Professional Ballet Dancer to Business Owner | Claudia Dean Coaches For Success | Ballet News

Former Tait Awardee Claudia Dean graduated from The Royal Ballet School in August 2011, having moved to London aged 16 to train at the Upper School in Covent Garden. She was the recipient of the Tait Memorial Trust, Dance Arches Award in 2011, and went on to be offered a contract by The Royal Ballet. In 2014 Claudia made the difficult decision to return home to Australia, we are delighted to see that this very talented young dancer is passing the baton to the next generation of aspiring dancers in her homeland. We wish her all the very best and look forward to hearing more about her work in Australia.

The article below was published by Ballet News, May 2015.

Claudia Dean | Ballet Dancer to Business Owner

Sprezzatura is the Italian word for nonchalance; the effortless art of making something difficult look easy. The sustained hard work needed to conceal the effort has been a hallmark of Claudia Dean’s training and professional ballet career.

Claudia Dean graduated from The Royal Ballet School in August 2011, having moved to London aged 16 to train at the Upper School in Covent Garden. In her native Australia she had been dancing since the age of four, and had won a number of prestigious competitions including the Gold Medal plus the Audience Choice Award at the Genée International Ballet Competition in 2009.

I interviewed Dean for my Student to Star series at the time of her graduation, a few weeks before she started work in the Company, and I asked her what she anticipated the differences might be between school and company life. She told me, “I think it’s going to be a bit of a change for me. I will be my own person having to be responsible for myself. At school, you have teachers guiding you, although we work for ourselves, there is still a lot of extra support. Also, no uniform! I will have to decide what to wear each day which will be very different !”

Where it all began – Interview: Liane Keegan – Classic Melbourne

Our Inaugural Concert at Australia House, 1992. — Our Inaugural Concert at Australia House, 1992

Lovely interview with our first awardee, Liane Keegan. Liane was the reason that Isla Baring created the Tait Memorial Trust in 1992.

Liane wanted to further her studies in the UK but needed financial assistance to allow her to continue. Isla offered to produce a concert at Australia House, invited her friends, and due to their generosity raised a great deal of money and the Trust was born…well it wasn’t quite that simple but that is how we started.

Now 24 years later the Trust has helped over 300 young Australians and has raised more than £600,000 to assist young Australian performing artists to complete their studies in the United Kingdom. And it all began with a young contralto from Victoria.

nimmo_baring — Derek Nimmo with Isla Baring at the first Tait Event 1992

Now we are thrilled to see Liane is at the very top of her chosen profession and is singing Erda in the Neil Armfield production of Wagner’s epic Ring at Melbourne’s State Theatre, with Opera Australia.

Below is her interview with fellow Australian, Deborah Humble that was published in Classic Melbourne

Deborah Humble talks with dramatic contralto Liane Keegan about her musical life in Melbourne and recreating the role of Erda in the 2016 Melbourne Ring.

What motivated your return to Australia in 2012 and what is your perception of the cultural and artistic life here by comparison?

I no longer enjoyed working in opera in Germany. I had been living overseas for 20 years by this stage and felt it was time to come home.

The fest system stifles individual development if you are an ensemble member as I was at the Deutsche Opera. Without being able to supplement my monthly stipend with guest contracts it was also no longer financially viable to remain in Germany.

Since my return to Melbourne my life has been extremely happy and fulfilled. I have had some wonderful opportunities with my singing and my teaching studio was very quickly established and I now have many talented young singers working with me on a weekly basis. I also established XLArts.org, a not for profit group, with conductor Patrick Burns and we work to provide performance opportunities for developing singers of all ages and stages, to help them further develop their craft and skill set as burgeoning opera singers.

The opera and arts scene here in Australia is very different to Europe. In Australia we don’t have the commitment to the arts that the Europeans do either financially or culturally. In Europe very young children are taken to the opera not as a special treat but as a part of their daily life. Here the companies are working hard on this next generation of opera lover and there is some very fine work being done by these companies in Australia. However, I do not feel that more funding to the Arts is the answer but better education. The lack of music education in schools here now means that exposure for the young to art and culture is just not there in their foundation years and that is vitally important to the future of our artistic culture.

Melbourne is fabulously cultural and creative and certainly has the most going on in the field of opera of all our capital cities. I was amazed and rather overwhelmed by the choice of entertainment available and could not get over how much the arts scene had “exploded” in Melbourne since my departure in 1992. It is fabulous to see that there are companies and groups catering to the needs of performers at all levels and to suit all musical tastes. I was thrilled that we still have a Victorian opera company as I was overseas during the demise of its predecessor and that made me very sad indeed.

