the car.
If you could sing a duet with any singer past or present (doesn’t have to be an opera singer), who would it be?
I’m a huge James Taylor fan, and would jump at the opportunity to grab a guitar and harmonize with his dulcet folky tones.
Do you have any pre-show rituals or superstitions?
I love getting to the theatre early and settling in, so I’ve got time to talk to everyone and have a cup of tea.
What’s one piece of advice you’ve been given as an artist that has stayed with you?
To take initiative and never be afraid to fail. I try to make my own luck.
What are you most excited to learn or experience during your time as an OHP Young Artist?
I’m excited to perform in the Schools Matinee. Having experienced it as a member of the OHP Chorus, I know how exhilarating it is to perform for such a welcoming and raucous young audience.
