Mozart Requiem & Solemn Vespers 6 Dec 2015 - Soloists

Eilidh McEwan - Soprano

Eilidh McEwan - Soprano

Eilidh McEwan has established her reputation on the concert platform both in oratorio and recital across the UK and overseas. Her large repertoire encompasses everything from baroque and renaissance works to lieder; from French song to folksong and from musical theatre to large scale choral works. Her speciality is performing Early music such as Bach/Baroque music, which she has recorded with the wonderful Irish Trumpeter Mark O'Keefe - Baroque duets such as 'Eternal Source of Light Devine' & 'Let the Bright Seraphim' by Handel and Bach Cantata 'Jauchzet gott in allen landen'.

Since graduating, Eilidh has had the pleasure of performing with many choral societies across the country and is always delighted to be invited to do so. These concerts are always highlights for Eilidh and she receives many repeat invitations.

In addition to her concert platform engagements Eilidh enjoys teaching singing/piano and is also asked to sing at private functions and wedding ceremonies.

Glasgow born Eilidh's soloist career began at an early age when she was chosen by Christopher Bell to be a regular soloist in concerts given by the National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCoS). Eilidh also gained experience as one of the youngest members of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Chorus (under such as Lazarev, Weller and Jarvi); with the Strathclyde University Chamber Choir (under Tavener); with the RSAMD Chamber Choir and as a chorister at Glasgow Cathedral.
Eilidh studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) with Margaret Marshall and Pat MacMahon, graduating BA (Musical Studies) with Honours. Today Eilidh continues to study with Pat MacMahon, and this year has had the very exciting opportunity to study with Emma Kirkby in London.

Highlights for Eilidh include performing in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (to critical acclaim) and singing in concert with the distinguished Scottish and Irish sopranos Margaret Marshall and Ann Murray. In addition to these events Eilidh has also performed in concert in Germany, Sweden, Ireland and Australia.

Future performances for Eilidh in 2016 are Faure ‘Requiem’ and Rutter ‘Magnificat’.

Phillipa Thomas Mezzo-soprano

Phillipa Thomas - Mezzo-soprano

Phillipa Thomas studied music at the University of York winning the York University Concerto Prize. Following her MA, she continued her vocal training at Birmingham Conservatoire where she was a prizewinner in the Edward Brooks English Song Competition, a finalist in the Cecil Drew Oratorio competition and winner of the Birmingham Conservatoire Singing Prize. In 2014, she was a finalist at the John Kerr Award for English Song.

This summer Phillipa covered the role of Carmen for Nevill Holt Opera. Past operatic credits include Meg (cover) (Falstaff, Fulham Opera, Grimeborn Festival), Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas, Opera Up Close), Carmen (Carmen, Guildford Opera and Opera at Bearwood), Mercedes (Carmen, Choir 2000), Ino (Semele, Jackdaws Young Artists), Dido (Dido and Aeneas, Operamus), Emma Jones (Street Scene, Birmingham Conservatoire) and Forester’s Wife (The Cunning Little Vixen, Birmingham Conservatoire).

Recent solo engagements include Mahler’s Symphony No.2 (Kings College Cambridge under Stephen Cleobury), Dvořak’s Mass in D (Ceramic City Choir), Handel’s Dixit Dominus (Dorking Choral Society), Handel’s Messiah (Newark Choral Society) and John Rutter’s Every Time I Feel the Spirit, (Music Makers, Barnes).

Phillipa features regularly as a soloist with the critically acclaimed ensemble Blossom Street with whom she has appeared across all multimedia and toured to places including Japan and Sweden. She can be heard as a soloist on their recently released disc Down by the Sea (Naxos) and A Short While for Dreaming (Resonus). Future engagements include Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) for Opera Seria and Handel’s Messiah.

Thomas Kinch Tenor

Thomas Kinch - Tenor

Having been brought up and educated in South Wales, Thomas commenced studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2011 with a major scholarship. In 2012 he was chosen by RCS to represent the Conservatoire in the Junior Ferrier Competition. Since then he has achieved ‘excellent’ gradings in each performance – including in his most recent (May 2015) final year recital (with external examiner Glenville Hargreaves).

During his time at RCS Thomas has regularly appeared on stage in both recitals and operas. He has also undertaken small roles for Dorset Opera in the last two years, for whom he gave an operatic recital in April 2015 as their Emerging Artist.

He has taken part in masterclasses with the renowned British tenor John Treleaven who spoke of him as a ‘major talent with clear international potential’. He also this year sang the Verdi Requiem ‘Ingemisco’ for the International Holocaust Memorial Service, attended by dignitaries from all over the world.

Stefan Berkieta - Bass

Stefan Berkieta Bass

Stefan is enjoying his first year of studies with Julian Tovey on the opera course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He has previously studied at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Stefan has performed in the chorus with Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Festival d’art Lyric d’Aix-en-Provence, Opera Holland Park and Wexford Festival Opera. For the last two years he has taken part in chorus mentoring projects with Birmingham Opera Company and Graham Vick. Here he worked with members of the local community towards fully staged performances of Mussorgsky’s Khovanshchina and Tippett’s The Ice Break.

Operatic roles have included Ariodate Serse, Somnus Semele, Don Diego in Malcolm Arnold’s The Dancing Master, Zuniga in Carmen, and Konrad Nachtigall in a concert performance of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Hallé, Conductor: Mark Elder).

In concert his repertoire includes Bach’s oratorios, Mozart and Faure requiems, Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s Nelson Mass.