Rigoletto - July 2008

In 2008, NDO is delighted to be returning to Ugbrooke House to present Verdi's popular masterpiece "Rigoletto”. This thrilling melodrama is packed with some of the best-known operatic melodies of all time and we are sure you will love every tuneful moment! We are also very pleased to have been invited back to the Budleigh Salterton Festival and to Delamore House at Cornwood.

For this production, NDO is gathering a fine international cast for Devon: Welsh-trained colaratura soprano Debra Morley was one of the fifteen finalists in May at the José Cura Opera Project. And, NDO's Patron, international superstar tenor José Cura, was so impressed when he heard Debra, he immediately chose her to sing the role of the doomed heroine, Gilda, for our production!
Baritone James Hancock and mezzo Katrina Waters from Australia sing respectively the roles of the tragic Jester, Rigoletto, and the flirtatious Maddalena. As the powerful and volatile libertine Duke of Mantua, James Heath (tenor), will delight audiences with some best-loved and glorious melodies of all time ("Quest' o quella" and "La donna è mobile). American bass Paul Goodwin-Groen completes the international line-up as the assassin, Sparafucile. PS: Any tenors, baritones and basses wishing to join NDO's community mens' chorus for Rigoletto – please get in touch with Terry Thomas.

terry@newdevonopera.co.uk

CAST

Gilda, Debra Morley (soprano)

(“OPERA” Magazine)

Sempre Verdi at the Purcell Room

“Debra Morley sang a touching Gilda, the notes true and secure throughout the range, and in the closing ensemble from Falstaff she made an exquisite Nannetta, floating her top notes with ease and grace.” Margaret Davies.

Debra studied at Cardiff University before being awarded numerous prizes to study at the Bonn Opera and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and was awarded the prestigious Madeline Finden Memorial Award.

She has appeared with many companies including the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, London Opera Players, Crystal Clear Opera, Opera Della Luna, New Devon Opera, Opera Interludes and Pavilion Opera with whom she toured the UK, Europe and Japan, and roles performed include Amina (La Sonnambula), Leila (Les Pêcheurs de Perles), Micaela (Carmen), Adina (L'Elisir d'amore), Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Mme Herz and Mme Silberklang (Der Schauspieldirektor), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Die Königin der Nacht (Die Zauberflöte), Fiordilligi (Cosi fan tutte), Konstanze and Blonde (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Olympia, Giulietta and Antonia (Les Contes d'Hoffmann), Berta (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Adele (Die Fledermaus), Tebaldo (Don Carlos), Gilda
(Rigoletto), Nanetta (Falstaff), Oscar (Un Ballo in Maschera) and Violetta (La Traviata).

Recordings include Kayser's Christmas Cantata for Guild Music, original compositions for De Wolfe Music Ltd and BBC Radio 3.

Debra also has a busy concert and oratorio career, and oratorio performances have included: Bach's Magnificat, St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Britten's War Requiem, Carissimi's Jephte, Faure's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, Samson, Judas Maccabaeus, and Solomon, Haydn's Harmoniemesse, The Creation and The Seasons, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Mozart Mass in C Minor, and Requiem, Orff's Carmina Burana , Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, Purcell's Come Ye Sons of Art, Schutz' The Christmas Story, Salieri's Requiem, Thiman's The Last Supper, Tippett's A Child of Our Time, Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music, Verdi's Requiem and Vivaldi's Gloria.

Future performances include Tatyana in Tschaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, performances of Mendolssohn's Elijah, Handel's Messiah and Bach St. John Passion, as well as song recitals and concert appearances throughout the UK. She is a frequent soloist with the Scarborough Spa Orchestra with whom she has recently made recordings for Brian Kay's Light Programme on BBC Radio 3.

Maddalena
Katrina Waters, Mezzo Soprano

Australian born Katrina Waters graduated with Distinction in 2004 from the Royal College of Music's Benjamin Britten International Opera School, where she studied with Lillian Watson. Katrinas studies were supported by an ABRSM International Scholarship, the Ian Potter Cultural Trust and the Madeleine Finden Trust. She took her initial studies at the National Institute of the Arts (Canberra School of Music). Katrina is continuing her studies with Enid Hartle.

Highlights of 2006 included Meg Page Falstaff for the Lyrique-en-Mer Festival de Belle-Ile and Orlovsky Die Fledermaus for Opera Box. In 2005 Katrinas roles included Florence Pike Albert Herring for the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme, Aldeburgh and Moppet/Goose Paul Bunyan at the Dartington Summer School, where in 2003 she played Bianca The Rape of Lucretia. Since leaving the RCM Katrina has also played Foresters Wife/Owl Cunning Little Vixen for British Youth Opera, Mrs Grose Turn of the Screw for Cambridge Opera Society and Marcellina Le Nozze di Figaro for Kings Opera.

Whilst studying at the RCM, Katrina played Mre Marie Dialogues des Carmlites, Third Lady Die Zauberflte, Erenice in Handels Sosarme and Mrs Grose Turn of the Screw. Other roles include Dorabella Cosi fan Tutte and Nancy Albert Herring. In November 2004, Katrina took part in masterclasses with David Syrus, singing excerpts from Der Rosenkavalier and Werther, singing Octavian and Charlotte respectively.

The Duke of Mantua, James Heath (Tenor)

James Heath, Tenor, was born in Surrey, England and studied Electronics and Electrical Engineering at Technical College in Guildford, Surrey. He spent most of his teenage years and early twenties playing Drums and Singing in rock bands before deciding to change direction and move into Rock musicals, then Operetta and Grand Opera.

