Five new singers to join the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme in September 2014 < News – Royal Opera House

Lauren Fagan, Soprano

Thrilled to be able to announce that 2013 Tait Awardee, Lauren Fagan has been offered a place in the Royal Opera House, Jette Parker Young Artists Programme to begin in September 2014. The news is even sweeter as two other young Australian singers have also been offered a place; Tenor, Sam Sakker and Baritone, Samuel Johnson. Congratulations to you all

 

Five new singers to join the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme in September 2014 < News – Royal Opera House.

Jayson Gillham, Wigmore Hall. 27 January 2014

Dear Tait Trust friends, supporters, followers

I was very privileged to perform at John Amis’s memorial concert on 8th October.  A wonderfully colourful and lively event which was a fitting celebration for a colourful and lively man.  I met John for the first time very near the end of his life at a concert I gave at the home of Bob and Elisabeth Boas, great supporters of the Tait Trust.  I will cherish my memory of chatting to John, hearing him recount stories about Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Ravel and Britten as if he had seen them only the day before.  Above all his enthusiasm for music was infectious and inspiring.  Thank you Isla for introducing us then, and for letting me be a part of his celebration concert.  Performing Grainger’s Handel in the Strand was a fun – and at times nerve-wracking – experience, and it was wonderful to work with the great Steuart Bedford who is known for his close association with Benjamin Britten.

Jayson Gillham - Wigmore

As I look ahead to my performance schedule in 2014, I would particularly like to inform you all about a very special Wigmore Hall recital I will be giving soon on 27th January, kindly supported by the Keyboard Charitable Trust  www.keyboardtrust.org.  The programme is as follows:

Beethoven Two Rondos, Op. 51
Beethoven Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101
Schumann Etudes symphoniques

It is a very interesting and appealing programme because it takes us on a journey through three great structures of Classical music – the Rondo, the Sonata and the Variation.  At the same time it documents the rapid development of the piano, which in the space of a few decades in the early 1800s evolved from a light and graceful domestic instrument into an orchestral powerhouse capable of filling large halls on a symphonic scale.

Another interesting point is that I will be performing a unique version of the Schumann Symphonic Etudes.  Many of you will know that the piece is simultaneously a set of variations and a set of etudes.  Some will be aware of five variations which Schumann did not publish during his lifetime and were rediscovered and published by Brahms.  When incorporating these ‘posthumous’ variations, as I will be on 27th, it is up to the performer to decide where they should be placed.  Some play them all together in a group, and others dot them throughout the piece.  As far as I know, the order I have chosen is unlike any other.  I have various reasons behind the order which I have chosen, the main one being that I want to highlight the extreme characters of Schumann’s writing – the so-called Florestan and Eusebius which we hear so much in Kreisleriana, Carnaval and indeed most of Schumann’s early piano compositions.

I hope that whets your appetite!  I’m looking forward to seeing some friendly faces in the audience, and after the concert please come around the back to say hello!

link to Wigmore Hall website for full details and to book tickets – http://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/whats-on/productions/jayson-gillham-piano-34242

Helen Sherman, Mezzo Soprano, in Wigmore finals 3rd September

Terrific news to hear that former Tait Trust & YCAT Trust Awardee, HelenSherman has reached the finals of the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition which will be held on Tuesday 3 September at 6pm

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Helen Sherman, Mezzo Soprano

Helen’s website

Biography and Reviews

Australian mezzo-soprano Helen Sherman studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where she completed a Bachelor of Music and Post Graduate Diploma in opera. Following her success in the 2007 Australian Singing Competition she was awarded a scholarship to take up studies at the Royal Northern College of Music where she was the first student to receive the International Artists Diploma in opera. In 2011 she represented Australia at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition and in 2012 /13, Helen was awarded Australian Music Association prizes at the Royal Overseas League Music competition in London.

