Marie Claire recently graduated from The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with BMus Honours in July 2007. She is currently continuing her studies at the RSAMD on the Postgraduate Performance course under the tuition of Patricia Hay.
Within the RSAMD she has taken part in various competitions, concerts and operas. She is currently involved in the forthcoming production of Eugene Onegin and is understudying the role of "Despina" in next years production of Cosi fan Tutte. In 2004 she was selected to represent the RSAMD at the Annual Kathleen Ferrier Society Bursary Competition for Young Singers, where she reached the final round.
She has been a member of the National Youth Choir of Scotland for the past six years. With this group she has toured Chicago and Hungary, performed in the 2006 BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, London and the Edinburgh International Festival.
Marie Claire has taken part in Masterclasses with Mhairi Lawson, Malcolm Martineau and Roger Vignols. She sings regularly across the country most recently as soprano soloist in Haydn's Paukenmesse, Handel's Israel in Egypt and Messiah.
Samling Scholar, Elizabeth, from Mansfield, graduated last year from the RSAMD Opera School under the tuition of Kathleen McKellar Ferguson. She has sung oratorio throughout the UK, including works by Bruckner, Handel, Mozart, Saint Saëns and Rossini and has also taken part in masterclasses with Malcolm Martineau, Roderick Williams, Ann Murray, Ian Storey, Jane Eaglen, Paul Farrington, Isobel Buchanan and Sir Thomas Allen. Elizabeth is now studying under the tuition of Eileen Price.
Elizabeth's early experience was gained with the internationally renowned Cantamus Girls' Choir in Mansfield, performing with them throughout Europe and Asia whilst receiving tuition from the choir's director Pamela Cook MBE.
She sang chorus, scene characters, and roles in RSAMD productions. In the Summer of 2006 she sang with Glyndebourne Festival Opera chorus in their productions of Cosi fan tutte, Fidelio, Die Fledermaus and Betrothal in a Monastery, and in August 2006 joined the Royal Opera House Chorus, Covent Garden.
Adam studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, graduating in the Class of 2000 with a BA (Hons) in Musical Studies.
Whilst studying, Adam appeared as a soloist and chorus-member of the RSAMD Chamber Choir, performing in numerous concerts including works by Bach and Mozart through to 20th century compositions by Judith Weir, James McMillan and Giles Swayne. He also recorded a CD of theNine Lessons and Carols arranged by Phillip Ledger. Adam was also selected to tour with the choir singing Tan Dun's Marco Polo with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in performances in Barbican London and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. He has also had several opera performances with the RSAMD.
Since graduating, Adam has been working successfully as a freelance soloist and has performed with Opera Ireland, Scottish Opera, on Diva Opera's 2001 and 2002 European tours, in Raymond Gubbay's production of Carmen, and two years with The Thursford Christmas Extravaganza, the biggest nationally accliamed Christmas show in Britain. In 2002, he appeared with José Carreras in aid of the José Carreras Leukaemia Foundation. Adam made his 'West End' debut in 2004 at the Savoy Theatre in productions of The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro. Earlier this year, he performed at the Edinburgh International Festival in their performances / CD recordings of La Donna del Lago and Die Meistersingers.
Born in Glasgow, Eilidh studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with Margaret Marshall and Patricia MacMahon, graduating with BA (Hons) in July 2003.
Eilidh's early experience of choral and solo singing was gained with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Junior Chorus, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Chorus and the National Youth Choir of Scotland - under the direction of Christopher Bell. Solo performances with the above include Haydn Paukenmesse, Barber Agnus Dei, Brahms Ein Deutches Requiem, Britten Hymn to St. Cecilia, Fauré Requiem, Torke A book of Proverbs and Tippett "Spirituals" from A Child of Our Time. The National Youth Choir of Scotland also gave Eilidh the experience of several recording sessions and many prestigious concerts - including, singing for the Queen and Nelson Mandela at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Opening Ceremony and singing with Christina Aguilera at the MTV European Music Awards. Singing has also taken Eilidh to Ireland, Sweden, Germany and Australia.
Eilidh has a particular interest in performing Early music, such as Handel/Scarlatti Baroque Duets (Voice and Trumpet) and Bach/Vivaldi Cantatas.
Since graduating in 2003, Eilidh has performed throughout Scotland as Soprano Soloist for various Choral Societies, performing a variety of works including - Mozart Requiem, Haydn Creation and Stabat Mater, Handel Messiah, Vivaldi Gloria, Beethoven Mass in C, Purcell Ode to St. Cecilias Day and John Rutter Magnificat. Recent performances include, Mozart Coronation Mass, Karl Jenkins The Armed Man and Mendelssohn St. Paul. In June 2004, Eilidh made her debut soloist performance at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, performing with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for the RSNO Junior Chorus Silver Jubilee Concert - performing Fauré Requiem.
Future engagements include Handel Judas Maccabeus and Messiah.
Scottish Harpist Helen MacLeod began her musical education on the clarsach in the West Highlands where she discovered her love of traditional music. Helen studied Pedal Harp at St Mary's Music School in Edinburgh and at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester where she successfully gained a Bmus(Hons) in music performance.
Helen embarked on her freelance career in Manchester, performing with both the Halle Orchestra and the Manchester Camerata. In 2003 she returned to Scotland, where she currently enjoys a busy and varied career performing with many of Scotland's leading orchestras, including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and has performed at many prestigious events across the UK. Helen also recently featured in the soundtrack of the highly acclaimed Gaelic film Seachd.
