Where Are They Now? 2013
RAPHAELA PAPADAKIS – Soprano – 2012 & 2013
Raphaela played Gretel in Clonter’s 2012 production of Hansel and Gretel, returning to Clonter to win the Opera Prize in 2013, and performing in the Opera Gala later that same year. In 2014 she made her professional operatic début at Garsington Opera as Bathilde, Offenbach’s Vert-vert, as well as her song recital début at Carnegie Hall New York. Also Raphaela covered the Nymph in Michael Boyd’s production of Orfeo for the Royal Opera House, and the London première of Nicola LeFanu’s Tokaido Road, for which Raphaela created the role of the spurned geisha Kikuyo for the world première, Cheltenham Festival. Raphaela sang the role of Ann in the British première of Simon Vosecek’s Biedermann and The Arsonists, and won 1st Prize at the National Mozart Competition. Rafaela has recently completed the English National Opera’s training scheme for young artists, and gone on to cover at the Royal Opera House, and perform at the Berlin Staatsoper. Recent roles include the cover of the title role in Cavalli’s Hipermestraat Glyndebourne Fesitval Opera and Orestilla in Porpora’s L’Agrippina in its British premiere with Barber Opera. Recent and future plans include Haydn’s Creation with Paul McCreesh, performances with Multi-Story at the Aldeburgh Festival, creating the role of Doria Manfredi in a new play about Puccini’s life called Il letto by Christopher Hogg, a Helios Collective production for the Buxton, Copenhagen and Grimeborn Opera Festivals, and concerts of French song with Tom Poster, Elena Urioste and the Navarra Quartet at the Roman River Festival, recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Click here to watch Jonathan Dove – Adelaide’s Aria from The Enchanted Pig
GÉRARD SCHNEIDER – Tenor – 2013 & 2014
Gérard Schneider made his first appearance at Clonter in 2013 as Alfred in Die Fledermaus, and he returned to perform in the 2014 Opera Gala. Since then Gérard has performed throughout the world, including major debuts at the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, Wexford Festival Opera, and the Salzburger Festspiele. Gérard joined the Ensemble at Oper Frankfurt in the current season, debuting to great acclaim as both the Prince in Rusalka and Der Hirt in Krol Roger. He also made his debut with the Komische Oper Berlin in Barrie Kosky’s new production of La bohème and returned to Bard SummerScape for three projects celebrating the works of Alexander Pushkin which included the role of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Mozart & Salieri. For the 2019/20 season, Gérard will continue his Ensemble work with Oper Frankfurt, performing Der Hirt in Krol Roger and the Prince in Rusalka. Also, he will be making his debut in the role of Gounod’s Faust in a new production at Opera Omaha.
Click here for full and updated biog
Click here to watch Deutsche Radio Philharmonie 2015 – Che gelida manina La bohème
Click here to watch Frankfurt am Main 2019 – Questa o Quella Rigoletto
ALISON ROSE – Soprano – 2013
Alison made her first appearance at Clonter in 2013 as Adele in Die Fledermaus, returning to take part in the Opera Gala the same year. Since then she has gone on to win the 2015 Maggie Teyte Prize and the 2017 Leonard Ingrams Award and was a National Opera Studio Young Artist for the 2015/16 season. Concert highlights include Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music at the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms in 2016, Handel’s Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall, Iain Burnside’s musical play Shining Armour with Roderick Williams and Victoria Newlyn, Britten’s Les Illuminations at the Southwell Music Festival and solo recitals at the Oxford Lieder Festival and the Royal Opera House Crush Room. Operatic roles include Papagena, Die Zauberflöte (Glyndebourne Festival Opera); Barbarina Le nozze di Figaro Garsington Festival Opera and English National Opera; Governess, The Turn of the Screw (Bury Court Opera); Vixen The Cunning Little Vixen Grimeborn Festival/Arcola Theatre; Frasquita Carmen (understudy) for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Lady in Waiting Gloriana St Endellion Festival with Martyn Brabbins, Miranda The Dancing Master GSMD, Bětuška The Cunning Peasant GSMD and Servilia La clemenza di Tito RNCM. Performances at the National Opera Studio included residencies with Opera North, Welsh National Opera, and a performance of scenes from contemporary opera at Sadler’s Wells Theatre. Recent and future performances include her debut with Glyndebourne Festival Opera as Papagena in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Mahler’s Symphony no. 4 at the Southwell Music Festival and Britten’s Les Illuminations with Sian Edwards for the Lewes Festival of Song. Further performances include her debut with Opera North on their Whistle Stop Opera tour, and a return to ENO for a Studio Live production of Judith Weir’s Blonde Eckbert. Alison continues her studies in London with Gary Coward.
SAMANTHA CRAWFORD – Soprano – 2013
Since performing the role of Rosalinde, Samantha’s roles have included Mrs Coyle Owen Wingrave for the Aldeburgh Festival and Edinburgh Internation Festival, under Mark Wigglesowrth; Chausson’s Poème de l’amour et de la mer at the Barbican’s Milton Court under Julian Clayton; Mozart Requiem with the New Bristol Sinfonia; Dvoràk’s Stabat Mater and Mendelssonhn Paulus at Christchurch Priory. Outside of the UK, Samantha has performed in concerts at the Fontainebleau Palace and with the Schlosstheater Schönbrunn Orchester in Vienna.
LAWRENCE THACKERAY – Tenor – 2013
Since performing the role of Eisenstein for Clonter, Lawrence took up a place on the Opera Course at the Guildhall where he played Arlecchino in The Adventures of Pinocchio. He also performed the role of Tamino in The Magic Flute for Lismore Music Festival and numerous Oratorio performances, including Saint Nicholas, The Creation, Elgar’s Coronation Ode and Gounod’s St. Ceclia Mass.
ALISON LANGER – Soprano – 2013
Since performing in Die Fledermaus, Alison joined the Guildhall’s Opera course, performing the role of Erodiade in San Giovanni Battista. In her 2nd year roles included Princess in The Cunning Peasant Dvoràk, Norina I Pazzi per Progetto Donizetti. In 2015 she performed as Lisette in La rondine for Opera in the Open in Dublin.
BETHAN LANGFORD – Mezzo Soprano – 2013
Since stepping into the breach for the role of Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus 2013, Bethan returned to take part in Clonter’s Opera Gala.