Of her recent performance as Aurelio for English Touring Opera’s L’Assedio di Calais, Richard Morrison of The Times wrote, ‘Donizetti’s fierce vocal demands are met fearlessly and thrillingly by the young Australian mezzo Helen Sherman, playing the volatile hero Aurelio. Her stridently masculine body language and formidable vocal power seem to epitomize the bloody-minded resistance of the besieged citizens.’ Recent engagements have included Dorabella (Cosi fan Tutte) for English Touring Opera at Fulham Palace, Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) for Mid Wales Opera, Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) and Governess (The Queen of Spades) for Grange Park Opera. Operatic roles while at the RNCM included Hélène (Offenbach’s La Belle Hélène), Sesto (La Clemenza di Tito), Cyrus (Belshazzar), the latter in a co-production with Manchester Camerata, Varvava (Katya Kabanova), The Old Lady (Candide) and Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus).

Over the last two years Helen’s concert appearances have included recitals at Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall and City of London Festival, Performances at Cheltenham Festival including Janacek’s Diary of one who disappeared with Toby Spence and Britten’s Cabaret Songs with James Baillieu broadcast live on BBC Radio3, Handel’s Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall with Sir David Willcocks, a recital with Roger Vignoles for Cambridge Summer Festival, Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra and Peter Maxwell Davies’s Five Acts of Harry Patch with London Mozart Players at St John’s Smith Square. Helen has featured on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s ABC Classic FM and on British Broadcasting Corporation’s BBC Radio3, and recorded with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra. Helen is a Samling Scholar.

Furture engagements include Nicklausse (The Tales of Hoffmann), Nero (The Coronation of Poppea) and a recital with Malcolm Martineau and Sir Thomas Allen at Wigmore Hall for the Samling Foundation.

Helen is very grateful for the dedicated support of The Young Classical Artists Trust, The Royal Overseas League, The Wingate Trust, The Tait Memorial Trust, Independent Opera, The Australian Music Foundation, The Elizabeth Harwood Memorial Trust, The Dame Joan Sutherland Society, Ars Musica Australis, The Opera and Arts Support Group Sydney, The Ian Potter Cultural Trust and the Simon Fletcher Charitable Trust.

Reviews.. ‘The impetuous Aurelio is a trouser role sung by a mezzo-soprano; the similitude affected by Helen Sherman to a reckless young man was striking enough that on first glance one was unsure in the dimness of the stage whether it actually was a man stalking the English camp. What most impressed about her performance was not success in making the illusion of gender almost work, however, but the brilliant coloratura singing she brought to the role. Flitting easily over the spectrum of lower register to higher with never a pause, she brought the coruscating vocal fireworks which are so typically Donizetti and so superbly realised in L’assedio to the fore. When she returns safely to her family, her opening aria ‘Al mio core oggetti amati’ underscored a radiant tone directed smoothly and with precision, culminating in impressively sustained, floating high notes.’ Opera Britannia / English Touring Opera / L’Assedio di Calais / Hackney Empire / March 2013

There is one genuine revelation in this production. The good looking youth caught stealing bread from the enemy camp during the overture turned out, to my surprise, to be the mezzo Helen Sherman playing Aurelio. I’ve never seen a more convincing boy. And she can sing too. Her voice is warm, flexible and attractively rounded, and she sang assertively and evenly from top to bottom. I can easily imagine her in the sort of parts Joyce DiDonato specialises in – bel canto, Handel, Mozart – anything that needs stupendous technical command and real character.’ Intermezzo / English Touring Opera / L’Assedio di Calais / Hackney Empire / March 2013

‘Donizetti’s fierce vocal demands are met fearlessly and thrillingly by the young Australian mezzo Helen Sherman, playing the volatile hero Aurelio. Her stridently masculine body language and formidable vocal power seem to epitomise the bloody-minded resistance of the besieged citizens.’ Richard Morrison / The Times / English Touring Opera / L’Assedio di Calais / March 2013