The orchestras in Melbourne are also world class and I have been most fortunate to work with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as well as the many and varied community and council sponsored orchestras. We now have the Melbourne Recital Centre and the vast amount of performances offered there are of an extremely high standard. As an audience member all my needs are catered for and I am more often than not, spoilt for choice! My needs as a performer are also met here in Melbourne and I am busier than I ever was in Europe….

Article details:Interview: Liane Keegan
Published: 14th November, 2016 Author: Deborah Humble

Deborah Humble joins the Music Board of the Tait Memorial Trust

Acclaimed for her performances of the works of Richard Wagner, Australian mezzo-soprano, Deborah Humble is one of Australia’s most successful international singers. She has appeared at the Edinburgh Festival, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Salzburg Easter Festival, Seattle Symphony, with the Stuttgart Philharmonic, the Hamburg Philharmonic and the London Mozart Players and at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. We are delighted to confirm that Deborah has agreed to join the Music Board, of esteemed Australian performers and artists, of the Tait Memorial Trust.

After gaining a Bachelor of Music from the University of Adelaide and a Masters Degree from the University of Melbourne, Deborah was a member of the Victoria State Opera Young Artist Programme. Having been a Principal Artist for both Opera Australia and The State Opera of Hamburg she has embarked upon a freelance career which takes her all over the world. Deborah is a highly sought after adjudicator and advanced teacher in Australia and recently gave a master class for the Melba Trust in Melbourne, as part of her role as a Mentor with the Trust, and was also invited to adjudicate for the Sydney Eisteddfod

The Music Board and the Artistic Planning Committee bring their vast international experience to assist us in selecting our Annual awards. Over the past three years our awards have more than doubled, and have increased to £40,000 per annum, with several awards of £5,000 per awardee, the selection process is vital to ensure the most deserving and talented young artists are supported in their studies.

lifestyle4 — Deborah Humble, Mezzo-Soprano

Deborah joins our Music Board which is chaired by TMT Chairman, Isla Baring OAM

Caroline Almonte, Concert Pianist
Julian Gavin, Operatic Tenor
Dr Leslie Howard, Concert Pianist
Deborah Humble, Operatic Mezzo-Soprano
Liane Keegan, Operatic Dramatic-Contralto
Cameron Menzies, Stage & Opera Director
Anthony Roden, Operatic Tenor & Teacher

Tait Artistic Planning
Jessica Cottis, Conductor
Jayson Gillham, Concert Pianist
Katrina Sheppeard, Operatic Soprano
Chad Vindin, Accompanist

To apply for a Tait Award please check our website here for further information.

Tait Awardee, Kevin Penkin composes original score to celebrate Rio Tinto's 50 years of iron ore mining

We were delighted to learn that Western Australian composer and Tait Awardee, Kevin Penkin has composed an original score commissioned by Rio Tinto in 2016, to mark 50 years since Rio Tinto’s first contracted shipment of iron ore which departed Dampier for the Yawata Iron and Steel Company in Japan.

Ahead of this milestone, thousands of Australian contractors and suppliers laid almost 300 kilometres of railway, moved 12 million cubic metres of earth and rock and installed 300,000 tonnes of plant and equipment. The company also built the towns of Dampier and Tom Price, and dredged a port to accept the largest ore carriers of the day. Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive Chris Salisbury said

“When the MV Houn Maru set sail 50 years ago nobody could have predicted that Pilbara iron ore would underpin Australia’s economic growth. “The Pilbara’s vast iron ore deposits, and the people who developed them, have helped build modern Australia and some of the world’s leading economies,”

Kevin was our first Tait Scholar which enabled him to complete his studies at the Royal College of Music. The debut performance of Hoan Maru, by Perth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jessica Gethin was recorded live at the 50th anniversary celebration on Friday 26th August, 2016 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.

B i o g r a p h y

Kevin Penkin is an Australian composer who has written for video games, anime, film and the concert stage. He won ‘Outstanding Vocal Theme’ at the 2013 Video Game Music Awards for his song ‘I Race the Dawn’, and was nominated for ‘Best Newcomer’ in 2012 by Square Enix Music Online for his work with Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu on the game ‘Juza Engi Engetsu Sangokuden’.

Since developing an interest for Japan at an early age, it was always a goal for Kevin to compose for both video games and anime. Recent efforts have seen him write for the anime series ‘Norn9’, and the highly anticipated sci-fi film ‘Under the Dog’. While expanding in the world of anime, he has remained passionate about video games, composing for the indie hits ‘Defenders Quest’, ‘Implosion – Never Lose Hope’, and ‘Deemo’.

