ROSS ALLEY

Ross, a New Zealander, graduated from Victoria University of  Wellington following which he became sole pianist for the Royal NZ School of Dance and was Musical Director for many shows in the capital city. Moving to Melbourne in 1979 he worked for the Australian Ballet School and Company before arriving in London where, for his first ten years, he was a pianist at the Royal Ballet School and Music Tutor to its Teacher Training Course. In 1990 Ross was appointed as a music lecturer for Birkbeck College, University of London which also led to a wide range of other lecturing experience, becoming a frequent speaker at the Royal Opera House giving over 70 talks on opera & ballet music.

He has given numerous pre-performance talks and informative lectures at the English National Opera, Wigmore Hall, Wagner Society, Symphony Hall Birmingham, the Gustav Mahler Society, NADFAS, Kenwood, Artstur and the London Jewish Cultural Centre. Ross also organises his own private lecture series on opera which take place each day of the week in various  venues around London, the longest of which has been running for almost 30 years.

DR HELEN AYRES

Helen Ayres is a Doctoral graduate of the University of Melbourne and founding member of Seraphim Trio. She has appeared as a guest artist with numerous Australian small ensembles including Flinders Quartet, Syzygy, the Australian Octet and Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. After spending two years living in London and studying pedagogy at the Yehudi Menuhin School, Helen has now returned to Adelaide to teach violin at Elder Conservatorium’s Centre for Young Musicians.

While living in London Helen performed with the BBC Scottish Symphony and London Philharmonic Orchestra. As part of these orchestras, she performed across England, Scotland, Germany, Austria and China. Closer to home, Helen is a past member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and has performed as guest principal with Orchestra Victoria and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

With Seraphim Trio Helen has regularly performed at various festivals including the Melbourne International Arts Festival, Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, Adelaide Festival of Arts, Adelaide French Festival, the Peninsular Summer Music Festival and in 2013, Opera Australia’s Ring Festival in Melbourne. Seraphim has recorded numerous CDs for ABC Classics and are currently part way through a series of trio recordings for ABC Classic FM titled The History of the Piano Trio.

Source: Seraphim Trio’s website

ISLA BARING OAM

Isla Violet Baring OAM founded The Tait Memorial Trust in 1992 in memory of her father, Sir Frank Tait and his brothers, who played such an important part in the establishment of theatre and the performing arts in Australia. Isla’s mother, the singer Viola Tait, inspired her to organise a fundraising concert in support of a young Australian singer, Liane Keegan, who was newly arrived in London. It kicked off with a Christmas Concert at Australia House. The concert was a great success, became the foundation of our yearly events and Liane, after singing major roles in Berlin, is now a featured artist with the Melbourne Symphony, Opera Australia, and Victorian Opera.

In 2009 Isla Baring was awarded the Order of Australian Medal (OAM) general division for her service to the arts — supporting young Australian musicians and performing artists!

JESSICA COTTIS (CHAIR)

Award-winning conductor Jessica Cottis, named ‘2019 Classical “Face to Watch”’ (The Times, UK), is much in demand, working regularly with leading orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Opéra Orchestre national Montpellier, L’Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi (laVerdi), l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, new music ensembles such as London Sinfonietta and Bang on a Can, as well as numerous re-invitations at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the prestigious BBC Proms. She has recorded for the BBC, ABC, and Decca Classics labels.