A keen teacher, she is a regular tutor at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival and was recently the guest tutor at the first Derbyshire Harp Festival.
Helen also greatly enjoys chamber music and regularly performs with flautist Emma Wilkins in their flute and harp duo - HOOT.
Brazilian baritone, Felipe, has won prizes in all Brazilian voice competitions including the Revelation prize at IV Bidu Sayão International Singing Competition, the biggest in Latin America, and also the 1st Honour Mention (4th place) plus "The Concert Song Best Interpreter prize" at IX Trujillo International Singing Festival and Competition (Peru) and was the winner of 4 different sing competitions in Brazil just in 2005.
He studied in the voice undergraduate program at Julio de Mesquita Filho State University - UNESP in São Paulo and also had private singing lessons with Prof. Isabel Maresca. The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama awarded him with full scholarship for 2006/2007 academic year to do his Master's in Music (Opera) and at the moment he is doing a Master's in Opera and singing lessons with Stephen Robertson, supported with the International Scholarship from the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music and he was also one of Dewar Arts Awards 2007 winners and a Samling Foundation Scholar.
In opera, he has performed Die Zauberflöte by Mozart, Carmen by Bizet, La Damnacion de Faust by Berlioz, Gianni Schicchi by Puccini, Mozart's Don Giovanni, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and has just finished in Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte, produced by RSAMD. In Oratorio, was the bass soloist of Handel's Messiah produced by RSAMD and performed in Scotland and Germany in 2007, Rossini's Petit Messe Solennelle in Aberdeen, and Bach's Christmas Oratorio in the north of England. Future engagements include Carmen for Clonter Opera and Puccini's La Boheme for Amazonian International Opera Festival in Brazil.
Swedish baritone Anders Östberg is a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama's Opera course as well as the Birmingham Conservatoire.
His major operatic roles include "Steward" in Jonathan Dove's Flight, "Argante" in Handel's Rinaldo, "Onegin" in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, "Bartolo" and "Antonio" in The Marrige of Figaro and "Giove" in La Calisto.
Anders has appeared as a soloist in Birmingham's Symphony Hall; in Brahms' Requiem with the CBSO and twice as the "High Priest" in Bach's St Matthew Passion with the ECO.
As a recitalist, Anders has toured Sweden, Slovenia and Britain, and he has also won the Reginald Vincent Lieder Prize, the John Ireland Prize and the Gordon Clinton English Song Prize. Oratorio engagements include Mendelssohn's Elijah, Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, Haydn's The Seasons, Brahms' Requiem, Handel's Messiah, Fauré's Requiem and Stainer's Crucifixion.
Recent concert and oratorio appearances include a concert with the Scottish Opera Orchestra, Bach's St John Passion, Mozart's Requiem and Coronation Mass, Gounod's Petite Messe de Sainte Cecilé and concerts at Drumlanrig Castle and The Palace of Holyroodhouse.
This summer Anders sang with the chorus of Glyndebourne Festival Opera where he also covered the role of "Peter" in the St Matthew Passion. This autumn Anders will be covering several roles in English National Opera's production of The Coronation of Poppea.
Morley Whitehead was born in Folkestone, Kent, in 1955, and studied at the Royal College of Music, London. His teachers included Richard Popplewell (organ) and Herbert Howells (harmony and counterpoint). He then became assistant to Richard Popplewell at St Michael's, Cornhill. Winner of numerous prizes at both Associateship and Fellowship examinations of the Royal College of Organists, and holder of the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, he moved to Edinburgh in 1979 on being appointed assistant organist at St Giles' Cathedral - a post he held for over eleven years.
For the last 18 years he has worked as assistant at Edinburgh University's Reid Music Library, organist of Cluny Parish Church, Morningside, and accompanist to a number of Edinburgh's mixed musical institutions (Waverley Singers since 1979, Edinburgh Royal Choral Union since 1980 and Edinburgh Grand Opera since 1989). He also undertakes a wide range of freelance work, from giving recital, accompanying all manner of provincial choirs and choral societies, playing for the Council of Music in Hospitals (not to mention numerous graduation ceremonies, of which there were 16 in 2002), to teaching, adjudication, and composition.
Morley has now become a firm favourite with KCU as organist where we use a 'church' venue for our concert.
Born in 1946 and raised in Dysart, a win on the football pools meant that he found himself wearing a kilt and having piano lessons. He was the eldest of a family of one, which condemned him to a childhood of never growing into cast offs or being aware of the concept of pecking orders. It was poor preparation for filling the coal pail for the infant room fire at Dysart School or the shriek of pencil on slate.
John Morrison, for decades a conductor of the Choral, was his mentor for many years and during this period memorable events include soloist in Faust in 1967, stand-in conductor for Messiah and Schutz Christmas Oratorio in 1970, and having his hair set on fire by an exploding lamp during the Petite Messe Solennelle in 1972. Bob first conducted KCU in 1988.
Having retired in 2006 after a career spent drifting steadily further from the notions of imparting knowledge, to disciplinary eunuch, it was hardly surprising that an activity where absolute authoritarianism was not only desirable, but indeed demanded, was attractive.
In Frank's words, "We'll do it My Way"
Last year, in recognition of his services to the Choral, Bob was delighted to accept the post of Honorary Vice-President.
KCU are privileged and pleased to have Bob back as Guest Conductor for the Christmas Concert.
Alex MacDonald - rehearsal accompanist
