Viva Voce

Take a group of 7/8 year olds, treat them seriously as singers, introduce real technical training, harmony singing, opera: improvise, have fun. Explore what the voices are capable of and sing ambitious but great music.

 

Fast forward – they are 11/ 12/13. Introduce great coaches, directors, conductors. More technical training. They audition for Glyndebourne, they get small roles. They do opera workshops, they learn operatic roles, arias and ensembles. They start singing together; they do a St John’s Smith Square concert with Felicity lott, Maria Friedman, Mark Padmore and Jean Rigby. They perform more concerts together and individually in both London and Sussex. 

More Glyndebourne roles, more experience singing musicals as well: roles in Les Miz, Sweeney Todd, Camelot, Cabaret, Brighton Festival concert. More London concerts.

First concert singing solos with Felicity Lott, Sally Matthews at Cumnor House School in Sussex for Sussex Hospices. Bigger roles at Glyndebourne, Aldeburgh.

 

Now they are 15-17 years old.  Still singing together. Many of them will aim for careers in opera and musical theatre. They have made a cd. Three of them are short-listed for the new Gus Christie and Bill Weston awards at Glyndebourne. They sing more roles at Glyndebourne, at La Scala and soon for New Sussex Opera…

 

We give you – not a little proudly – Viva Voce.