Lunchtime Concert: Florence Carruthers & Raymond Wui-Man Yiu, Voice & Piano Duo

THU 06 OCT 13.05

Take time out this lunchtime for a programme by Trinity Laban student duos at the stunningly beautiful St Alfege Church.

FLORENCE CARRUTHERS & STEFANO FIACCO
VOICE & CONTINUO DUO – GUITAR, VIHUELA, LUTE

Purcell
Evening Hymn

Strozzi
I. Noiosa Lontananza
II. Amor Dormiliogne

Manuel de Falla
Nana

FLORENCE CARRUTHERS & RAYMOND WUI-MAN YIU
VOICE & PIANO DUO

Vaughan Williams
Tired

Britten
The Charm of Lullabies
i. A Cradle Song
ii. A Highland Balou
iii. Sephestia's Lullaby
iv. A Charm
v. The Nurse's Song

CATRIONA BOURNE SWINTON HUNTER & RAYMOND WUI-MAN YIU
FLUTE & PIANO DUO

Mike Mewer
Ballad from Opus di Jazz

Donizetti
Sonata for Flute and Piano in C, A503

Rachmaninoff
Vocalise Op. 34

Enescu
Cantabile et Presto

Florence Carruthers is a mezzo-soprano from Brighton, currently studying an MMus at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance under the tutelage of Neil Baker. She previously read Music at the University of Leeds and spent a year studying voice at the Académie Supérieure de Musique de Strasbourg. Most recently, Florence has created the role of Romeo in Strozzi!, Jennifer Hamilton’s jukebox opera of works by Barbara Strozzi at Blackheath Halls in July 2022. Other operatic roles include Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier), Ruggiero (La finta giardiniera), Jane Seymore (Anna Bolena) and Grimgerde (Die Walküre) for Trinity Laban Opera scenes. Florence was selected by OperUs to perform in a masterclass with baroque contralto Sonia Prina, as well as mezzo-soprano Fiona Kim as part of the TL Vocal Masterclass Program. Recent solo and ensemble concert performances include ‘Sophie’s Barn’ in Oxford and the historically renowned Old Royal Naval Chapel in Greenwich. Florence’s studies are generously supported by the Sophie’s Silver Lining Fund, the Westdene Fund, the Aspinwall Trust, the Clemence Charitable trust and the Split Infinitive Trust, to whom she is most grateful.

Stefano Fiacco (1997) studied with Giovanni Podera, Luigi Attademo, Nicola Jappelli, and Fabiano Merlante in Bergamo, Italy. In 2020 he took advantage of the Erasmus+ Program to study with Graham Anthony Devine at Trinity Laban for his last Master’s year and graduated with first class honours once back in Bergamo. He is currently attending an Artist Diploma course in Guitar at Trinity Laban with Graham Anthony Devine. Other than performing in chamber formations (duo with guitar, cello, harp, flute and guitar trio), Stefano performed on his own and as a soloist with different orchestras. He also performed as a continuist for baroque ensembles and orchestras playing the cello as well as the lute. He won several prizes in competitions including first prize at the Valstrona competition in 2013, the Estudiantina Bergamasca in 2016 and the special Nilo Peraldo Bert prize (ex-aequo) at the Nilo Peraldo Bert competition in 2015, and attended masterclasses with Giulio Tampalini, Ermanno Brignolo, Eduardo Fernández, Javier Riba. He collaborated as a revisor with Ediciones Espiral Eterna for the new edition of El Decamerón Negro (1981) by Maestro Leo Brouwer.

Born in Hong Kong, Raymond Wui-Man Yiu began piano lessons aged four. He moved to Aberdeen, Scotland in 2008 and attended the Aberdeen City Music School studying the piano with Peter Evans. During his time at ACMS, he made his concerto debut performing Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 with the Meadows Chamber Orchestra in Edinburgh in 2010. Since winning the title of Aberdeen Young Musician of the Year, he performed concertos by Schumann, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff and Grieg with orchestras in Scotland. He gave recitals at music festivals around Scotland including the Aberdeen International Youth Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2012 he won a scholarship to study with Joan Havill at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he obtained his Master's and Bachelor's degrees with Distinction. He is currently on the Artist Diploma programme at Trinty Laban Conservatoire as a Trinity College of Music scholar studying with Gabriele Baldocci. He regularly gives chamber music and solo recitals in London. He is grateful for the generous support by the Leathersellers' Company, Deena Shypitka Music Award, Dewar Arts Awards, Phyllis Simons Award, the Guildhall School Trust and Christine Brown Trust.

Catriona Bourne Swinton Hunter is currently studying postgraduate flute performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, with the support of a Bibby Award Scholarship and a Michael Hirst Award Scholarship. She is also a Choral Scholar with the Trinity Laban Chapel Choir at the Old Royal Naval College. While at school Catriona was a UK Finalist in the Rotary Young Musician of the Year Competition after winning the regional Banbury and Chipping Norton Competitions, and she performed for HM The Queen and Princess Alexandra. Catriona read Music at University College, Oxford, where she was a Choral Scholar and Ensemble Isis Scholar. She then attained a PGCE and Master’s in Music Education at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where she received an Instrumental Award from the Faculty of Music and a Lincoln Award and Garrett Award from Magdalene College. Catriona performed as a concerto soloist with Cambridge University Symphony Orchestra in March 2019, and reached the Final of the 2022 Trinity Laban Soloists’ Competition.

St Alfege Church
Admission free, no ticket required