Lunchtime Concert: Excerpts of Purcell's Dido & Aeneas

WED 05 JUL 13.00

Trinity Laban alum and Opera Asteria showcase excerpts from their semi-staged production of Purcell's Dido & Aeneas which is being performed the same evening at 18.00 & 20.00h, with a running time of 50min and no interval.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON EVENING PERFORMANCE CLICK HERE

FOR EVENING PERFORMANCE TICKETS CLICK HERE

JACK STONE, HARPSICHORDIST
ALICIA MALLACE-GOULBOURNE, DIDO
PERSHA DARLING, BELINDA
RHIAN DAVIES, SORCERESS

Jack Stone was a student of Chethams School of Music; graduate of the Royal College of Music, receiving the 2016 Harold Darke Prize, and an associated member of the Royal College of Organists. Jack has held accompanist posts at Dean Close School, Cheltenham; Tewkesbury Abbey; Carlisle Cathedral; Chelsea Ballet School and Morley Opera School, London. As well as working as repetiteur for Regents Opera, Jack is also organist of Catford Parish Church and repetiteur for Lewisham Urban Opera.

British lyric soprano Alicia Mallace-Goulbourne has been praised as having a "sensitive legato" and "an outstanding sense of poise and command". Alicia made her role debut as Female Chorus/The Rape of Lucretia with Opera Asteria (2021). Other roles include cover Anna/La nonne sanglante for Gothic Opera (2021) Dido/Dido & Aeneas for Opera Asteria (2022), Naiad/Ariadne auf Naxos for Uncovered Opera Company (2022), Cis/Albert Herring for New Palace Opera (2022) and Dama/Macbeth for Uncovered Opera Company (2023). Ensemble roles include Fulham Opera’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Hampstead Garden Opera’s La bohème & Savitri, Gothic Opera's La nonne sanglante (won the 2021 Offie for Best Opera Production), Regent Opera's La forza del destino, Scherzo Ensemble's L'elisir d'amore at Longhope Opera and Saffron Opera Group's Tannhäuser. Alicia has received expert tutelage from established performers and coaches including Isobel Buchanan, Susan Bullock, Teresa Cahill, Lionel Friend, Della Jones, Rosa Mannion, Julia Mintzer, Diana Montague, David Rendall, Gidon Saks, Nicky Spence, Phillip Thomas, Alison Wells and maestro Ubaldo Fabbri. Alicia has performed a variety of roles in staged operatic scenes including First Lady/The Magic Flute, Naiad/Ariadne auf Naxos, Queen Elizabeth I/Gloriana, Fifth Maid/Elektra, Elettra/Idomeneo, Countess/The Marriage of Figaro and Euridice/Orfeo ed Euridice. Moreover, she was delighted to be selected for the role of Alice in a scene from Falstaff, performed with the Welsh National Opera. Up next, Alicia is very excited to commence a year of recitals across the UK, which has so far taken her to venues including Waltham Abbey, Christchurch Priory and Egham and District Music Club. Other upcoming engagements this summer include Dido for Dido and Aeneas for Opera Asteria, Suor Osmina for Suor Angelica with Opera Greenwich and being the soprano soloist for Mendelssohn's Hymn of Praise with the Fordingbridge Choral Society. Alicia is also Company Director for Opera Asteria which she set up during the pandemic and freelances in events management, assisting and producing.

Persha Darling is a recent masters graduate of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. She currently studies with Eamonn Mulhall and Kelvin Lim. Persha has performed a wide variety of opera roles throughout the UK and Europe including Giselda (I Lombardi, Verdi), Agnes Lee in the European premier of Glass’ Appomattox, Cinderella for Puzzlepiece Opera’s production of Cinderella and Eurydice (Orpheus in the Underworld, Offenbach) which gained her nominations for the Leeds Art Guild’s Best Performance Award. In 2019, she toured across the UK with Opera Brava for her role as Barbarina (Le Nozze di Figaro) and re-joined the company for their 2022 tour as the Shepherd and Chorister in Tosca and as “Maria” in Carmen. Further engagements have included: The Brahms Festival at the Old Royal Naval College Chapel, curated by Eugene Asti and The Venus Blazing concert, curated by Dylan Perez. Persha also has a strong interest in film and TV and can be seen in small roles for various television programmes and films.

Rhian Davies is a postgraduate mezzo-soprano completing her final year at Trinity Laban, studying under Teresa Cahill. Prior to studying at the conservatoire, Rhian graduated from the University of Cambridge, having read Music at Robinson College as an alto choral scholar. Rhian sings with the Philharmonia Chorus and is a member of Levedy Ensemble, a female voices and harp quintet, winning the inaugural Carne Trust Chamber Competition with them in 2020. In partnership with pianist Cèlia Margalef Boquera, Rhian has participated in The London Song Festival’s masterclass with Dame Sarah Connolly and competed in the final of the British Art Song Competition in December 2021. The duo was also delighted to reach Trinity Laban’s Elizabeth Schumann Lieder Duo Competition final in May 2022. On the operatic stage, Rhian has studied roles from Juno (Semele) to Auntie (Peter Grimes) in Postgraduate Opera Scenes. In honing her operatic interpretation, Rhian has been fortunate to participate in masterclasses with Patricia Bardon, David Gowland, Stephanie Wake-Edwards and Michael Morfidian, and Susan Bullock. Rhian is currently working with Josh Kaye to bring the role of Lucy to life in his chamber opera (Outlier) which premieres at the ‘Tête à Tête’ opera festival in September 2022.

Queen's House
Admission free, no ticket required