Young Welsh soloist wins Stuart Burrows Award
30.06.2009
A young Welsh mezzo soprano has won the Stuart Burrows International Voice Award and the top prize of £4,000 at the Trinity Arts Festival held over the weekend. Judges Brian Hughes and Beatrice Unsworth awarded the first prize to Caryl Hughes, 29 from Aberdaron, who studied at the Cardiff International Academy of Voice, under the direction of Dennis O'Neill. The five other soloists were Adele O’Neil, from Hendy, Justina Gringyte, from Lithuania, Rhian Lois Evans from Tregaron, Ben Harcourt and Andrew Finden who are both from Australia.
The competition is now in its fourth year and in their adjudication the judges commented on the excellent standard reached by all of the finalists. Vice-Chancellor Dr Medwin Hughes said “We congratulate the finalists for providing a tremendous competition which is a highlight of the Trinity Arts Festival and we are grateful to both Brian Hughes and Beatrice Unsworth, who have both judged this competition in the past, for their support. We also send our best wishes to Stuart Burrows who was unable to attend this year but I’m sure he would have been delighted with the standard of the competition. It has been a wonderful Festival that has drawn world class performers to Carmarthenshire. It has also given our students the opportunity to take part in some of the main events and also to organise and perform in a Fringe Festival. Trinity University College is central to the development of bilingual opportunities within the arts and culture in the region and we look forward to taking this initiative forward in years to come”.
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Photograph:
- Caryl Hughes
- Beatrice Unsworth, Medwin Hughes, Caryl Hughes and Brian Hughes
- Competitors, accompanists, judges with Vice-chancellor and Festival Artistic Director Eilir Owen Griffiths
Note to Editor
Caryl Hughes
The 2007/08 season saw Caryl make her debut for Welsh National Opera as Teti/Le nozze di Teti e di Peleo under the baton of Carlo Rizzi, and perform the title role Cenerentola for Scottish Opera. Other performances have included concerts and recitals at The Sage Gateshead, Wales Millennium Centre and the Wigmore Hall, where she was a finalist at the 2007 Kathleen Ferrier Awards.
Caryl graduated with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music in summer 2007, having completed the postgraduate and Opera courses, studying with Noelle Barker and Audrey Hyland. She also holds a BA(Hons) in Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. Subsequent to her studies in London, Caryl received an inaugural HRH Prince of Wales Scholarship for Advanced Study in Music to attend Cardiff International Academy of Voice, under the direction of Dennis O'Neill. Other awards whilst a student include the coveted W.Towyn Roberts scholarship (National Eisteddfod of Wales, 2005), runner-up in the Opera Rara Patric Schmid Bel Canto Prize 2007 and the S4C scholarship for developing talent. She also won the 2006 Morriston Orpheus Young Singer of the Year award and was a finalist in the Welsh Singer's Competition 2006 at St David's Hall, Cardiff
Adele O'Neill
Adele O'Neill was born in Hendy, Pontarddulais, South Wales. She studied singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under the tutelage of Laura Sarti.
Adele has been successful in competitions including the National Eisteddfod of Wales winning many prizes in the Soprano Competition. She was also a finalist in the 2005 MOCSA Young Welsh Singer of the Year Prize. In June last year she won the International Gold Medal Singing Competition at The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.
Operatic experience includes Micaela (Carmen), Adele (Die Fledermaus) – Burry Port Opera, Filipnevya (Eugine Onegin) – Welsh National Opera. Mini (La Boheme), Antonia (The Tales of Hoffman), Leonora (Fidelio), Papagena (Magic Flute) GSMD Opera ensemble. Arabella (Arabella), Contessa (Marriage of Figaro) – Opera School Wales.
Musical roles include Eliza (My Fair Lady) Maria (West Side Story), Julie (Carousel), Christine (Phantom of The Opera).
Oratorio performances include, The Elijah- Mendelssohn, The Messiah- Handel, Verdi’s Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem, A child of our Time – Tippett, Gloria – Vivaldi, St. John Passion-Bach, Mass in time of war-Haydn, Requiem-Faure.
Adele has performed as a soloist for many ensembles throughout the U.K. International engagements have included concerts in Paris, Spain, Siena, Prague, Krakow & Budapest. Adele has recently returned from concert tour of Vancouver, Toronto and Los Angeles as the principal soloist with Llanelli Male Choir.
Justina Gringyte
Justina has received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal performance at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in 2008 and went straight to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama to work towards her Postgraduate Diploma in Vocal Performance having received the Jenkyn Phillips Scholarship of 2008-2009.