‘Helen Sherman, who represented Australia at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition in 2011, was superb as Aurelio. Dressed in baggy clothes, she looked physically every inch a young man and her demeanour was at all times highly convincing even when being rather physical (such as climbing over the drain). But she also brought to the role a fine, rich mezzo-soprano voice which was nicely even across the (considerable) range and wonderfully flexible when it came to the fioritura. She sang the role with intelligence and bravura, using the fioritura musically and dramatically. I certainly hope that we shall hear more of her in this repertoire.’ Robert Hugill / A World of Classical Music / English Touring Opera / L’Assedio di Calais / Hackney Empire / March 2013

’The singer that made this a knock-out was Australian mezzo Helen Sherman as Aurelio. Before she started singing, her convincing mannerisms and body language made me think she was a man, and she gave a stunning portrayal of the role. The defiant aria in Act I, and in Act II the duet with his wife, the rejection of the enemy, and the farewell aria to his baby were riveting. Helen Sherman’s mezzo voice is world class, and a glance at her website shows she is singing a huge range of different roles — I look forward to hearing her again.’ Mark Ronan / Theatre Reviews / English Touring Opera/ L’Assedio di Calais / Hackney Empire / March 2013

‘There is only one man in Elvira’s life – Giovanni himself – and Helen Sherman tears herself apart as she depicts the conflicting emotions – rage, frustration, loyalty, devotion, vengefulness – which reach boiling point in this most complex of Mozartian characters.’ Seen and heard international / Mid Wales Opera / Don Giovanni / October 2012

‘The women shine brightest: Helen Sherman’s Elvira …stylishly sung.’ The Guardian / Rian Evans / Mid Wales Opera / Don Giovanni / September 2012

“My eyes lit up when I saw that Australian Helen Sherman had chosen to open with a song by Henri Duparc – Au pays où se fait la guerre .. It was impossible not to be caught up in the pathos and sadness of the situation which Helen Sherman communicated so sensitively. She then descended from her tower (figuratively) to Britten’s Cabaret Songs, his settings of words by Auden.. These are witty songs, not easy by any means, and Helen Sherman delivered them with a twinkle in her eye. She was well supported by accompanist James Baillieu who also had a twinkle in his fingers.” Seen and heard international / Cheltenham Festival / Philip Langridge Mentoring Scheme/ July 2012

“Finally, a Handel aria sung as it should be, with clean but not over-articulated coloratura, excellent phrasing, plenty of expression, and the ornamentation placed at the service of the music, rather than just used as a tool to show off a voice…Sherman picked up the gauntlet and flung it right down again for the remaining competitors with this exuberant and triumphant interpretation.” An Unamplified Voice / Cardiff Singer of the World / June 2011

“My favourite female performer of the evening, was the Australian mezzo Helen Sherman. To start with, she is so elegant.. She walked firmly onto the stage, stood there in perfect control of her expressions and gestures, and delivered three difficult pieces with no obvious sense of strain. An audience can feel safe in her hands.” Intermezzo / Cardiff Singer of the World / June 2011

“Fresh from Cardiff Singer Of The World Helen Sherman seduced the boy and the audience with her bewitching rich mezzo-soprano.” This is Gloucestershire / Cheltenham Festival / Diary of one who disappeared / July 2011

“Helen Sherman was utterly convincing in the part of the gypsy with her creamy mezzo-soprano voice and beguiling presence. The wistful song which followed, God all-powerful, God eternal.. was enough to melt any man’s heart.” Seen and heard international / Cheltenham Festival / Diary of one who disappeared / July 2011

“The college is fortunate to have two star mezzos for the trouser-roles of Sesto and Annio. The Australian Helen Sherman, fresh from her storming victory the previous week in the Elizabeth Harwood Memorial Prize, was a convincing Sesto, looking masculine and singing Parto, parto with lustrous tone…In their great scene together, Sesto and Tito raised the emotional temperature by several degrees.” Opera Magazine/ RNCM Opera / La Clemenza di Tito / April 2010

“Two performances were outstanding vocally and dramatically: the Australian Helen Sherman’s Helene could have come straight out of a Coward comedy and was sung with clear and flexible tone.” Opera Magazine / RNCM Opera / La Belle Hélène / February 2010

“As the vain, scheming, eponymous heroine, Helen Sherman was magnificent. Her confidence, acting ability, timing and a stupendous voice, made her the ideal lead in the production and should set up her for many major roles as her career develops.” Musical Opinion / RNCM Opera / La Belle Hélène / January 2010

“I would like to point to Helen Sherman’s performance in the title role as one of poise, sophistication, subtlety and splendour, in both the singing and the comedy.” Metro / RNCM Opera / La Belle Hélène December 2009

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Helen Sherman, Mezzo Soprano

John Amis

The funeral is over and he is laid to rest in Aldeburgh, not far from Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears and Imogen Holst. The last few days have been a wonderful celebration of the life of John Amis, due to the love and support of his many friends the services were very special and … unforgettable.

Thank you so much to you all for the touching messages of love and support. John was a remarkable man, an irreplaceable man who I will never forget. I was blessed to have eight happy years with him. Over the coming months the Trust will celebrate his life with the John Amis – A Concert in Celebration and the Tait Winter Prom on November 26th and a new award, the John Amis Award., more below.

John Amis
John Amis

The funeral for John was held at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate in London on Tuesday 20th August led by John’s old friend, The Reverend John Wates. A witty eulogy from John’s long time friend, and former BBC colleague, Humphrey Burton and memories from another dear friend, Michael Rose were a welcome respite from the grief most of us have been experiencing these past few weeks.

Joanna McCallum; daughter of founding Tait Trust Patrons, Googie Withers and John McCallum, and now a member of the TMT committee, read:

Reading – Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

Joanna McCallum

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time of war, and a time of peace.

Dame Felicity Lott sang a song which was very dear to John, ‘Beim Schlafengehen‘, one of Strauss’ four last songs, accompanied beautifully by Graham Johnson. This was a particularly poignant moment as Dame Felicity visited John near to his death and sang some songs quietly into his ear. Her singing of the Strauss was an unforgettable moment in the service. If John was writing this I am sure he would find a way to better express the joy that she shared with the congregation and most especially to John’s partner, Isla Baring.

John Amis at home
John Amis at home

A lovely recording of John singing, Bilbo’s Song by Donald Swann, was played with his dear friend, Donald Swann singing in harmony and accompanying and a hauntingly beautiful 1927 recording of, The Power of Love by Percy Grainger with the pure tones of Anita Atwater, soprano and Percy Grainger accompanying on the harmonium and Ralph Leopold piano.

The service ended with Steal Away, the famous Negro spiritual arranged by Michael Tippett from ‘A Child Of Our Time’ sung beautifully by, The Choir of St Sepulchre-without-Newgate led by Andrew Earis, Director of Music .

On Wednesday at St Peter and St Paul Church, Aldeburgh a short service was held with a reflection on John’s life by conductor, Steuart Bedford and Humphrey Burton again provided the Eulogy before the committal. This service was marked by the recordings of John whistling and being back in his spiritual home the service had an added colour.

To read the order of service of John’s funeral please download it here

John Amis Memorial Concert, October 8th 2013, St Paul’s Knightsbridge

We all hope you can come to the Memorial Concert on 8th October at St Paul’s Knightsbridge. The concert is being developed with the assistance of Michael Rose and will be a fitting celebration of his life and work. Please watch this space. Artists and the concert repertoire is being confirmed and the theme will most definitely be as broad as the tastes for which John Amis was justly famous. Flanders and Swann to Mahler, Percy Grainger, Wagner and of course Britten and Tippett….plus?

John Amis Award

As we look back at John Amis’ funeral on Tuesday 20th August the idea of a legacy, a tangible way to remember John, has been at the forefront of our thoughts. He was a man of rare talent, and was an inspiration to so many and his life deserves to be fully celebrated.
John Amis by Hoffnung 1958 edited

For the last six years of his life John was a Patron and an active supporter of the Tait Memorial Trust, arranging many successful and popular events and working tirelessly to further the Trust’s work. In recognition of his substantial contribution, Isla Baring OAM, Chairman of the Trust, wishes to create an Award in his honour to be called the John Amis Award.