​One of the most outstanding Australian conductors working today, 2022 marks Jessica Cottis’s second season as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. Under her leadership, the orchestra has already developed a number of important new initiatives, including significant commissions and championing of Australian works. Recognised for her engaging, wide-ranging and thought-provoking programming, Cottis’ domain is music of the 19th to 21st centuries. This season she will conduct major works by Wagner, Sibelius and Stravinsky in Canberra, and make highly anticipated debuts with orchestras including Bremer Philharmoniker, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Opéra National de Bordeaux, Oslo Philharmonic, and Royal Danish Opera for Poul Ruders’ ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, and return to the Royal Opera House for the world premiere of Laura Bowler’s ‘The Blue Woman’.  Read more

AMY DICKSON

As an internationally regarded soloist Amy performs throughout the world with many of the great orchestras and in recent seasons has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House and the Konzerthaus, Vienna. As a highly sought-after chamber musician she has performed in prestigious series, in venues including the Berliner Philharmonie, the Wigmore Hall, and at the Enescu Festival. She regularly appears at international chamber music festivals where she has worked with the Chilingirian, Goldner and Mandelring string quartets. Her duo partners include Catherine Milledge, Martin Cousin, Huw Watkins and Danny Driver. As proud ambassador of Australian culture she has performed for heads of state at the Scottish and Australian Parliaments; in various Australian Embassies, High Commissions and Government Houses; at St James’ Palace, London; and at diplomatic meetings including the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings in Malta (2005) and Perth (2011).   Read More

JAYSON GILLHAM

DEBORAH HUMBLE

Deborah Humble is one of Australia’s most successful and versatile dramatic mezzo-sopranos performing regularly internationally and at home.

She began 2017 with performances in January of Erda in Siegfried for the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jaap van Zweden. Naxos will be recording the performances for commercial CD release. After a solo recital in Adelaide, South Australia for the Wagner Society in February, she sang  the role of Mary in Der Fliegender Holländer for Opera Lille, France, in March and April. In May Deborah joined the Sea Cloud 2 in Lisbon for onboard performances for Opera Australia. Further engagements in 2017 included Waltraute in Die Götterdämmerung for Saffron Opera in the UK, Klytamnestra in Elektra for Edinburgh Opera Players, recitals in Sydney, London and for the Newcastle Festival, Messiah for the New Zealand Symphony and Perth Collegium Choir and masterclasses for the Melba Opera Trust programme in Melbourne, Pacific Opera in Sydney and for the Tait Memorial Trust in London.

Recent engagements include Erda in Das Rheingold in concert performances with the Hong Kong Philharmonic under the musical direction of Jaap van Zweden (released on CD by Naxos), her Boston Symphony Hall debut as Erda in Siegfried, Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde with conductor Jan Latham-König in Mexico City, Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle in Melbourne, Catherine in Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc au Bûcher and Elektraat the Hamburg Staatsoper with Simone Young and  Kent Nagano, Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 and Mozart Requiem with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in Brisbane under the direction of Johannes Fritzsch, Elgar’s Sea Pictures in Bamberg, Parsifal in Birmingham with Andris Nelsons, the Verdi Requiem at Southwark Cathedral in London and at the Sage Concert Hall, Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 in Singapore, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in Hong Kong also conducted by Jaap van Sweden and Elgar’s The Kingdom for the Melbourne Bach Choir.         Read More 

BELINDA MCFARLANE

From Adelaide, South Australia, Belinda is a violinist with the London Symphony Orchestra. An ex-member of the board of Directors and Vice Chairman where she served on the Education Liaison Committee, she is an active member of the LSO’s Discovery programme, working with people of all ages and abilities, participating and leading workshops in schools, community programmes and tertiary institutions in the UK and abroad.  A lead instigator in the LSO’s On Track programme, she has led young musicians of all abilities from the east London Boroughs to perform alongside the LSO – most notably for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. Other significant highlights are projects in France, China, Japan, USA, and Australia.  Her work for the LSO is also depicted in the Channel 4 programme ‘The Addicts Symphony’ – mentoring recovering addicts, musicians, to create their own symphony and perform it alongside the the LSO.

As well, for many years a member of the all-Australian fiorini piano trio, and currently a member of the Australian World Orchestra where she serves as their Youth Education Advisor, she has led chamber music and music workshops in Australia, UK, Zimbabwe and India.  Belinda also teaches chamber music at the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama and returns frequently to Australia for the Australian Youth Orchestra as a Director, Tutor and Mentor.