Her current successes in competitions have been:-
- February 2009, International Mozart Singing Competition – Semifinalist
- August 2008, Llais Llambed James Pantyfedwen, Wales – fourth Prize
- October 2007, International Competition for Young Singers, Lithuania – Second Prize
- December 2005, Lithuanian National Competition for Young Singers - Diploma
She is currently under the tution of: Buddug Verona James as well as Angela Livingstone, having also had masterclasses with Eiddwen Harrhy, Claudine Ansermet and Patricia Macmahon.
Her Opera Experience includes:-
- Pauline, Queen of Spades - RWCMD Opera Scenes 2009
- Meg Page, Falstaff - RWCMD Opera Pathway Scenes 2008
- Dorbella, Cosi Fan Tutte - RWCMD Opera Pathway Scenes 2008
- The Crane (Complete Role), the Crane and The Stork – NOA Festival, Lithuania 2008
Rhian Lois Evans
Rhian Lois hails from Pontrhydygroes. She was educated at Tregaron Secondary school where she was Head Girl. Singing has always been Rhian’s passion. During the years she has competed and performed at numerous Festivals and Eisteddfodau and has had great success. Her main achievements so far include; Winning the Wilbert Lloyd Roberts scholarship, the prestigious Osborne Roberts Blue Ribbon in 2006, runner up in the Towyn Roberts scholarship, and winning the Roland Jones Prize in the 2008 National Eisteddfod. Rhian was also the 2008 Winner of the coveted Bryn Terfel scholarship in 2009.
Rhian appears regularly in concerts and shared the stage with many of Wales’s most renowned Male Voice Choirs which include; Brythoniaid, Llanelli, Dursley, Cwbach, Ar ol Tri, Maelgwn, Pendyrus…… She was also a soloist at the Llandeilo Music Festival 2008. T.V. appearances include being a soloist on Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol, Noson Lawen, Wedi 3 and Wedi 7.
A past member of the Welsh National Youth Opera where performances include Bernstein’s ‘Candide’ and Stravinskey’s Rake’s Progress where Rhian took on the challenging role of Babe the Turk.
Rhian recently performed the soprano solo with the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) in their performance of Mozart’s Requiem conducted by Simon Halsey at the Birmingham Symphony Hall. Rhian has also been offered a scholarship to study Post Graduate course at the Royal College of Music and Drama in London and will be commencing her study’s in September this year. Her goal for the future is to further her career as a soloist.
Russell Ben Harcourt
Having received his B.Mus.(Performance) at the University of Sydney, Sydney Conservation of Music in 2006, Russell is currently studying towards his MA (Royal Academy Opera), at the Royal Academy of Music hoping for completion in 2010.
His primary education began at Sans Souci Public School, Sans Souci in 1988-1995, followed by Port Hacking High School, Miranda from 1996 to 2000. Following this, Russell attended The Conservatorium High School, in Sydney, and finally studied for his Bachelor of Music from which he graduated in 2007.
Some of his most recent performance experience includes:-
2009
- Opera Tableaux with Royal Academy Opera, Directed by David Edwards
2008
- Member of the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme, Aldeburgh Festival in Suffolk
- Invited to participate in the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
- Master Classes for Michael Chance, Rita Dams and Rosamund Illing.
Some of his awards and scholarships include:-
- Josephine Baker Trust (2008)
- Ars Musica Scholarship (2008)
- Opus 50 Charitable Trust study Grant (2008)
- Dame Joan Sutherland Award 2008, Noosa Federation of the Arts
Andrew Finden
Australian Andrew Finden received his Bachelor of Music (Honours) at the University of Southern Queensland; and his Diploma of Opera, at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He is currently in the second year of his Opera Course (MMus) at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Currently being taught by Robert Dean. Some of his most recent Operatic roles include:-
- English Archer, The King goes forth to France, Sallinen, Guildhall School of Music and Drama – (March 2009)
- Vertigo, La Rencontre Imprévue, Gluck, Guildhall School of Music and Drama
- Steward (cover), Flight, Dove, British Youth Opera, 2008
- John Brooke, Little Women, Adamo, International Vocal Arts Institute Tel Aviv, 2008
- Maître-Jean (cover), La Colombe, Gounod, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, 2008
Some of Andrew’s Major competition successes, Prizes and Scholarships have been :-
- Guildhall School of Music and Drama – full tuition scholarship supported by the Curriers’ Company, the Hazell Scholarship and the Margery and Frederick Stephen Wright Eisinger Bursary.
- Opera and Arts support group bursary, 2007.
- Demant Dreikurs Scholarship, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, 2007.
- Finalist in the Australian Singing Competition Mathy Awards, 2006: Nelly Apt Scholarship, Phoebe Patrick Award, Nell Pascall Award, Royal Northern College of Music Award.
- Third Prize, National Aria competition, 2006
Further information
Eleri Beynon
01267 676790
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