We have created a JustGiving page in the name of John Amis which is attached to the main TMT JustGiving page. Any money donated via John’s page will go directly to fund this new award. We are delighted to report that the fund has got off to a good start with the generous donations made at John’s funeral and at his committal in Aldeburgh.

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GiftaidlogotransparentPlease donate to this award using the button below.

Donate with JustGiving

Save the Date – Tait Winter Prom 2013

We look forward to hearing Dame Gillian Weir, Primavera Shima, Travis Baker and the lovely Valda Wilson again at the 2013 Winter Prom at Holy Trinity, Sloane Square, Chelsea 26 November 2013.

This concert was completely arranged by John Amis. The notes, the artists and the concept was all John’s work. It will be dedicated to his memory.

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Tait Winter Prom 2013

Below are some photos of John Amis from 2013

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John Amis with Sir Andrew Davis after Elgar Concert at Cadogan Hall, London
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John Amis with Sir Willard White
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Leon Berger, Alison Swann, John Amis and Stephanie Flanders
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John Amis in the Flanders and Swann evening at 49 Queens Gate Terrace, March 2013
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John Amis

Tait Memorial Trust website

©2013 Tait Memorial Trust • Registered charity 1042797

Founding Patrons of the Tait Memorial Trust

The founding Patrons of the Tait Memorial Trust were Viola, Lady Tait AM, Dame Joan Sutherland AC OM DBE, John McCallum AO CBE and Googie Withers AO CBE.

The Tait Memorial Trust was formed in 1992 by Isla Baring OAM, in memory of her father, Sir Frank Tait and his four brothers. The Tait brothers ran the biggest theatrical group in Australia; called J.C. Williamsons, often referred to as, “The Firm”.

British Pathe tribute to the death of Sir Frank Tait

Manager of the ABC, Sir Frank Tait, Marion Anderson, USA Consul, Town Hall concert, Melbourne, 1962  Part of Lady Viola Tait collection
Manager of the ABC, Sir Frank Tait, Marion Anderson, USA Consul, Town Hall concert, Melbourne, 1962
Part of Lady Viola Tait collection

They owned theatres in all states and theatres in New Zealand,, their base of operations was Her Majesty’s ( or His Majesty’s for a period ) in Melbourne,. They employed local artists and international artists such as Pavlova, Chaliapin, Melba, Danny Kaye, Gracie Fields, Laurence Olivier, Sybil Thorndike, Margot Fonteyn, Vivien Leigh, Percy Grainger and many more.

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They maintained offices in London and New York to ensure that they could book the best talent to come to Australia, JC Williamson’s famously acquired the Australian performing rights from the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company for all of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas.

Dame Nellie Melba, Soprano
Dame Nellie Melba, Soprano

They put on most American musicals from Annie get your Gun to My Fair Lady. Sir Frank’s last enterprise, the crowning glory of his long career was the Sutherland-Williamson Opera Company in 1965. A company formed the previous year with no subsidy and brought opera to Australia, on tour. A true laurel in the crown of JC Williamson’s and Sir Frank Tait.

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Googie Withers AO CBE & John Macallum AO CBE, Founding Patrons of the Tait Memorial Trust

Viola, Lady Tait, the widow of Sir Frank Tait, wrote, ‘A Family of Brothers’, a wonderful book and vivid account of the growth of the Tait brothers theatre business culminating in the golden days of JC Williamson’s Theatre Company and the Sutherland-Williamson Co. of 1965. Viola, Lady Tait’s zest for life was inspirational. She was a champion of new and emerging talent, adjudicating numerous scholarships and awards both in Australia and overseas. As an adjudicator for The Shell-Mobil Quest in 1950, Viola Tait was famously instrumental in launching Joan Sutherland’s career.

