FRIENDS & PATRONS EVENING
Sat 21 September 2024 – 6:00 pm
‘A quick note to say how much we enjoyed the Friends Evening last night. Elin and Henry sang beautifully and their choice of songs was just right. Also, we thought locating the concert in the Ramsey Room and bar area was a very good idea and gave us an opportunity to chat to other Clonter addicts. Thank you very much for a lovely evening.’
‘Thank you so much for yesterday’s Friends’ Evening – much appreciated. The two performers put on an excellent show with plenty of character on display and, as ever, Robin Humphreys was a consummate accompanist. All of our party thoroughly enjoyed themselves, not least because of being out and about once again and, with it, a sense of normality… Many thanks indeed.’
‘We wish to extend a huge ‘Thank You’ to everyone at Clonter Opera for treating us to a great evening’s entertainment. The singing and piano accompaniment were wonderful and the glass of bubbly was very welcome. We’re looking forward very much to The Opera Gala in November. With our very best wishes and grateful thanks.’
Previous Audience Feedback
We are delighted to announce that the two singers who will be taking part this year will be Bethan Terry and Constantine Akritides. Bethan took park in last year’s May Masterclasses and Spring Opera Showcase, as well as the Tea With… Christmas Special. Constantine performed the role of Puccini in Clonter’s production of The Butterfly House last month. They will be accompanied by Clonter’s one and only Robin Humphreys.
Historically we have not advertised this event to the rest of our supporters, but we very much would like to offer the opportunity to as many people as possible to attend this rather special event. If you would like to become a Friend and attend this year’s Friends & Patrons Evening, please click here, or contact the Box Office on 01260 224514 or boxoffice@clonter.org.
Bethan Terry – Soprano
Bethan Terry is a coloratura-lyric soprano based in London, with Yorkshire roots. Bethan’s professional engagements range from full-scale operas to intimate recitals. Most recently, in July, she made her debut in the role of Belinda in Somerset Opera’s innovative production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Other highlights from the past year include Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Bach’s Magnificat in the iconic Ely Cathedral. With her regular duo partner, Francesca Lauri, Bethan was selected to perform a public Young Artist Audition Recital in Trinity College as part of the Oxford Lieder Festival. Bethan’s recent appearances also include: Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte (North Wales Opera Studio); Young Artist at Leeds Lieder Festival 2023; Clonter Opera’s Spring Opera Showcase in 2023; a series of recitals in Italy, with pianist Francesca Lauri; a tour of Merry Opera’s staged Messiah; and a special BBC Immersion concert of George Walker’s art songs, led by Alison Buchanan and broadcast on Radio 3. Bethan is currently an artist on the Josephine Baker Trust Scheme. In competitions, Bethan was a finalist in Hurn Court Opera’s Singer of the Year Competition 2023, London Song Festival’s Schubert Prize 2023 and Somerset Song Prize 2022, as well as a semi-finalist in the Royal Overseas League 2024. Among her upcoming performances, Bethan will debut the role of Rosalinde in Merry Opera’s 2025 tour of Die Fledermaus. Bethan was a Junior Fellow at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where she also completed her master’s and was taught by Janice Chapman and Marie Vassiliou; her undergraduate was at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance, where Bethan studied with Sophie Grimmer.
Constantine Akritides – Tenor
Constantine Akritides is a Greek-born, London-based operatic Tenor with a deep musical sensitivity and a profound ardour for sharing his craft with his audience. He is currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music under Susan Waters and Iain Ledingham, and has been featured in recitals at various locations throughout Europe, such as Santa Lucia del Mela, San Paolo Fuori le Mura, the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, St John’s Fulham, Duomo di Messina, St Peter’s Basilica, and the Royal Academy of Music. While in Greece, he performed the tenor solo part in the first panhellenic performance of Saint-Saëns’s Requiem under the baton of Karolos Trikolidis. He is a choral scholar under Domenico Gioffre at St John’s Fulham, performing a range of choral and operatic repertoire. Constantine’s choral engagements have involved several tours in Italy; most notably, singing for a service in St Peter’s Basilica, winning an international choral competition organised by the International Choral Federation, and performing at the Pantheon in Rome. Recently, at the Royal Academy of Music, he performed a scene from Puccini’s La Bohème as Rodolfo in the Royal Academy of Music Opera Scenes, under the baton of Peter Robinson and the direction of Adam Torrance. He has also collaborated with Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, singing the tenor part in Messiaen’s “La mort du nombre” alongside Tom Poster and has performed the tenor solo part in Gounod’s Messe solennelle de Sainte Cécile under the direction of Ian Kennedy.
Robin Humphreys – Accompanist
Robin Humphreys is a graduate of the University of Birmingham and a holder of the prestigious Diploma in Professional Performance from the Royal Northern College of Music, where he studied piano accompaniment with David Lloyd. Appearing in concert for over 40 years, he enjoys a successful career as an accompanist and répétiteur (praised as “world-class” by Louise Flind for “Opera Today”), the breadth of his repertoire being reflected in television and radio broadcasts ranging from BBC Radio 3 to Emmerdale! A Principal Lecturer at the RNCM, Robin is a senior music coach within the School of Vocal Studies and Opera, for whom he was also chief répétiteur on the majority of college opera productions from the late 1990s until 2013. He has appeared with the Manchester Camerata in the world première of “A Feast of Fables” by Paul Reade, has been Musical Director for Feelgood Theatre Productions and, from 1990-2000, Opera & Concert Productions (Worldwide) Ltd with whom he toured throughout the Gulf, the Indian sub-continent and the Far East. Robin has a particularly close association with Clonter Opera Theatre in Cheshire, where he regularly works as Assistant Musical Director and Accompanist. For 35 years he was an accompanist member of the British & International Federation of Festivals.
Not Too Late To Become A Friend
If you would like to become a Friend and attend this event, please click here, or contact the Box Office on boxoffice@clonter.org or 01260 224514.
6pm – Drinks reception (glass of prosecco or something soft)
7pm – 1 hour of musical entertainment
8pm – Bring a post-performance picnic
Drink Arrangements – Please note that any drink consumed inside the premises must be purchased from the bar. If you would like to bring your own drink, a corkage fee of £4 per person will apply (payable in advance on 01260 224514).
Click here to view the Wine & Bar List
Friends and Patrons of Clonter are asked to RSVP by Friday 30th August.