SWAP'ra RETREAT APPLICATIONS
applicant information:
FIRST NAME:
FIRST NAME HIDDEN FOR 1ST ROUND
EMAIL:
EMAIL HIDDEN FOR 1ST ROUND
LAST NAME:
LAST NAME HIDDEN FOR 1ST ROUND
PHONE:
PHONE HIDDEN FOR 1ST ROUND
DATE OF BIRTH
NUMBER OF CHILDREN AND THEIR AGES:
One daughter who is 7 months old (born in March 2024)
ARTISTIC TRAINING AND ACHIEVEMENTS PRIOR TO BIRTH OF FIRST CHILD:
Up until the birth of my daughter, I had a busy few seasons: winning 3 competitions (Iwona Borowicka Operetta Competition - Krakow; Musica Sacra - Rome; Let’s Sing Competition - Bulgaria); and travelling to perform (and cover) leading roles for small companies and theatres (mainly in Eastern Europe); oratorio work in the UK, Czechia & Romania; and solo recitals in the UK and abroad. I also co-founded and organised fundraising concerts for both Help Musicians Ukraine (for Ukrainian refugee musicians), and Imagining Peace.eu (researching artistic collaborations in post-conflict zones). Prior to this I worked mainly in London, trained at the RCM, and studied singing privately whilst (and after) reading Psychology, Philosophy and Phonetics at Oxford University. I started rehearsals for Marienka in the Bartered Bride (for Opera de Bauge) just as I found out I was pregnant, and my last role (at 6 months) was Contessa Almaviva for a chamber production in Warsaw.
WHY DO YOU WANT TO TAKE PART IN THE SWAP'RA RETREAT?
Since giving birth to my daughter I have continued to study and practise whenever I can - normally with Marina playing in a cot alongside me in her (almost) soundproof headsets. I have discovered new warmth and depth to my voice, and far more softness, stamina, and patience than I had before and I would love the opportunity to explore these exciting new developments in a safe space with a peer group who may have had similar feelings. The SWAP’ra retreat seems like it would be the perfect environment to do just this - being able to concentrate fully on singing again, knowing that Marina is safe nearby. It would be fantastic also to record new materials which would give a more honest, up-to-date account of what I look and sound like post-partum.
I would also relish the opportunity to work on the psychological aspect of “getting back on the horse” of auditions. I only went to the Mimi audition because it’s a role I love performing, I was recommended by a colleague, and then invited without having applied… and it was on a weekend, so my husband could come with me and I knew our daughter would be happy without me for a while. Although I’ve heard no news/feedback yet - I really enjoyed presenting arias from a role I’ve performed on stage to a friendly panel, but I feel after the SWAP’ra Retreat, I would gain confidence to present some of the newer music I have been looking at, and also to actually send off my materials and apply to audition for new agents and performance opportunities.
DESCRIBE YOUR PRESENT LIFE AS AN ARTIST AND PLANS FOR THE FUTURE:
I have started coaching and having lessons again - mainly online with Alexia Voulgaridou, Natalya Gaponenko and Nina Rautio; but also "in person" when I have a friend who can come with me to help out (as I'm still breastfeeding, I have to take my daughter with me!). I jumped in for one local concert, have sung in two opera galas, and gone to one La boheme audition (where I left my husband and daughter in a nearby pub). In December I will have my first postpartum concert abroad, in the Teatro Verdi in Pisa, singing examples of Maria Callas's early repertoire (Puccini, Mascagni, Rodiou etc...) for a show/concert about her life and studies in Greece. I am also applying for a song masterclass in France with my friend Aleksandra Bobrowska, and we are planning some duo recitals of music by Polish/British female composers in 2025 in the UK and Poland. I also need to prepare some new audition materials, as any videos made pre-pregnancy aren’t really representative of my voice post-partum!
DO YOU ENVISAGE BRINGING YOUR CHILDREN WITH YOU ON THE COURSE?
Yes! Ideally, if my husband can get time off work - he will come. If not, I will ask my mum. If not, maybe my daughter's godmother (a lovely mezzo friend!) will come! (I can't envisage leaving her behind as she won't have even had her first birthday by then.)
REFEREE information:
REFEREE 1 NAME:
Alexia Voulgaridou
REFEREE 1 EMAIL:
REFEREE 1 RELATIONSHIP:
Teacher
REFEREE 1 RESPONSE:
Position / Role Held:
International Soprano and Teacher at Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Length of time you have known applicant:
4 years
In what capacity have you worked with the applicant and when?
We met in 2020 during an online masterclass on Italian repertoire organised by Atelier d’Excellence, then an intensive study course on La boheme, where xxxx prepared Mimi. Since then, she has continued to work with me, both online and in person, in the UK and Italy.
Would you recommend the applicant for the SWAP’ra Retreat? Please describe the applicant’s ability and potential to build a successful career in opera/classical singing:
xxxx has a beautiful full lyric voice with a unique colour. It has become more lirico dramatico since the birth of her daughter. She is a highly motivated, professional artist who has continued to study roles and improve her technique during and after the pandemic, and then throughout pregnancy. Since we met, she has had a full schedule of opera and recitals in Europe and the UK, but is always committed to working on her performance. When preparing Mimi together in 2021, xxxx showed great dramatic and musical sense, and I was happy that she went on to perform the role on stage twice after our study. xxxx is a sensitive, versatile artist with a big heart, who brings a very personal interpretation to the music and roles we have prepared. I feel she is a singer of wonderful potential, and this SWAP’ra course will give her renewed confidence to continue auditioning and start performing at a higher level.
REFEREE 2 NAME:
Natalya Gaponenko
REFEREE 2 EMAIL:
REFEREE 2 RELATIONSHIP:
Coach & Musical Director of 3 operas I performed in
REFEREE 2 RESPONSE:
Position / Role Held:
Musical Director of Opera Na Koszykach. Repetiteur Warsaw Chamber Opera. Opera Coach.
Length of time you have known applicant:
4 years
In what capacity have you worked with the applicant and when?
Since 2020, I have coached xxxx on a varied repertoire, preparing her for concerts in the UK, Poland and abroad. We have also collaborated on 3 opera productions at Hala Koszyki in Warsaw, Poland - where xxxx sang Mimi, Contessa Almaviva and Pamina.
Would you recommend the applicant for the SWAP’ra Retreat? Please describe the applicant’s ability and potential to build a successful career in opera/classical singing:
Even through the pandemic, xxxx was creating opportunities for performance for herself and other artists - including the online NexTus festival. Since 2020, xxxx has won three international competitions, in Opera, Operetta and Sacred Music. We have worked together preparing 6 leading roles (Mazenka, Donna Elvira, Marguerite, Mimi, Contessa Almaviva and Pamina) 3 of which we then performed together in Poland. xxxx is a sensitive musician with a warm, expressive voice which has blossomed further since giving birth. She is quick to study and prepared to jump in to any challenge - including the world premiere of a complicated cantata in Greece last year. She is the perfect candidate for the SWAP’ra Retreat, as I feel she needs to regain her confidence after a 6 month gap in her performance diary. Her last full recital before the birth of her daughter was a duo recital of Christmas songs and solo Carols from around the world that we prepared and performed together. Since giving birth, her voice has found a new, more dramatic, colour, and I think xxxx would benefit greatly from support to rebuild her confidence in her body and voice before returning to the audition and performance circuit.
Any other comments:
Having recently also given birth to my own daughter (now two years old), I recognise the importance of having a strong support network of people with similar experiences in order to have the physical and psychological confidence to return to work. It sounds like the SWAPRA retreat would be the perfect place to build this.