Lady McKell and Viola Tait at opening of the ballet, ca. 1950 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.7 x 15.2 cm. Part of Lady Viola Tait collection [picture]. 1850-1976.
Lady McKell and Viola Tait at opening of the ballet, ca. 1950 Part of Lady Viola Tait collection 1850-1976. National Library of Australia Archive

It became Sir Frank’s ambition to present Joan Sutherland to the Australian public after her international acclaim. The Sutherland Williamson Grand Opera Company opened in Melbourne in 1965 heralding her triumphant return to her homeland. It was a season never to be forgotten. Joan Sutherland sang some of the best performances of her career while on this tour. She performed in five of the eight operas along with the young Pavarotti.

In Richard Bonynge’s words:

“Sir Frank Tait has done the greatest service to Australian Theatre and to the arts of anyone we know.”

More information on the Trust history can be found on our website. www.taitmemorialtrust.org

Tait Memorial Trust website

©2013 Tait Memorial Trust • Registered charity 1042797

Brad Cooper sings Albert! Live review: Albert Herring (Opera Australia) – Classical Music – Limelight Magazine

Live review: Albert Herring (Opera Australia) – Classical Music – Limelight Magazine.

Brad Cooper, Tenor
Brad Cooper, Tenor

Attached is a link to the full review in Limelight Magazine for the new, Albert Herring at Opera Australia. The originally cast Albert, Tenor, Kanen Breen unfortunately had to cancel due to an infection and Brad, with little rehearsal, jumped in and not only saved the day but gave a stunning performance. I hope Kanen recovers quickly. Sad to for Kanen’s  wife, the lovely mezzo who was to sing Lady Billows,  Jacqueline Dark, who was a Tait Trust Awardee in 2001, who was also struck low by the same virus

“The cast are, without exception, on excellent vocal form, and several can be singled out, but the laurels on opening night were most definitely won by Brad Cooper in the title role. Albert is a tricky part, an avowed ‘simple soul’, it’s important to understand what that means in a more sensitive age. Given his adeptness at maths and sharpness of mind, nowadays we would probably have him down as a mild case of Aspergers. Cooper is totally convincing – both as a young man and as one coming to terms with the complex and frustrating sexual side of his character in an entirely closed society. The relationship with his mother and his burgeoning feelings for his best friend’s girl are delightfully explored. He captures better than anyone I’ve seen previously in the role the sense of Albert as outsider – his first monologue relating him firmly to characters like Grimes and Paul Bunyan’s Johnny Inkslinger. He also proves vocally ideal, exhibiting a perfect ‘light’ Britten tenor and bearing comparison with the likes of Bostridge, Padmore and Gilchrist. He is equally capable of a hushed pianissimo and a ringing forte and every word is clean and audible. His drunk scene was exemplary, pacier than is sometimes the case, and genuinely touching. A most auspicious debut.” By Clive Paget on Aug 17, 2013

John Amis Award

As we prepare for John Amis’ funeral on Tuesday 20th August the idea of a legacy, a tangible way to remember John has been at the forefront of our thoughts. A life, such as his is a rare occurrence and deserves our very best efforts to remember and celebrate.
John Amis by Hoffnung 1958 edited

For the last six years of his incredible life John Amis was a Patron and an active supporter of the Tait Memorial Trust. The Chairman, Isla Baring OAM, wishes to create an Award in his name to be called the ‘John Amis Award’.

We have created a JustGiving page in the name of John Amis which is attached to the main TMT page. Any money donated via John’s page will go directly to fund this new award.

Donate with JustGiving

John Amis

Six weeks in a bank was enough for him to decide to live by and with music. Selling records and writing about them for a high-class gramophone shop, working with London Philharmonic, Symphony and Royal Philharmonic, organising concerts for Myra Hess at the National Gallery and for Michael Tippett whose secretary-dogsbody and friend he was, concert manager for Beecham, music critic for The Scotsman, organiser of the Summer School of Music with William Glock at Bryanston and Dartington for 34 years, broadcaster on radio and TV for 40, during which time he interviewed some 500 of the most famous and interesting musicians, Hindemith to Bernstein, Cage to Swann, Stravinsky to Stockhausen. He has narrated parts in Façade, Peter and the Wolf, Enoch Arden and Babar the Elephant.