Graduating from the Elder Conservatorium, Adelaide University, with First Class Honours, a state finalist in the ABC Instrumental and Vocal competition, Belinda became Leader of the Australian Youth Orchestra before moving to London.

KATRINA SHEPPEARD

Katrina Sheppeard is one of the UK’s most exciting up and coming dramatic sopranos – most recently jumping in for ENO’s Norma to great acclaim. In 2015 Katrina made her German stage debut with Theater Hagen performing the title role in Samuel Barber’s Vanessa conducted by Florian Ludwig and directed by Roman Hovenbitzer receiving two nominations from Welt am Sonntag.

Since moving to London in 2008 Katrina has worked extensively with UK companies and in particular with English National Opera. Roles covered by Katrina for ENO include Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana, Turandot in Turandot, Marta in Weinberg’s The Passenger, Leonore in Fidelio, Katerinain Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Norma in Bellini’s Norma, and most recently Tosca

Other UK companies Katrina has performed with are Welsh National Opera, Opera Brava, Riverside Opera, Swansea Opera, Midland Opera and Bloomsbury Opera her roles including Tosca, Aida, Turandot, Tatiana from Eugene Onegin and Rosalinda from die Fledermaus.

Katrina is a prolific concert performer, her repertoire including Beethoven 9th Symphony, Strauss Four Last Songs, Verdi’s Requiem and the Wesendonck Lieder and has been invited to sing for many UK festivals including the Ealing Festival and Bloomsbury Festival. Katrina has performed with many of the world’s top conductors – Stephen Lord, Ed Gardener, Richard Hickox and Simone Young. Pianists Katrina has performed with include Dmitri Alexeev, Jayson Gillham, Richard Hetherington and Malcolm Martineau.

Australian born, Katrina completed her undergraduate vocal studies at the Western Australia Conservatorium of Music. In 2002 she joined Opera Australia and remained as part of the ensemble until 2007 when she became a Young Artist for Opera Queensland. In Australia, Katrina covered and performed many roles at Opera Australia, Opera Queensland and Victorian Opera including The Beggar Woman, Donna Elvira, Lace Seller/Russian Mother from Britten’s Death in Venice and Aphrodite and Echo in the Richard Mills’ Love of the Nightingale.

Last year Katrina performed the UK premiere of Wagner’s ‘Vorspiel and Liebestod’ from Tristan und Isolde, arr. by James Ledger with the Tait Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jessica Cottis, at St John’s Smith Square. Katrina also performed a concert of Wagner highlights at Australia House with fellow Australian, Baritone Warwick Fyfe.

Katrina was the 2017  recipient of the Wagner Society of NSW  http://www.wagner.org.au/ study scholarship and on September 2017 Katrina performed an excerpt as Isolde from Act 2 Tristan und Isolde with Stuart Skelton and Catherine Carby at St Paul’s Knightsbridge, produced by the Tait Trust, and presented by Wagner’s great-great-grandson, Antoine Wagner.

Source: Katrina Sheppeard’s website

CHAD VINDIN (DEPUTY CHAIR)

Winner of the prestigious accompanist prize at the Royal Overseas League Competition, the Ludmilla Andrew Russian Song Accompanist Prize at the Royal Academy of Music, and the Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards Accompanist’s Prize at the Wigmore Hall, Chad is one of the rising young stars of the international accompaniment world.

Born in Australia, he first studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music before moving to London, and now maintains a full workload as a staff pianist and vocal coach at the Royal  College and Royal Academy of Music and performs regularly across the UK and internationally. Chad is a founding member of the Sydney Chamber Opera Company and performed with OperaUpClose in their Olivier Award winning production of La Bohème. His studies were generously supported by the Thornton Foundation and is very grateful to have received  additional funding from the  Ian  Potter  Cultural Trust (Australia), the Leverhulme Trust, and the Reizenstein scholarship.