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
Jan 10, 1991
NUMBER OF CHILDREN AND THEIR AGES:
! child, aged 21 months
ARTISTIC TRAINING AND ACHIEVEMENTS PRIOR TO BIRTH OF FIRST CHILD:
During the last year of my opera studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, I won the Oxford Lieder Song Platform (2020) and the Royal Over-Seas League Singers Prize (2020). After being on what felt like an uphill trajectory, the world shut down (as of course it did for all of us!) and I lost all upcoming work. I was lucky to return to opera in 2021 as Countess for Opera Holland Park’s young artist production of Le Nozze di Figaro and was also a Britten Pears Young Artist for 2021/22 and a City Music Foundation Artist. Since then, I’ve worked for the Royal Opera and Ballet (premiering new music in 2022 and 2023), Bampton Classical Opera (2022) and Garsington Opera (The Bartered Bride, 2023 – 4 months after the birth of my daughter). I was also busy on the recital platform in the lead up to my daughter’s arrival, performing at the International Lied Festival Zeist, Life Victoria Barcelona, Aldeburgh Festival, Ryedale Festival and the Oxford International Song Festival.
WHY DO YOU WANT TO TAKE PART IN THE SWAP'RA RETREAT?
The last 21 months since having my daughter have been busy and filled with some wonderful career opportunities, but for several reasons it has been by far the most challenging time of my career so far. I felt a pressure to return to singing as soon as possible after having my daughter, which in some ways benefitted me greatly (financially, socially, feeling a non-parental sense of self and purpose) but in others took a toll personally. I did my first gig back when my daughter was 8 weeks old, and my first opera contract when she was 4 months. This came with a whole host of logistical challenges around feeding and childcare, but primarily it took an emotional toll that I wasn’t prepared for. I also sustained a jaw injury during labour for which I’ve received extensive physio and remains an ongoing issue in my singing, which has presented itself as a persistent challenge since having my daughter.
I’ve found the last 10 months particularly difficult since my daughter started nursery – to say I had underestimated the onslaught of nursery bugs and illnesses is an understatement! I have been hit with every illness going since January and as a result have had to cancel so much work, making a huge impact financially but more so mentally. This has resulted in some performance anxiety which I am currently working on with a therapist, but this of course is also a financial challenge when I’m a working mum having to cancel work due to illness.
All of this combined means that I feel like I haven’t had the capacity, time or confidence over the last year and a half to further my career in the direction I would like to and I feel that the support that the SWAP’ra retreat could provide both practically but also in spending time with others in similar positions would be invaluable in helping me regain my confidence. I feel that I have had limited space to nurture my own artistic identity and interests, and so important things like preparing/recording new audition arias and being pro-active in securing future work have felt out of my capabilities. I think I would benefit enormously from every opportunity that the retreat has to offer and having the time and space to focus on my singing and how I now want to move forward with my career could be a turning point for me in regaining my self-belief, ambition and love for singing.
DESCRIBE YOUR PRESENT LIFE AS AN ARTIST AND PLANS FOR THE FUTURE:
I’ve had a busy year so far operatically, covering for English National Opera’s Magic Flute (First Lady) and singing Miss Jessel this summer for Waterperry Opera’s Turn of the Screw. I currently don’t have any opera work in my diary going forward, which I’m trying very hard to rectify and have recently had auditions for ENO, Waterperry Opera Festival, Longborough Festival Opera and Garsington Opera. I am however excitingly releasing an album with Delphian Records on 25th October with my duo partner; a complete recording of William Walton’s song collection. I am a regular song recitalist and have upcoming gigs with Oxford International Song Festival, the Royal Over-Seas League and with the London Oriana Choir. My performance diary for 2025 onwards is significantly quieter than any previous year (which I am hoping will change!) but I feel that this is a result of both the current landscape of the industry in the UK, as well as my lack of time/ability to seek out work opportunities for myself in the same way that I did before parenthood. I also feel that I have now entered a tricky career stage where I have just left behind the ‘young artist’ label and am no longer young enough to apply for many YA opportunities, but I also do not yet feel ‘fully established’ as an artist. This is something I hope the SWAP’ra retreat could help me navigate. I’m continuing to work with my two teachers, Marie Vassiliou and Janice Chapman, and hope to apply for some competitions for 2025 once I have some new aria recordings under my belt.
I also enjoy a wide variety of community-based work as a workshop leader for later life participants, as well as enjoying private teaching and delivering schools workshops for several opera and arts organisations. This is a part of my portfolio career that I value highly and keeps me motivated and inspired!
DO YOU ENVISAGE BRINGING YOUR CHILDREN WITH YOU ON THE COURSE?
I would bring my daughter with me plus 1 family member (most likely my mum) to help with childcare whilst on the course.
REFEREE information:
REFEREE 1 NAME:
Marie Vassiliou
REFEREE 1 EMAIL:
REFEREE 1 RELATIONSHIP:
Singing Teacher
REFEREE 1 RESPONSE:
Position / Role Held:
Professional lyric soprano and voice teacher at Royal Academy of Music and Guildhall School of Music
Length of time you have known applicant:
10 years
In what capacity have you worked with the applicant and when?
I began as xxxx’s voice teacher at City University, then at Guildhall, then privately.
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 would absolutely recommend xxxx - she is utterly dedicated, talented, reliable and hard-working. She has had some lovely successes but the timing of Covid and then having a child have meant that it’s been harder than she would have liked.
Nevertheless she continues to persist and I am pleased to have seen her in various performances, both opera and concert and
I know she is also a gifted communicator and so her educational work has been important. She has a bigger instrument and so I hope that she will have future opportunities to sing Verdi and also Wagner. She is a joy to work with and is a very considerate human being.
Any other comments:
xxxx is thoroughly deserving of your attention.
REFEREE 2 NAME:
Jonathon Cole-Swinard
REFEREE 2 EMAIL:
REFEREE 2 RELATIONSHIP:
Head of Music - Garsington Opera
REFEREE 2 RESPONSE:
Position / Role Held:
Head of Music - Garsington Opera
Length of time you have known applicant:
4 years
In what capacity have you worked with the applicant and when?
Coach / Conductor 2020 and 2023 seasons
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 is unquestionably on track to build a sustained and highly successful career in opera and concert. Prior to the birth of her daughter xxxx, her career had gained good momentum and I hugely admired how she returned to Garsington for an intense cover/chorus contract just 4 months after giving birth. However I have also seen how the intense challenges of jugging parenting / feeding / toddler illnesses (!) have taken their toll on sustaining work, following through opportunities, and keeping on her artistic A game. This retreat therefore would be of huge benefit. xxxx is an artistic high flyer with a rare lyric dramatic voice that is about to hit its prime casting window for weightier dramatic roles. She has already proved herself on the festival / cover circuit but now needs to carve the time for her continued development to break out of this to secure principal roles in her own right. I believe this is entirely possible, but she would hugely benefit from the support of an organisation like SWAP'ra to help her on this journey. She would be worth the investment and I recommend her to you without hesitation.
Any other comments:
As my son was born within 6 months of xxxx's daughter we also know each other personally. I was the first conductor to give xxxx choral society work (2.5 months after giving birth!) and coached / conducted her in her cover of Marenka 4 months after giving birth. Garsington Opera facilitated and supported her pumping / feeding during this period and I saw first hand the tenacity and drive she has for singing whilst battling the inevitable ups and down of the first few months of parenting. I have huge admiration for her and both a parent and a professional and would love to see her getting a place on this retreat.