John Amis speaking at the Malcolm Arnold Festival 2011

For his 70th birthday made a CD with friends Leslie Howard, Steve Race, Malcolm Arnold, Donald Swann, Jeffrey Tate and Ian Wallace. His books include an autobiography,Amiscellany, an anthology Words about Music and My Life in Music 1945 – 2000, A Photographer at the Aldeburgh Festival (Nigel Luckhurst) and Musicians on Camera(Lelia Goehr).

John Amis
John Amis

John was a very active blogger. His site John Amis online has a selection of his reviews going back to 2001. http://johnamismusic.blogspot.co.uk

The Archive of over 500 priceless interviews with the leaders of Western music and the Arts is being collected. Watch this space.

Phoebe-Celeste Humphreys, Soprano, Masters student at GSMD

Since relocating to London, young soprano Phoebe-Celeste Humphreys (22) has gone from strength to strength. Phoebe recently completed a Master of Music at The Guildhall School Of Music and Drama, London under scholarship and received a distinction in her final recital. In 2013/14 Phoebe will undergo an additional year of study at The Guildhall to complete a Masters in Performance under the tutelage of Marilyn Rees.

Phoebe-Celeste Humphreys. Soprano
Phoebe-Celeste Humphreys. Soprano

Originally from Sydney, Australia, Phoebe has been on the classical singing scene for many years having won numerous Australian competitions and prizes, including:

Winner of Operatic Aria Open Final (Woolongong 2012)

Winner of Operatic Aria (McDonalds Performing Arts Challenge 2012),

French & German Award (McDonalds Performing Arts Challenge 2012)

Winner of the prestigious Dame Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonygne Scholarship in 2009, selected by Maestro Bonynge.

Fourth prize in the National Aria Final (Australian National 2011)

In 2012, during her time at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Phoebe’s roles have included: Mimi La Boheme, Elvira L’italiana in Algeri, Polisenna Radamisto as well as Chorus Le Portrait de Manon. Externally, her roles this year include Lauretta Gianni Schicchi. Phoebe was recently invited to take part in the Young Artist program with Des Netherlandes Opera working on the role of Eve in Stockhaussen’s Montag aus Licht.

Phoebe has enjoyed a fruitful summer that included travelling to North Yorkshire with Ryedale Festival Opera covering the role of Pamina The Magic Flute followed by travelling to Wales to perform the role of Miss Wordsworth Albert Herring with Mid Wales Opera Young Artist Program.

Phoebe has also had the opportunity to sing at a number of concerts throughout the year, one highlight was to sing as soprano soloist for the LSO Song day performing Brahm’s  Ein deutsches Requiem.

Phoebe-Celeste Humphreys, Soprano
Phoebe-Celeste Humphreys, Soprano

For the upcoming academic year her aim is to focus on performing a number of recitals within London, including one focussing on the works of Australian Art Song composers, to spread the intelligence and beauty of Australian classical compositions, as well as being actively involved in all performance opportunities offered at college as well as taking part in a number of external engagements.

With the ongoing support of The Tait Memorial Trust Phoebe has been able to experience her new life as a London based singer to the fullest and looks forward to what the next year has to bring.

John Preston Amis (17 June 1922 – 1 August 2013)

Dear Friends

Darling John died peacefully last night at the Chelsea and Westminster – I was with him at the time.

His last two months have been a struggle – Scotland for a month, then in London for 5 weeks. The doctors and nurses gave him wonderful care and support.

I will miss him enormously, but shall remember all the wonderful times we shared together with so many of our dear friends, and so grateful for the music which brought us together. As Humphrey Burton says, “the very spirit of music…unforgettable and irreplaceable”.

John Preston Amis ( 17 June 1922 - 01 August 2013)
John Preston Amis ( 17 June 1922 – 01 August 2013)

Love, Isla
Isla Baring OAM
Chairman
Tait Memorial Trust
4/80 Elm Park Gardens
London SW10 9PD
T 020 7351 0561
F 020 7349 0531
E islabaring@gmail.com
W www.taitmemorialtrust.org