Improvesarios – improvised opera
Tuesday 27th June 2023 at 8:00 pm

Stephen Brown is a young London based Heldentenor, fresh from completing his MMus in Voice at Trinity Laban conservatoire. A Kathleen Creed scholar, Stephen has recently been highly focused this year on English repertoire – playing such roles as Fredric in Pirates of Penzance for Cardiff Opera, Don Basilio/Don Curzio in an English production of The Marriage of Figaro for Puzzle Piece Opera as well as Peter Grimes and Captain Vere for Trinity Laban Opera Scenes. An avid creator of all forms, from portraiture to playwright, Stephen hopes his greatest creation will come to him onstage for you today.

Rebecca is a lover of pantomime and has enjoyed performing in multiple Gilbert & Sullivan operettas’. She has a flair for being dramatic so thoroughly loves to immerse herself in the world of Improvesarios. In formal settings, she sings trouser roles, most recently playing the role of Romeo in Trinity Laban’s opera Strozzi. Her voice is well suited to early music which is something she looks forward to exploring more. She has sung as the soloist in John Rutter’s Magnificat, Schubert’s Mass in G, Karl Jenkins’s Armed Man, Faure’s Requiem, Haydn’s Missa Sancti Nicolai and Vivaldi’s Gloria. Rebecca has benefited from singing in many choirs from a young age, performing genres from classical to gospel, musical theatre, and jazz. In 2019 she was fortunate to win the Keldwyth Cumbrian Young Musicians Award.

A recent graduate from The University of York, Emily is now studying at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. She fell in love with singing at the age of 8 with the help of Roger Brooks and continued her passion at University with Yvonne Seymour. Now studying for a Master in Composition with the help of the TCL and Gareth Neame Scholarships, Emily continues to enjoy singing alongside her craft, she has lessons with Patricia Rozario and sings in numerous choirs including the London Symphony Chorus. Emily has an adoration for English Song and has recently performed Sea Pictures, a fond favourite of hers. Emily loves improvising and performing her own works as well as her work with the Improvesarios. Her enthusiasm for theatre and improvising will be reflected in this dramatic performance!

Dominic Bentham (DipABRSM) is a pianist based in South East London. He is currently in his final year working towards a BMus(Hons) in piano performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in Greenwich, studying under Canadian pianist and composer Douglas Finch. As well as playing for several choirs and choral societies, Dominic specialises in solo voice accompaniment, receiving tuition from acclaimed pianists including Helen Yorke and Dylan Perez. Dominic enjoys playing liturgical music, and in March 2022 he organised and directed a ‘Community Concert’ at his local church in Forest Hill. He is also very interested in musical theatre and jazz, currently receiving tuition from jazz pianist Andrea Vicari. Dominic has always enjoyed improvising, but became particularly interested in it after joining Douglas Finch’s improvisation class at Trinity Laban in 2019. Dominic finds that improvising gives him a unique sense of freedom and an opportunity to express himself in creative ways.