Kevin moved to London in 2013 to attend the Royal College of Music to pursue a Masters of Composition for Screen, from which he graduated from in June of 2015. He was selected as the inaugural Tait Scholar which gave him a £5,000 per annum scholarship to support his studies. The Tait Trust commissioned an original piece for solo flute and Chamber Orchestra entitled ‘Changing Feet’ which was debuted at the 2014 Tait Winter Prom at St John’s Smith’s Square in December 2014.

Changing Feet is about changing pace. Leaving the world’s most isolated city to live in one of the most industrious and compact environments requires a huge mental change. This piece tries to reflect not only the mentality of someone who grew up in Perth, but the experience of moving to London and ultimately returning home back to Australia. This work explores what one could miss of Perth, be it the silence, the space or the natural beauty.

Kevin Penkin composer. 29th September 2014

Listen to a sample of more of Kevin’s work on Soundcloud

During his time as a student, he heavily expanded his efforts to be involved in local projects. As a result, Kevin is now working on UK based short films and theatre. He is also involved in concert music, writing for ensembles such as the ‘Perth Chamber Orchestra’, ‘Greywing Ensemble’, and the ‘And So Forth Opera Company’.

Tait Awardee, James Guan is playing in the finals of the Intercollegiate Piano Competition

James Guan, piano We are thrilled to confirm that 2016 Tait Awardee, James Guan, will be playing in London’s famous recital venue, Wigmore Hall tomorrow morning, competing as the Royal Academy of Music finalist in the Intercollegiate Piano Competition.
You can watch him on live stream, for those Aussies playing along at home it will be tonight at 6:55pm AWST and 9:55pm AEST. The Intercollegiate Piano Competition aims to provide students with an opportunity for outstanding students to perform at well known London concert venues.

James is a featured artist in our 2016 Tait Winter Prom at St John’s Smith Square on Wednesday 30th November. James will play Australian composer, Malcolm Williamson’s 2nd piano concerto with the Tait Chamber Orchestra. To book please click here

Final at Wigmore Hall – open to the public

10th November 2016
10am – 2:30pm
entry fee: £8
Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U 2BP

box office tel: 0207 9352141

10:00 – 10:50 Jonathan Ferrucci, Guildhall School of Music & Drama
10:55 – 11:45 James Guan, Royal Academy of Music

— 30 minute break —

12:15 – 13:05 Ilya Kondratiev, Royal College of Music
13:10 – 14:00 Oda Voltersvik, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance

approx. 14:15 announcement of the winner

The final is open to the public. The four finalists will each perform a 45-50 minute programme of own choice including the compulsory work. The announcement of the winner is made approx. 15 minutes after the end of the last performance.

Adjudicators

All four piano professors of the heats/the semi final
all or at least one of the following three:
Paolo Fazioli, creator and builder of Fazioli Pianos and sponsor of the recital at the Fazioli Concert Hall
John Gilhooly, director of Wigmore Hall
Stuart Mitchell, S. W. Mitchell Capital LLP, sponsor of the live recording of the Wigmore Hall recital
As chairman:
Terence Lewis, Managing Director of Jaques Samuel Pianos

Intercollegiate Piano Competition

The Jaques Samuel Pianos Intercollegiate Piano Competition has taken place annually since 1996. Our competition aims to provide students with an opportunity to compete against like minded musicians, to gain experience in piano specific competitions and give outstanding students the opportunity to perform at well known London concert venues. The competition heats begin in May with the final and semi-final in October.

The winner will perform a solo recital at Wigmore Hall and at the Fazioli Auditorium in Sacile, Italy. The Wigmore Hall Recital will be recorded and he/she will receive 500 professionally produced CDs. A further four entrants will win a solo lunchtime recital at St James’s Piccadilly.

The competition is open to
all students (first year to postgraduate) of the four main London music colleges: Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Sponsored by S.W.MITCHELL CAPITAL and FAZIOLI
www.swmitchellcapital.com and www.fazioli.com

For more information

please download the leaflet:
or contact us by e-mail: competition@jspianos.com.

Source: Intercollegiate Piano Competition at Jaques Samuel Pianos, London, UK

Miranda Keys' debut at The Royal Opera House

Australian dramatic soprano and former Tait Awardee, Miranda Keys, is to make her Royal Opera House debut in the 2016/17 Season as Marianne and Noble Widow (Der Rosenkavalier) with the American diva, Renee Fleming, singing the Marschallin.

miranda_keys_roh_071116

Miranda came to international attention in 2007 when she was a finalist in the Cardiff Singer of the World. She has gone on to sing at Glyndebourne, Aix en Provence Festival under Sir Simon Rattle and Sir Mark Elder with the Halle Orchestra.

