“Second to none” line-up of soloists for 2012 Fringe Concert
The soloists for this year’s Fringe concert have been described by Musical Director, Jenny Sumerling, as “second to none“. Soprano Wilma MacDougall is returning for the 3rd time in almost as many years. “We could invite someone else” said Jenny, “but why should we when we have such a wonderful soprano on our doorstep, who we know will give our audience a first-class performance?“. Wilma will be joined by three young rising stars who despite their youth have already attracted outstanding reviews.
Beth Mackay (Mezzo Soprano) has won numerous awards and scholarships, including the Annie Ridyard Award (Royal Northern College of Music), The Robertson Scholarship Trust, The Dewar Arts Awards and the Sir James Caird Travelling Scholarship Trust, and although she graduated only last year from the Alexander Gibson Opera School at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, she has performed all over the UK, making her Proms début in summer 2010 as a soloist in Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music. Beth has also been critically acclaimed as a recording artist several times on the Scottish based Delphian label. This is Beth’s first performance with Cadenza.
Andrew Nunn (Tenor) made his Cadenza début at the 2011 Fringe and made such an impression, despite his small role, that we had to invite him back. Andrew is a young man of many talents – not only is he a very fine tenor, but he started his studies at the RSAMD (now Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) as principal study oboe and cor anglais, being selected for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra apprenticeship scheme on cor anglais. He has since branched into conducting, forming the female chamber choir Les Sirènes in 2007 (Category Finalists in the 2012 BBC Choir of the Year). In 2012 Andrew won the position of the National Youth Choir of Scotland Student Conductor from a very strong field of candidates, studying with NYCoS Artistic Director Christopher Bell and helping to prepare the choir for performances at the Proms and the Edinburgh Festival. With a BMus (Hons) and a a Master of Music in Performance under his belt, Andrew returns to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in October to study on the MMus Conducting Course while continuing to study singing.
Brian McBride (Bass) also began his studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland as an instrumentalist, playing ‘cello, but left to travel to Italy to study singing privately with Carlo Desideri. He is now continuing his studies as a singer at the RCS, where he was winner of the Hugh S. Roberton Scots Song Prize for Singing last year. Since his return to Scotland, Brian has performed with Scottish Opera and many choirs throughout the country. TV appearances have included BBC Proms in the Park with the National Youth Choir of Scotland, BBC’s A Christmas Celebration with the RCS Chamber Choir, and a televised master class with Nicola Benedetti on ITV. This is also Brian’s first performance with Cadenza.
Some tickets are still available for the Fringe concert, from choir members, via the website, from Cadenza’s Concert Manager (Tel: 0131 337 5914), from the Fringe Box Office, or at the door. However as Cadenza Fringe concerts have attracted capacity audiences for some years now, with several recent concerts being completely sold out, you wish prefer to book your tickets now!
Posted: Sunday 19 August 2012 at 12:43 pm