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
May 18, 1989
NUMBER OF CHILDREN AND THEIR AGES:
1 child (1 year old by the time of the retreat)
ARTISTIC TRAINING AND ACHIEVEMENTS PRIOR TO BIRTH OF FIRST CHILD:
Before baby was born (Dec 2023), here's what I was up to!
Violin study since age 4, then trained as a singer at CNSMD in Lyon, HfM Munich, Guildhall School, and National Opera Studio.
My recent experience since finishing my training at NOS:
2020-21: Emerging Artist at Scottish Opera (filmed Cosi fan tutte DORABELLA, cover HANSEL, cover MEG PAGE, recorded Chausson's Poème de l’amour with SO Orchestra).
Young Artist at Opéra National de Lyon.
2021-22: Scottish Opera DORABELLA Cosi fan tutte + Opera Highlights Tour.
L’ENFANT/L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, Landestheater Coburg.
ICARUS/Raising Icarus at the Barber Institute Birmingham.
2022-23: ETO debut as SESTO/Giulio Cesare + cover ORSINI/Lucrezia Borgia.
Opéra National de Lorraine debut as SMERALDINE/L’Amour des trois oranges.
LISETTA/Il Mondo della Luna with Bampton Opera.
First solo recital "A French Soirée" with Dylan Perez.
2023-24: cover OTTAVIA/Incoronazione, Grange Festival.
CD release "Songs from Faust" Champs Hill Records.
WHY DO YOU WANT TO TAKE PART IN THE SWAP'RA RETREAT?
My daughter was born 10 months ago. Both my family and my husband’s live abroad (France and Australia) and we are both freelancers. Because of that we knew we’d need to wait until the funded hours became available (Jan 2025) to start nursery, so I would need to take on most of the childcare in the meantime and have a career break for over a year. Despite knowing that in advance, and whilst I have loved this precious time bonding with my daughter, day-to-day life away from singing has been a bit of a shock, especially as I dealt with post-partum depression. Having no family nearby or able to travel to us to help occasionally, we’ve been on our own, and that has been a lot more challenging than I had anticipated. It really does take a village... As a result I haven’t been able to prioritise myself and take time to prepare going back to performing. I’ve had to delay making new audition videos (loss of income, lack of childcare options restricting my movements, lack of time to prepare new material…). My agent has been very supportive and patient whilst I kept delaying, and miraculously has found me bits of work for the Spring despite my lack of material.
BUT with my daughter starting nursery in January, the timing of the SWAP’ra retreat is actually completely ideal - I had planned anyway to use a lot of this “regained” time from January to get myself back into a good singing rhythm, restore vocal fitness, get back to coaching regularly, have 2-3 new arias ready by the time I start performing again in March. My next contract (a small role with Oxford Opera) starts on March 10th, so taking part in the retreat would be a perfectly timed pocket of desperately needed artistic ‘me-time’ to facilitate re-inhabiting myself not just as a mother but as a singing mother after a long (and worrying) break. And the fact I would be able to make new audition videos is just wonderful and would solve what is currently my biggest obstacle to finding new performing work!
DESCRIBE YOUR PRESENT LIFE AS AN ARTIST AND PLANS FOR THE FUTURE:
Currently, my artistic life presently has taken a bit of a hit due to having no choice but to take on full-time childcare whilst we wait for the funded hours to become available for nursery in January. The honest answer is it’s been a struggle to keep my artistic side thriving whilst taking care of a small human day/night. But I know it’s not forever!
Re auditions: I haven’t been able to audition much due to lack of new material / prohibitive cost of doing so in my current situation. However, one audition I did managed to do since the birth was for ETO for a title role, and although I didn't get the part, I received glorious feedback and was told it had been between me and one other singer. That gives me hope about going back to auditioning more in the (hopefully near) future.
In terms of coaching/vocal training: I am about to start lessons again with my teacher Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, although just online as he teaches in France.
I just started again coaching with Maya Soltan, a repetiteur (and new mother too) who is based near my home.
Career plans: I currently have two contracts coming up in the spring. A small role in Tosca with Oxford Opera in March. And two cover roles in the Scottish Opera double bill “Trial by Jury / A Matter of Disconduct” in May-June.
Although my main love is for opera (there’s nothing quite like the feeling of a whole team of people coming together to carry a story and bring it to life), I'd like to develop my career on the concert side, and will go back to working more closely with my two trusted recital partners, Mark Austin and Dylan Perez. Mark Austin and I (along with Anna Cavaliero and Jolyon Loy) have just released an album under Champs Hill Records, so I am hoping this will be a stepping stone to more recital work.
Away from performing, I have been doing some private vocal teaching which has been a wonderful way to keep in touch with my artistic side (whilst not losing my financial independence completely…). The majority of my students don’t intend on becoming professionals, and really just do it for the sheer love of singing. It has been so good for my mental health, and a great reminder of why I started singing in the first place…!
Lastly, I was made a Trustee of the Peace and Prosperity Trust just before going on maternity leave - a musical charity which aims to create cultural bridges between the Middle East and West via the universal language of music.I will be resuming my activities there when nursery starts.
DO YOU ENVISAGE BRINGING YOUR CHILDREN WITH YOU ON THE COURSE?
To be completely honest, I really don't know yet! Potentially my daughter, but for the selfish reason of giving the opportunity to see mummy 'do her thing'... which may not be a good reason, ha ha!
REFEREE information:
REFEREE 1 NAME:
James Conway
REFEREE 1 EMAIL:
REFEREE 1 RELATIONSHIP:
Stage director (worked together in 2023)
REFEREE 1 RESPONSE:
Position / Role Held:
Former General Director, English Touring Opera
Length of time you have known applicant:
7 years approx
In what capacity have you worked with the applicant and when?
I auditioned her several times and followed her formation and work closely. Then I had the good luck to cast her and work with her (as director) on a revival of my production of Giulio Cesare.
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:
xxx already has a distinguished early career, but she is looking for a way back into the business after the birth of her first child. She is an ideal candidate for the Retreat.
Any other comments:
I could not recommend xxxx more highly as a serious and skilled artist, a generous collaborator, and a kind, open minded, principled person.
REFEREE 2 NAME:
Mark Austin
REFEREE 2 EMAIL:
REFEREE 2 RELATIONSHIP:
Conductor and Pianist / duo partner
REFEREE 2 RESPONSE:
Position / Role Held:
Conductor/pianist
Length of time you have known applicant:
8 years
In what capacity have you worked with the applicant and when?
Conductor - various opera projects, and pianist, including most recently for a song album recording
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:
I have no hesitation in recommending mezzo soprano xxxx for the SWAP'ra Retreat. Having worked with her over many years, initially when she was a soprano, and then as a mezzo, I am constantly impressed and inspired by her dedication to her craft and her artistry in the moment. She has cultivated an extraordinary beauty of tone, and combines this with a dramatic instinct allied to finely honed diction. Working with her on a song recording project has only increased my admiration for her ability, and I was particularly struck by her drive to achieve the very best even in the stressful context of the recording studio. I am totally convinced that she would benefit considerably from the reset and positive morale boost of the Retreat. She has already achieved a great deal in her career, and I am certain this will continue as she is so determined - but it should not be taken for granted, as the energy taken by parenting needs real replenishment as we all know!