Miranda Keys

Australian soprano Miranda Keys studied for her music degree at the Guildhall School Of Music in London. She completed the opera course at the Royal College of Music where she held the President Emerita Scholarship, the most prestigious scholarship the college can confer. She completed her studies at the National Opera Studio. She won the 2006 Wagner Society Bayreuth Bursary and the 2005 John Scott Award from Scottish Opera and was a main prize and song prize finalist in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World in 2007. Operatic roles include ELISABETH (Trieste and Bologna), ARIADNE (Salzburg Landestheater and Leipzig Oper), ODABELLA (Lyric Opera Dublin), MUSETTA (Glyndebourne on Tour), LADY BILLOWS (Glyndebourne Touring Opera and Salzburg Landestheater), ELETTRA (Glyndebourne on Tour), WITCH/MOTHER (Scottish Opera on Tour).

miranda-keys-prono

Other roles include COUNTESS, FIORDILIGI, MISS WINGRAVE, MISS JESSEL, FEMALE CHORUS and MADAME LIDOINE. She has sung 3rd NORN in Götterdämmerung under Sir Simon Rattle (in Aix and Salzburg), Sir Mark Elder (for the Halle orchestra, recorded on the Halle label), Ed Spanjaard (Reisopera), and Donald Runnicles (BBC Proms). GERHILDE in Die Walküre for the Halle conducted by Sir Mark Elder and released on the Halle label (Manchester International Festival), AUFSEHERIN in Elektra (Rome and Bari), �FIDELIO conducted by Gianandrea Noseda (Turin). Recent highlights include AUFSEHERIN at Opera National de Paris conducted by Philippe Jordan, and at the BBC Proms conducted by Semyon Bychkov, MARIANNE LEITMETZERIN at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and the BBC Proms conducted by Robin Ticciati and MISS JESSEL for Glyndebourne on Tour, LADY BILLOWS in Albert Herring (cond. Oksana Lyniv) and MARIANNE DI LEITMETZERIN in Der Rosenkavalier (cond. Kirill Petrenko) for Bayerische Staatsoper. Future highlights include her debut at The Royal Opera, London in Der Rosenkavalier (cond. Andris Nelsons) and a return to the Bayerische Staatsoper.

Miranda Keys website

Book for Rosenkavalier

Behind The Ring: Part Two – Die Walküre — Re:hearsal Magazine

Part two of young Australian opera director’s, Greg Eldridge’s, article about assisting Neil Armfield on Wagner’s, Ring Cycle for Opera Australia.

Stepping behind the curtain of Opera Australia’s Ring Cycle.

Auf der Erde Rücken wuchtet der Riesen Geschlecht

On the Earth’s surface dwells the race of Giants

– Wotan, Act 1 – Siegfried

The first time working for any company is a bit intimidating – make sure you get signed in, get a pass, meet a thousand people and try to remember exactly who does what. I’ve arrived in Sydney for the first month (!) of rehearsals, which will take place in The Opera Centre studios in Surry Hills. In London, I’m used to everything taking place in the flash of an eye (a week for a revival of Tosca, 10 days to get together a Traviata, perhaps 3 weeks for a new production of Così) so I’m looking forward to a process that will span 6 weeks in rehearsal studios, then a further 6 weeks on stage before opening night.

To read the full article please click here to go to Rehearsal Magazine

Source: Behind The Ring: Part Two – Die Walküre — Re:hearsal Magazine

Elena Xanthoudakis shines in Anna Bolena (Melbourne Opera)

We are thrilled to read this glowing review for Tait Awardee, Elena Xanthoudakis, who is singing the title role in Melbourne Opera’s production of Anna Bolena. Rob Holdsworth reviewed ‘Anna Bolena’ (Melbourne Opera) for Australian Book Review‘s Arts Update.

The star of Melbourne Opera’s Anna Bolena is Elena Xanthoudakis, last seen as Mary Stuart in 2015. Xanthoudakis has a fine soprano voice and is blessed with superlative technique and acting ability. What a performance this is! Whenever Xanthoudakis was on stage, the audience was riveted by Anne’s plight. The Act II mad scene that ends the opera, with its Home Sweet Home reminiscence, was especially poignant.

To read the full review please click here

Source: Anna Bolena (Melbourne Opera)

TAIT WINTER PROM 2016 – We return to St John's Smith Square

The Tait Memorial Trust 5th Annual Winter Prom.

: Jessica Cottis, Conductor: Colin Hattersley, Photography

Tait Winter Prom – Memories of Summer

The Tait Memorial Trust returns to St John’s Smith Square on Wednesday 30th November for their 5th annual Winter Prom. Now in its 24th year, the Trust supports young Australian performing artists who come to the UK to complete their advanced studies in music, dance and composition.