He has worked with such companies as, Opera North, Scottish Opera, English National Opera, Pavilion Opera, Garsington Opera, Longborough Festival Opera, English Festival Opera, London City Opera, Carl Rosa Opera, Opera Project, Opera Omnibus, Longborough Festival Opera and The D'oyly Carte Opera Co with whom he has also recorded.

Some of his Operatic Roles Include, Pinkerton (Madam Butterfly), Rodolfo (La Boheme), Cavaradossi (Tosca), The Duke (Rigoletto), Manrico (Il Trovatore), Macduff (Macbeth), Pedrillo (Il Seraglio), 1 st Armed Man (Magic Flute), Alfredo (La Traviata), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Rodriguez (Don Quixote), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Ferrando (Cosi Fan Tutte), Nadir (The Pearl Fishers) and Camille (The Merry Widow)

James has toured the U.S.A with London City Opera in association with Columbia Artists performing Pinkerton in Madam Butterfly and performed the role of The Duke in Rigoletto in Tokyo with Pavilion Opera. He has also performed the role of Ralph Rackstraw for the D'oyly Carte Opera Co.

James has also performed the role of Rodolfo in La Boheme for Scottish Opera on their “Scottish Opera go Round” tour and was subsequently invited back to revive the role for their “Scottish Opera on Tour” production.

James is in great demand on the concert platform, performing recitals and concerts in such countries as Holland, Japan, The United States of America, Belgium, France, Tunisia, Hungary, Austria, Greece, Switzerland, Lanzarote, Italy, The United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

Recently James has performed the roles of The Duke in Rigoletto at The Longborough Festival and Ernesto in Don Pasquale for The Opera Project and has also performed the role of Camille de Rosillon in The Merry Widow for Opera UK and he has recently played the role of Cavaradossi in Tosca for Opus 1 music Ltd.

Most recently James has performed Pinkerton in Madam Butterfly at The Grassington Festival and Cavaradossi in Tosca for Kentish Opera.

Rigoletto, James Hancock (Baritone)

James was born in Melbourne and began his studies with the great Italian baritone Afro Poli and later furthered his studies with Andrew Field and Audrey Langford. He studied at the Victorian College of the Arts where he received a Bachelor of Music and sang Figaro
(Le Nozze) and Guglielmo. He was a Victoria State Opera Young Artist where he sang di Luna, il frate (Don Carlos). Other roles he has performed include Germont, Rigoletto, Sharpless and Figaro (Barbiere).

He was awarded the Opera Foundation Australia German Operatic Award which gave him a contract with Bhnen der Stadt Kln where he sang the Herald (Otello) and Zweite Geharnischter under James Conlon. He was also awarded the American Institute of Musical Studies Award, Graz; Dame Joan Sutherland Scholarship 1999; and a Bayreuth Bursary. The Tait Memorial Trust provided the financial support to enable James to study with Alberto Remedios CBE and he was given a two year grant by the Australian Musical Foundation, London.

Companies he has worked for include Pocket Opera Nrnberg, Longborough Festival, Abbey Opera and Opera Australia, Covent Garden, Bath Festivals, Cambridge University Opera Society, UCL Opera.

Concert repertoire includes: Beethoven 9; Verdi Requiem; Dvorak Stabat Mater; Messiah; Pilgrims Progress; Creation; Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen; Elijah and Christmas Oratorio.

Recital work includes: Winterreise; Die Schne Mllerin; and Dichterliebe for the Melbourne Festival, St. James Piccadilly and Covent Garden Festival.

He recently finished a tour singing Conte di Luna (Trovatore) with Pavilion Opera and sang Simon Boccanegra for OperaUK in October 2006. Late this year he sings Kothner with Edinburgh Opera.

Sparafucile, Paul Goodwin-Groen (Bass)

American Bass Paul Goodwin-Groen , labeled as “an artist to be watched,” has been recognized for his striking stage presence and rich tones. He graduated from Wheaton College with a BA in English Literature, went on to achieve an MFA in Acting from Brandeis University, and continued his studies at the Manhattan School of Music and the Britten-Pears School of Advanced Musical Studies.

He was later invited to participate in Oratorio Master Classes with Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Ian Partridge, and Ann Murray and won a study grant in Italy from the Ezio Pinza Council for American Singers of Opera.

Mr Goodwin-Groen has performed the roles of Leporello in DON GIOVANNI, the title role in DON PASQUALE, Colline LA BOHEME, Sarastro DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, Don Alfonso COSI FAN TUTTE, Zuniga CARMEN, Don Basilio IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA , Mr. Olsen STREET SCENE, Caspar DER FREISCHÜTZ, Don Gomez L'HEURE ESPAGNOLE, Iago ERNANI, Baron Douphol LA TRAVIATA, Simone GIANNI SCHICCHI, and Bottom A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (for the 50 th Anniversary performances at the Aldeburgh Festival) . Also active on the concert stage, he has performed Bach's ST. JOHN PASSION and CANATA No 36, Handel's MESSIAH, and Schubert's MASS IN G MINOR.

In the Fall of 2005, Mr Goodwin-Groen made his debut with Theater Hof in Germany as Fafner DAS RHEINGOLD and now permanently resides in the UK. He recently made his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Guccio GIANNI SCHICCHI and has returned to the house for the Royal Ballet's production of THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS.