The Royal Opera House is delighted to announce the five singers who will join the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme in September, selected from more than 440 applicants from 59 countries.
Chilean soprano Yaritza Véliz
Chinese mezzo-soprano Hongni Wu
American countertenor Patrick Terry
Argentinean baritone Germán E Alcántara
Scottish-Iranian bass-baritone Michael Mofidian
The audition process for the selection of the Jette Parker Young Artists began in August 2017, with applications processed through the YAP Tracker website. Seventy-one artists were selected and 65 sang in the first of three rounds, with 27 progressing to the second round, which involved a one-to-one coaching session with David Gowland, Artistic Director of the Programme, plus a panel audition with Oliver Mears, Director of Opera, Peter Katona, Director of Casting and Richard Hetherington, Head of Music for The Royal Opera, as well as Australian soprano Yvonne Kenny, Elaine Kidd, Head of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, and David Gowland. A final shortlist of 12 singers auditioned on the main stage in front of a panel comprising Antonio Pappano, Music Director of The Royal Opera, Oliver Mears, Peter Katona, Richard Hetherington, Yvonne Kenny, Elaine Kidd, David Gowland and Siri Fischer Hansen, Administrator of the Programme.
The five new Young Artists will join the six who continue on the Programme into their second year next Season: sopranos Haegee Lee and Jacquelyn Stucker, mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina, tenor Konu Kim, baritone Dominic Sedgwick and stage director Noa Naamat. Auditions for music staff positions for the 2018 intake will be held at the end of March/early April, as Nick Fletcher, James Hendry and Matthew Scott Rogers complete the Programme in July.
The Jette Parker Young Artists Programme supports the artistic development of young professional singers, conductors, directors and répétiteurs. The Young Artists are an international group of outstanding professionals at the start of their careers who have undertaken formal training and have already worked with professional companies. They are not students, but contracted, salaried employees of the Royal Opera House, who work here full-time over two years.
There is no age limit for those on the Programme, but when choosing the Young Artists the audition panel takes into consideration the stage individuals have reached in their careers and where they will be in terms of career development and age after working for two years on the Programme.
The Young Artists work on productions for The Royal Opera, singing small roles and covering larger roles, or joining the music or directing staff. They also receive coaching in all opera disciplines. They work with Royal Opera music staff, a wide range of freelance music and language coaches and visiting singers, directors and conductors. Every facility of the Company is made available to them so that their talents are nurtured through total immersion in the life of The Royal Opera and the Royal Opera House.
The Jette Parker Young Artists Programme is made possible thanks to the exceptional generosity of Oak Foundation who have supported the Programme since 2005. It was recently announced that Oak Foundation have extended their commitment, ensuring the future of the Programme for another ten years.
For further information, visit www.roh.org.uk/about/jette-parker-young-artists-programme
BIOGRAPHIES
Germán E Alcántara (Baritone)
Argentinean baritone Germán E Alcántara studied at the School of Music in Misiones, the National University of Cuyo-Mendoza under Silvia Nasiff and Ricardo Portillo, the Maîtrise de Notre-Dame de Paris under Rosa Dominguez and the Reina Sofía School of Music under Ryland Davies. Competition successes include First Prize in the Concurso Bach Joven in Paraguay, Second Prize in the Concurso para Jóvenes Estudiantes de Canto Lirico in Buenos Aires, First Prize in the Concours Lyrique International ad Alta Voce in Paris and the Priz Artifex Proart in the Concurso de Zarzuela de Valleseco. Opera roles include Uberto (La serva padrona), Aeneas (Dido and Aeneas), Juan Pedro (La rosa del Azafrán), Blas Infante (Elegia Granadina) and Alférez Real (Fiesta de Corpus Christi) in Argentina, Milord (L’italiana in Londra) with Le Parlement de Musique, Marcello (La bohème) and Don Giovanni with Escales Lyriques and Hermann and Schlemil (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) for Metz Opera. Concert repertory includes Mozart’s Requiem and Great Mass in C minor, Schubert’s Mass in G, Handel’s Messiah and Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri in Argentina, Rossini’s Petite Messe solennelle with the Philharmonie de Paris and Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor at Rheingau Music Festival. He has recorded Misa Palatina with the Chamber Orchestra of the National University of Misiones.
