We have finished our first two weeks of rehearsals for Ulla’s Odyssey, working in a great new studio space in Brixton. All the blocking is in, and our sitzprobe is on Monday near the Bank of England. We’ve had working sessions with professional puppeteer and designer Matt Hutchinson. Here we are bringing Binnacle the cat to life! 
The next role I’m playing is in a delightful new opera called Ulla’s Odyssey, to have its world premiere at London’s Kings Place next month. Here is the brief from Opera Up Close’s Crowdfunder campaign:
The show is inspired by Homer’s Odyssey and uses five professional opera singers, live music and puppetry to tell Ulla’s story, which includes playful modern updates of Homer’s monsters. It is suitable for children aged 7+, families and any adult with a sense of fun and wonder.
This new opera was the winner of the 2014 Flourish competition, an annual opera writing competition run by OperaUpClose to find the hottest new composing talent emerging in the opera world. It has music by Anthony Young (from New Zealand) and words by Leanna Brodie (from Canada), so it is an international team!
Ulla’s Odyssey will run for four performances throughout October and November this year at the beautiful Kings Place in London, with plans underway to tour the production in Spring 2016 to theatres and schools around the UK.
We are an arts charity and receive no regular funding, therefore we rely heavily on our friends and theatre-loving public to help make our ideas a reality. So help us make Ulla’s Odyssey the magnificent adventure it deserves to be by donating towards our crowdfunding campaign!
Thanks to the talented Chris Marlowe who made some excellent HD videos of the Concert for Nepal last weekend. Here is the video of my performance of Rusalka’s “Song to the Moon” by Dvorak, and you can find it in my video gallery too.
The extraordinary Concert for Nepal was a resounding success yesterday, with the warm sunshine ensuring we had loads of generous listeners in Old Spittalfields Market, Shoreditch. I was fortunate enough to be sandwiched between the international superstars Kathryn Harries and Graeme Danby, and accompanied by the talented Nigel Foster. Here are some photos from the day, with more in my photograph gallery, and please do donate to Unicef for this noble cause.
The exact line-up and schedule has been announced for next Sunday’s exciting Concert for Nepal, in London’s Old Spittalfields Market. The concert will last all afternoon, from 12:30 until around 6:30, with well known singers performing arias, songs, and excerpts from best-loved operas. Situated in the gateway to the market, underneath the canvas canopy in Bishops Square, audience members will be free to come and go as they please. The event is entirely free but generous donations will be encouraged.
I will be singing twice: Around 3 pm with orchestra I will be singing Mozart’s short but unbelievably beautiful duet “Bei Maennern” from Die Zauberfloete, and then around 5:20 with piano I will be singing one of my favourite pieces of music, Dvorak’s “Song to the Moon” from Rusalka. Please click here for more details from Head First Productions.
I’ve been invited to participate in the Concert for Nepal at Old Spittalfields Market. On the 6th September, many of the world’s finest opera singers and players will meet at London’s Historical Spitalfields Market for an entire afternoon of classical music, dance and spoken word to raise money in aid of Unicef’s Earthquake Appeal in Nepal. I’ll post again soon with the times that I’ll be appearing, but in the meantime please visit their Facebook page for more information. 
I’ve just been invited to return as soloist for the City of Oxford Symphony Orchestra in their ever-popular annual Viennese New Year concert. This will be my sixth appearance with this long-standing orchestra under the baton of Stephen Bell, in the stunning Christopher Wren-designed Sheldonian Theatre.
I was interviewed for an article in the Sudbury Spy after our recent performance of Opera Blocks at the Bury St Edmunds Children’s Festival. Please read the lovely article by editor Jen O’Reilly-Turner here.
English Pocket Opera Company brought their omni-popular show Opera Blocks to the Bury St Edmunds 1st Annual Children’s Festival. We gave two performances at the beautiful Apex Theatre; doesn’t our set look pretty?
We’ve begun Research and Development rehearsals for the upcoming world premiere of Ulla’s Odyssey. Totally lovely cast, and some exciting designs. And the rehearsal venue isn’t too bad, either:
I’ve finally had a chance to sit down and sort through the beautiful production photos of the Merry Widow. Photographer Andrew Waltham has taken so many great ones I’ve had a hard time choosing my favourites. Please visit my gallery to see them!
Here is a sneaky peak of one of our final Merry Widow rehearsals. These photographs were taken by the talented Andrew Waltham, and feature Graham Stone as Baron Zeta.
I’ve just been cast as the baddie Scylla in the world premiere of Ulla’s Odyssey, Opera Up Close’s debut production at London’s Kings Place.
The show is inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, includes live music and puppetry and is suitable for children aged 7+, families and any adult with a sense of fun and wonder.
This new opera is an enchanting nautical fantasy by New Zealand composer Anthony Young and Canadian librettist Leanne Brodie and was the winner of both the Flourish New Composition Award (2014) and Opera Factory’s Composition competition (2012). The production is directed by OperaUpClose’s Associate Director, Valentina Ceschi (The Elixir of Love and Dido and Aeneas for OUC) and designed by Faye Bradley (Linbury Prize Finalist 2013). Click here for tickets.
We’ve just had our sitzprobe for The Merry Widow, in the gorgeous village of Sevenoaks Weald. The orchestra sounds fabulous, it’s going to be a great show! Please click here for tickets. 
I had a thrilling time at the Royal Albert Hall this week, playing Juliet in English Pocket Opera Company’s idiosyncratic production of Romeo and Juliet. Featuring an orchestra of 600 and a choir of 900, the performance was broadcast live on the internet, and can be viewed for the next month. This lovely photograph was taken by Joshua Hayes, www.joshphotographer.com: I’m singing Gounod’s “Je veux vivre” from the Albert Hall’s organ loft representing Juliet’s balcony. 
Today we’ve finished staging rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet for Thursday’s performance at the Royal Albert Hall. The show looks amazing, and will be streamed live as it happens. Click here for the link to the live feed of the show, which will be available to buy shortly thereafter.
I’ve had a new set of photographs taken, by the fabulous Nichole Rees. Here’s my favourite so far. Check her out at www.nicholerees.co.uk
Rehearsals are underway for English Pocket Opera Company’s version of Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Albert Hall. We’ve had our two sitzprobes, here’s a photo from our first one, with the enormous student orchestra. 
I’m thrilled to be playing the title role of Hannah Glawari in The Merry Widow next month for Kentish Opera, and the graphics are now in. Please click here for tickets! 
Rehearsals have begun for Kentish Opera’s Merry Widow! I am enjoying revisiting the role of Hannah Glawari, with the wonderful Tom Stoddart as Danilo. Performances are 13-16 May, tickets are on sale now.