We are delighted to confirm that the Australian High Commissioner, His Excellency, The Hon. Alexander Downer AC and his wife Mrs Nicola Downer AM, have kindly agreed to be our Guests of Honour. They have been such loyal supporters of the Tait Trust, and we look forward to welcoming them on the night.

We are thrilled that Jessica Cottis has agreed to conduct and musically direct the Tait Chamber Orchestra, of young Australian musicians, and has selected the programme to showcase our award winners but also to acknowledge the tyranny of distance and the longing many of us feel for the wide open spaces of Australia.

Proudly supported by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia we invite you to join us as we explore our memories of Summer.

St John’s Smith Square, London SW1P 3HA

Wed 30 November – 7.30pm

£35, £28, £22, £15

taitmemorialtrust.org

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Memories of Summer

Tait Chamber Orchestra

Lisa Bucknell VIOLA

James Guan PIANO

Alexandra Hutton SOPRANO

Alexandra Isted VIOLIN

Katrina Sheppeard SOPRANO

Ashlyn Skye Tymms MEZZO SOPRANO

Chad Vindin PIANO

Jessica Cottis CONDUCTOR

Mozart

Sinfonia Concertante

for Violin, Viola and Orchestra K364

Wagner

Prelude and ‘Vorspiel and Liebestod’

from Tristan und Isolde

arr. by James Ledger

for Chamber Orchestra

(UK premiere)

Luke Styles

How they Creep

Bernstein

Glitter and be Gay

Barber

Must the winter come so soon

Williamson

Piano Concerto No. 2

wp14_cropped_1411 — Tait Chamber Orchestra, Tait Winter Prom 2014, St John’s Smith Square

Ana de la Vega to appear at Wigmore Hall

Trio from London International Players
Lisa Peacock Presents Thursday Lunchtime Showcases

Three renowned soloists combine to perform a scintillating programme of works for this rarely heard combination.

Wigmore Hall, 24th November 13:00

ANA DE LA VEGA – DANIEL RÖHN – IRINA BOTAN

flute violin piano

Bach’s stunning Musical Offering is complimented by the greatest of flute sonatas – the Poulenc Sonata. An awaited UK premier of an arrangement of Debussy’s L’Apres-midi d’un faune is followed by fireworks by Brahms and from Bizet’s evergreen ‘Carmen’.

AnadelaVega.wflute.-2.jpg — Ana de la Vega, flute

J.S. Bach Trio Sonata in C Major BWV 1037 for flute, violin & piano

Poulenc Sonatafor flute and piano
Debussy Prélude a l’apres-midi d’un faune for flute, violin & piano (arr. Jascha Heifetz) UK premiere
Brahms Scherzo from F.A.E. Sonata
Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 17 (arr. Fritz Kreisler)
Bizet Carmen Fantasyfor flute, violin & piano (arr. Röhn) UK premier

Book Now

d&a.png — Ana de la Vega, flute Daniel Roehn, violin

As a proud Australian, Ana is the artistic director of the London International Players who have just had a rave review in The STRAD, and her solo career has seen her on many of Europe’s most prestigious stages!

Ana de la Vega, Biography

gv2b4881 Few flautists of her generation have performed so extensively worldwide as soloist and chamber musician. Ana de la Vega’s recent Wigmore Hall debut was reviewed as ‘Outstanding’ (Classical Source), her Cadogan Hall London performance as ‘true artistry’ (Musical Opinion), and her Berlin Philharmonie debut as ‘first-class’.

Ana was student of the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris where studied for her Premier Prix under Catherine Cantin, as well as with Philippe Pierlot and Raymond Guiot. At the age of 23 she won the position of Principal Flute with the Orquestra Sinfonica do Norte in Portugal. Since then she has held Principal Flute positions with the EPK Europa Philharmonie in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, and the Philharmonie der Nationen in Hamburg.

Ana is founder and artistic director of the London International Players, a dynamic London ensemble which brings together the finest musicians of her generation. On the wings of her dynamism they have already in their first season performed in Europes greatest halls to high regard, making headlines in the UK and abroad with their ‘explosive and ‘dazzling’ performances (World Of Classical Music, Wigmore Hall review).

With tremendous élan and vitality, de le Vega revealed her artistry…

Musical Opinion, London
—

Ana de la Vega
www.anadelavega.com
London +447944642991
Berlin +491724651909

London International Players
Artistic Director
www.londoninternationalplayers.com

Tait Memorial Trust

Category: Australian Artist update