Helen Lacey – Soprano
Helen graduated with a first-class honours degree from the Royal Northern College of Music and has recently completed a Masters at the Royal Academy of Music. In collaboration with Anna Appleby (Rambert composer in residence), Helen performed in the world premiere of the opera-ballet Citizens of Nowhere at the Tête à Tête opera festival in 2017. The work was written specifically for Helen, Ann Wilkes (soprano) and Emma Wheeler (mezzo). Other operatic engagements include: Maid / Airforce woman in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos at the Glyndebourne Festival, Barbarina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at Dartington International Festival, chorus in Handel’s Semele with the OAE at the Musikverein, Papagena in Mozart’s The Magic Flute with City of Manchester Opera, Ilia in Mozart’s Idomeneo and Helena in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, both directed by John Ramster at the AIMS international music school.
This years roles include: The title role in Marco da Gagliano’s opera La Dafne at Brighton Early Music Festival in February 2020. On the concert platform, recent performances include; soprano soloist for Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Rochester Cathedral, Mozart’s Requiem at St Martin-in-the-Fields and Faure’s Requiem at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. Helen has also performed at Hackney Empire for BBC Friday Night is Music Night, Aldeburgh Festival and as a backing singer for A Kylie Christmas at the Royal Albert Hall.
Now based in North London she is in great demand both as a soloist and chorus member.
John Twitchen – Tenor
John was a member of Glyndebourne Youth Opera and performed on the main stage in Brittens A Ceremony of Carols as well as working on projects with composers Orlando Gough and Hannah Conway. He was a scholar with Riverside Opera in London under conductor Sam Evans and took part in productions of Romeo and Juliette, Carmen and a masterclass with Kathryn Harries at the National Opera Studio.
He completed his BMus at Chichester University and graduated with a first-class honours in vocal studies. He was soloist with the Chamber Choir on tours to Bruges, Vienna and Chartres and in his final year he took the lead role in Orpheus and the Underworld. More recent roles include: El Remondado in Barefoot Opera’s production of Carmen, tenor soloist with Peregrina Enchantica and soloist in Coffee Concerts with soprano Chiara Vinci and Mezzo Becca Leggett in East Sussex. In 2017 he won a bursary to Dorset Opera where he took part in fully staged productions of Eugene Onegin and Macbeth.
John is based in North London and post-lockdown he’s been soloist with the Bexhill Sinfonietta alongside soprano Helen May and also with Marcio da Silva and the Hastings Philharmonic Choir. John was a choral scholar at Arundel Cathedral and St. Mary’s Star of the Sea, Hastings and in January 2022 started a year as a tenor scholar at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London.
Philip Smith – Baritone
One time zoologist and National Otter Surveyor of England, Philip hung up his waders to study singing, first at the Birmingham Conservatoire and then at the Royal Northern College of Music. He is a Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme alumnus, Samling Artist and Crear Scholar.
Philip’s operatic work has seen him perform principal roles for the Royal Opera House at The Globe, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari and Polish National Opera and make his debut for WNO. Other recent roles include the title role Don Giovanni and Count Almaviva Le Nozze di Figaro for Celebrate Voice Salisbury, Giorgio in the Italian premier of Sondheim’s musical Passion for the Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte Montepulciano, Sharpless Madame Butterfly with Diva Opera, Figaro Barber of Seville with Opera Project at the Tabacco Factory Bristol, Rambaldo La Rondine for West Green House Opera and Michele Il Tabarro with Mid Wales Opera.
In concert he has sung with some of the most respected choirs, orchestras and conductors in the UK and has been lucky enough to work with many of the most highly acclaimed pianists. His recordings include Britten Songs Volume 1 (Onyx Classics) and Vaughan Williams Fair Child of Beauty (Albion Records)
This season includes his return to Mid Wales Opera to sing Marcello La Bohème and performances of Elijah in Buxton and Snape Maltings.
Follow on Twitter @psmithbaritone
Helen Ridout – Pianist/Project Leader
Helen studied piano, oboe and saxophone at Chethams School of Music and later specialised in collaborative piano at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, winning the Leonard Smith prize for chamber music and the Florence Smith prize for piano accompanists. Her diverse musical career has spanned playing for the major ballet companies, touring with Classical Cabaret (a show devised by violinist Beverley Davison) to playing tenor sax with the Fairer Sax at the Edinburgh Festival. For many years she was pianist for the Olyver Gypsy Orchestra – Eddie Hession (accordion) and Dominic Seldis (double-bass) – with whom she recorded two CDs and performed at venues including St.Martin-in-the-Fields, Snape Maltings and the Barbican.
Recent projects include: Repetiteur for Push – a community opera by Howard Moody commissioned by the Battle Festival, pianist for Barefoot Opera Cabaret Fusion and BarefootBallads, pianist for Mozart in Russia at the Kino-Teatr, director/pianist for Peter and the Wolf Christmas concert also at the Kino-Teatr and MD for Paris Snow a new musical premiered in March 2017.
She initiated a series of Coffee Concerts in St. Leonards-on-Sea including collaborations with James Newby, Wissam Boustany, Louise Winter, Sally Pendlebury, Robert Birchall and Chiara Vinci.
Future plans include the development of the Opera Buffa project and musical collaborations both locally in East Sussex, London, and further afield.
Bethany West – Director
Bethany is a theatre and performance maker from East London, living in Margate. She trained on the MFA in Theatre Directing at Birkbeck College where she met Barney McElholm. Together they set up EMERGE(ncy) PARTY, a company helping young people to shape the future through creativity.
As an assistant director, Bethany has worked with Sean Holmes and Ilinca Radulian at Shakespeare’s Globe, Orla O’Loughlin at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Told by an Idiot at Shakespeare’s Globe and Emma Callandar at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Bethany produced the national and international tour of MANWATCHING for the Royal Court Theatre and was an Associate Producer with Bristol Old Vic Ferment, working in artist development with Bertrand Lesca & Nasi Voutsas, Sleepdogs and Still House.
In 2020, Bethany was Artist in Residence at Take Up Space, Folkestone International Women’s Day Festival and she is also one half of agony aunt radio show @Woe_800.