Michael Mofidian (Bass-baritone)
The Scottish-Iranian bass-baritone Michael Mofidian studied at the University of Cambridge, and at the Royal Academy of Music under Mark Wildman. He has received support from the Sir James Caird Travelling Scholarships Trust, Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Help Musicians UK (Tutton Award), Kirsten and Dwight Poler, Independent Opera at Sadler’s Wells, Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and Josephine Baker Trust. Competition successes include the Pavarotti Prize at the RAM and jointly winning the Oxford Lieder Young Artists Platform. Opera includes Leporello (Don Giovanni) for British Youth Opera, Leporello and scenes as the Protector (Written on Skin) and Masetto (Don Giovanni) at the RAM, Colline (La bohème) for Vivo D’Arte, Noye (Noyes Fludde) at Hampton Court House and Ferryman (Curlew River) for Cambridge University Opera Society. Recent concert repertory includes Bach’s St John Passion and St Matthew Passion, Haydn’s The Creation, Handel’s Messiah, Stravinsky’s Les Noces, Rossini’s Petite Messe solennelle and Beethoven’s Symphony no.9. He has performed in recital at venues including Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, Holywell Music Room (for the Oxford Lieder Festival) and Queen’s Hall. Plans include recitals at St John’s Smith Square, in Glasgow and in Heidelberg, and Imperial Commissioner (Madama Butterfly) at the Glyndebourne Festival, where he will be a Jerwood Young Artist in summer 2018.
Patrick Terry (Countertenor)
American countertenor Patrick Terry studied at University of Minnesota – Twin Cities with Adriana Zabala and at the Royal Academy of Music with Michael Chance and Caitlin Hulcup, supported by the Josephine Baker Trust, the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship and the Help Musicians UK Sybil Tutton Award. Competition successes include second place in the Joan Chissell Schumann Lieder Competition, and winning the Maureen Lehane Vocal Award, the Loveday Song Prize in the Kathleen Ferrier Competition, the Richard Lewis/Jean Shanks Award and being a finalist in the Peter Hulsen Orchestral Song Competition with Southbank Sinfonia. Opera appearances include Oberon (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) with Chicago Summer Opera, Ottone (L’incoronazione di Poppea) and Ruggiero (Alcina) with Royal Academy Opera, Boy/Angel 1 (Written on Skin) with Melos Sinfonia and covering Guildenstern (Hamlet) for Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Glyndebourne on Tour. Plans include The Refugee (Flight) for Royal Academy Opera, the title role of Teseo with La Nuova Musica at the London Handel Festival and covering Nireno (Giulio Cesare) for Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Passionate about engaging new audiences, Patrick was
a Fellow with the Royal Academy of Music’s Open Academy and has participated in innovative programmes with Shadow Opera, the Voicings Collective and Ensemble x.y.
Yaritza Véliz (Soprano)
Chilean soprano Yaritza Véliz studied at Universidad de Chile with contralto Carmen Luisa Letelier, supported by a scholarship from the Corporación de Amigos del Minicipal de Santiago. She also attended the Castleton Artist Training Seminar in Virginia. Competition successes include winning the Women in Music Competition organized by the Chilean chapter of the National Museum of Women in the Arts from Washington DC and Third Prize in the Laguna Mágica International Opera Competition. Opera appearances include Zaida (Il turco in Italia), Ruggiero (Tancredi), Musetta (La bohème), Jano (Jenůfa) and Clorinda (La Cenerentola) at Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Pamina (Die Zauberflote) at Teatro Municipal de Concepción, Musetta at Teatro Argentino de la Plata and Luigia (Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali) at Teatro Municipal de Las Condes. Plans include Zerlina (Don Giovanni) and Magdalena (Cristo del Elqui) at Teatro Municipal de Santiago.
Hongni Wu (Mezzo-soprano)
Chinese mezzo-soprano Hongni Wu studied at Xinghai Conservatory of Music and at Manhattan School of Music under Joan Patenaude-Yarnell. Opera roles include Sesto (La clemenza di Tito), Dragonfly (L’Enfant et les sortilèges) and Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus) with Manhattan School of Music, Prince Orlofsky with the Martina Arroya Foundation, Carmen with Xinghai Conservatory of Music and Mrs Umeya (Qingling Song) at Guangzhou Opera House. She has sung as a soloist in concerts and recitals at Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Yangzhou University of Music, Nanjing University of Music, the CCTV 15th National Young Singers Concert in Beijing, a Verdi concert and the Celebration of the 65th Anniversary of the Founding of the PRC in Guangzhou, WQXR Robert Sherman’s Young Artist Showcase, a Martina Arroya Foundation Spring Luncheon Cabaret and Martina Arroyo Prelude Gala Concert in New York and with the Bel Canto Summer Programme in Italy. Plans include appearances with the Gerdine Young Artist Programme at Opera Theatre of St Louis and Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) for Opera Maine.
