Opera At The Athenaeum

Friday 3 May, 6.30pm for 7.00pm £38.50 per person

Tickets include Champagne Reception & Three Course Dinner During Interval

The unprecedented success of last Septembers opera concert staged at the Athenaeum, and the very positive feedback from the Proprietors and Guests in attendance has persuaded our club President to commission David Cox to produce a further Opera concert which will be performed on Friday, May 3rd.   The evening’s performance will once again feature some of the best-loved and most memorable arias from the world of Opera, performed by Internationally acclaimed artistes headlined by the captivating Mezzo Soprano Alexandra Tiffin, with a return performance from the ex-Royal Opera House and local Liverpool Tenor Nick Hardy. Featuring the rising star of Opera who recently performed at the Downing Street Christmas concert, baritone Peter Edge who is travelling up from London especially to perform for us on the night.   These fantastic artistes will be accompanied on the Athenaeum Kemble piano by the renowned Composer and concert pianist Jason Ellis.  So for another evening to long remember, please join us once again for an evening of  OPERA AT THE ATHENAEUM  on Friday, May 3rd 2019.

Book your place now via the Members’ Area or through reception. Further details, including the menu, Schedule and biographies of the artistes can be found below;

Menu

Starter – Carmen

Carrot, Coriander and Ginger Soup (v)

Main Course – Tournedos Rossini

Fillet of Beef, Spinach, Duck Liver Parfait

Served with Buttered New Potatoes and Roasted Glazed Parsnips

Spinach, Mushroom Rossini En Croute (v)

Dessert – Turandot Tiramisu

Coffee Liquor Soaked Sponge, Mascarpone and Vanilla

Schedule

Rehearsal for Artistes at 16.30

Reception from 18.30 to 19.00

Performance Part 1 from 19.00 to 19.45

Dinner from 19.45 to 21.15

Performance Part 2 from 21.15 to 22.00

Newsroom Service from 22.00 to 23.30

Last Orders from 23.15 to 23.30

ATHENAEUM OPERA EVENING ARTISTES BIOGRAPHIES

Alexandra Tiffin

Alexandra was born in Liverpool and grew up in Crosby.  She gained a B.Mus.Hons from The Royal Northern College of Music in 2002, and then a Distinction in her postgraduate diploma (singing) from The Royal Academy of Music in 2007.  Alexandra’s professional career as a Mezzo Soprano has included singing roles and chorus for Opera companies, including English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, and Opera North, Grange Park Opera, Opera Holland Park, and Buxton Festival opera.  Recently Alexandra has sung in the extra chorus for ‘War and Peace’ and ‘Un Ballo in Maschera’ for Welsh National Opera.   She is also singing in the extra chorus in ‘Aida’ at Opera North, along with tenor soloist Nick Hardy.  Alexandra also regularly performs with pianist Mark Millington at concerts and corporate events around the northwest.

Jason Ellis

Jason was born in Yorkshire and is a graduate of Leeds College of Music, and Liverpool University where he trained in classical and romantic piano performance, composition, orchestration, and arranging.

Jason has been involved with choral music since accompanying the Liverpool University singers during his studies, and in 2013 Jason founded the Mersey wave choir. He works with several choral groups across Merseyside including the Magull based Georgian singers, and Wirral based Cappriccio singers.  Since 2010 he has been an accompanist to the Froneysyllte Male voice choir.   Since 2014 Jason can be regularly found at the piano in the Liverpool Empire theatre and was recently accompanist for the Rainhill Music festival.

Jason performs regularly on the concert platform as a soloist and accompanist, composes and creates musical arrangements and transcriptions on a freelance basis.   Jason is a session musician at Industrial Music studios and has an active piano/theory music tutor practice.   He is also a member of the Music and staging committee for the Llangollen International Eisteddfod.

Nick Hardy

Nick Hardy (tenor)  made his Royal Opera House Covent Garden debut, in September 2017 as a member of the Borghese in Richard Jones new setting of La Boheme with Sir Antonio Pappano conducting, a production which was screened live in cinemas throughout Europe and shown later worldwide.  As a freelance singer, he has appeared with the choruses of English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Opera North, and Wexford Festival Opera.   For Scottish Opera and Buxton Festival Opera he has performed chorus roles and covered major roles.  For London Festival Opera he has appeared as a principal in opera galas in Italy, Germany, and Spain.

His roles in oratorio have taken him throughout the UK and to France.  With small local companies, he has performed more than twenty major opera roles including, Rodolfo, Canio, Turridu, Don Jose, Nadir, Manrico, Cavaradossi, Renato, Duke of Mantua, and Radames.    His principal teachers after studying at the Royal Academy of Music were Joan Carlyle and Colin Iveson.   He lives in Liverpool and is the founder and director of Liverpool Italian opera Co.

Peter Edge

British Baritone Peter Edge, is in his second year of Masters at The Royal College of Music London, where he is tutored by Peter Savidge.   Competition successes include the International medal at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, the Chris Treglown Memorial Award, and RNCM Freckleton Prize.  Peter also achieved Highly Commended in the Kathleen Ferrier Bursary Competition, Brooks van Der Pump English Song Competition, and the RCM Lieder Competition.

Opera roles include Alfio Cavalleria Rusticana (Blackburn Cathedral)  Antonio  La Nozze di Figaro (RCM, directed by Sir Thomas Allen)  Don Alfonso  Cosi Fan Tutte  (Opera at The Athenaeum Pall Mall)  Dulcamara  L’elisir d’amore (New Sussex Opera)  Guglielmo  Cosi Fan Tutte (Felici Opera)  Littore Lincoronazione di Poppea (Loughborough Festival Opera)  Masetto  Don Giovanni  (Opera Loki and Felici Opera)  Papageno Die Zaberflote  (City of Manchester Opera) Theseus  A Midsummer Night’s Dream  (RNCM and RCM)  and Zaretsky Eugene Onegin (RCM)

Peter has been a Young Artist of Loughborough Festival Opera for the last two years. As an oratorio soloist Peter has recently performed the solos in Bach’s St John Passion and Handel’s Messiah (St Martin in the Fields) and Verdi’s Requiem  (Elgar Concert Hall Birmingham)

Peter made his TV debut on S4C at Llangollen, and also appeared in the BBC film Florence Foster Jenkins.  Peter regularly sings on live BBC Radio 4 LW and BBC Shropshire and has performed live on BBC Radio 3’s drivetime show: In Tune with presenter Sean Rafferty.