Haydn: Maria Theresa Mass
Mozart: Vespers
Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate

Minster Church of St Andrew, Plymouth
Saturday 30 November at 7:30pm 2024

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Haydn: Maria Theresa Mass
This is a mass in B-flat major written by Joseph Haydn and named after Maria Theresa of the Two Sicilies, empress consort of Francis II.

Mozart: Vespers
Mozart’s Vespers from 1780 are six movements of wonderful, religious music, culminating in, surely, one of Mozart’s finest tunes in the Laudate Dominum (a soprano’s delight).

Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate
To many, this is the sound of a genius at the peak of his powers, harnessing some of the finest slices of his imagination with aplomb and wisdom. Today this stunning work is a favourite of sopranos the world over.

Catherine Hamilton – soprano
Catherine was the first singer to be awarded a Junior Exhibitioner’s scholarship in the history of the Royal Academy of Music at the age of ten.  After gaining a BA Hons in Music and English from Southampton University, she returned to the RAM on the post-graduate opera course and was awarded the Diploma of Advanced Studies and an LRAM with Distinction. During her time there, she was chosen to be a soloist for an official recording for HRH Prince William.

Catherine is a versatile performer whose international career has encompassed opera, oratorio, recitals and musical theatre.  She made her West End debut in the acclaimed production of Masterclass and toured Germany as Christine in ‘Das Phantom der Oper’. Her many operatic roles have taken her throughout Europe and closer to home for Opera Holland Park’s summer season and Devon Opera’s recent Autumn Gala.

As a soloist for oratorio, Catherine has sung extensively in major venues across the UK and Europe and her recital highlights include singing for the ambassador at the Spanish Institute and The Barbican in London. She was also chosen for the regional premiere of ‘The Great War Symphony’ by Patrick Hawes and a specially commissioned work for the Mayflower 400 celebrations.

Judith Le Breuilly – mezzo-soprano
Judith hails from Birmingham. She was a Young Artist at the National Opera Studio for their 2020/21 cohort and an Associate Artist the following year. Prior to this she studied at the Royal College of Music as an RCM scholar with Dinah Harris, Carolyn Dowdle, and Simon Lepper where she gained a Master of Performance with Distinction. Her Undergraduate studies were at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Margaret Izatt, and Julia Lynch, graduating with a first-class degree and winning both the Jean Highgate Scholarship for singers and the Govenors’ Recital Prize for Singing.  Judith was a finalist in the 2020 Kathleen Ferrier Awards and a Garsington Alvarez Young Artist
for the 2022 season.

Judith is the 2024 winner of the New Voices Competition at the Northern Aldborough Festival alongside pianist George Ireland.

NATHAN VALE – Tenor
Nathan Vale studied with Ryland Davies at the Royal College of Music, and the Benjamin Britten International Opera School. He was awarded an Independent Opera Scholarship to the National Opera Studio, where he was supported by English National Opera, the Nicholas John Trust, and the Elmley Foundation. He is a former winner of the London Handel Singing Competition, where he was also awarded the Audience Prize.

In concert he has performed with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra and Harry Christophers, Sir Neville Marriner and the Orchestra Sinfonica Milano, the Rai Orchestra Torino, the London Mozart Players, the Bach Choir, Les Arts Florrissants, the Northen Synphonia, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, as well as appearances with the Northern Sinfonia at the Sage Gateshead, Stephen Layton and the Odense Symphony Orchestra, and in Hereford Cathedral and Glasgow City Halls.

His operatic engagements have include Lurcanio Ariodante for the Bolshoi, Belfiore La finta giardiniera for Luxembourg Opera, Evangelist in a fully staged production of Bach’s Johannes Passion at the Teatro Massimo Palermo, First Armed Man/First Priest and cover Tamino Magic Flute for ENO, Oronte Alcina and Lurcanio Ariodante for English Touring Opera, First Prisoner Fidelio, Grimoaldo Rodelinda for Iford Opera, Emilio Partenope for Les Azuriales Opera and Mr Bachanan in The Opera Group’s award winning production of Street Scene.

James Cleverton – Baritone
British baritone James Cleverton trained at the Royal Scottish  Academy of Music and Drama and the Zürich International Opera Studio. James’ recent and future performances include Horemhab Akhnaten for ENO, Kyoto Iris (Mascagni) for Opera Holland Park, Dulcamara L’Elisir d’Amore for Scottish Opera, Sharpless Madam Butterfly for Raymond Gubbay in the Albert Hall and Pablo in Ades’ Exterminating Angel for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

James is in great demand on the concert platform, regularly singing with orchestras including the RPO, the LPO, BBC SSO and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He has performed a variety of musical genres all over the world, from Verdi’s Requiem in the Opera House in Hanoi Vietnam, The Mandarin in Turandot, alongside Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible Rogue Nation, to a concert orchestra/swing band tour of Estonia culminating with a live appearance on their Strictly Come Dancing finale singing Time to Say Goodbye.

James recorded the role of Arrostino in Cellier’s The Mountebanks with the BBC Concert Orchestra and appears on Jonathan Antoine’s CD Believe singing the duet ‘Nostra Patria’. He also recorded the leading role of Sir John Copland in Rogers & Hart’s Dearest Enemy (New World Records).

 

James is married to internationally acclaimed soprano Yvette Bonner and together they have a son called Beau. Their second child is due any minute! James is a classic car enthusiast and drives a 1959 Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite. They also have a Boston terrier called Spike.

 

CHRISTOPHER FLETCHER  Conductor

Christopher Fletcher considers himself to be both fortunate and privileged to have been Plymouth Philharmonic Choir’s conductor since 1996, during which time the choir has come to be recognised as one of the best in the South West. As well as the choir’s regular concerts with professional orchestras and soloists in Plymouth he has conducted the choir in cathedrals and churches all over Europe, including Notre Dame in Paris.

Christopher was born in Leeds. At an early age he began to show considerable musical talent. At the age of ten he won the Northern Choirboy’s Championship in Harrogate singing Hear ye Israel from Mendelssohn’s Elijah and two years after this he became the first boy treble in the Bradford Diocese to be awarded the R.S.C.M. St. Nicolas Award.

In 1978 Christopher was awarded a scholarship to study at Trinity College of Music, London. After graduating Christopher moved to South Devon, since when he has been actively involved in choral singing, church music and teaching. He has been organist and Master of Music at Plymouth R. C. Cathedral since 2001, previously holding a similar post at the Parish and Priory Church of St. Mary, Totnes.

In addition to Plymouth Philharmonic Choir, Christopher is also currently conductor of the Stanborough Chorus, Kingsbridge, and is a former conductor of The Lupridge Singers, The Chagford Singers and the South Devon Choir.

As well as being in demand as a workshop teacher, Christopher helped to found the annual Rotary Club Come and Sing in1999.This is now an annual event which, under his direction, regularly attracts two hundred singers from all over Devon and beyond.

In 2008 he was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by Rotary International.