Biography
British Mezzo-Soprano Ellie Edmonds graduated from Birmingham Conservatoire with first class honours where she studied with Christine Cairns. Here she was the winner of the 2014 Mario Lanza Opera Prize, the 2011 Winifred Micklam first year prize and the St. Clare Barefield Rose Bowl for Operatic Distinction. Ellie was also awarded the 2013 North London Festival conservatoire singing prize. Ellie is currently working towards her Masters Degree at the Welsh International Academy of Voice (WIAV) where she studies with Dennis O’Neill.
An alumni of Chetham’s School of Music where she studied with Diana Palmerston and won the T.E Drane vocal Prize, The National Youth Choir of Great Britain and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Chorus; Ellie has had many exciting performance opportunities including a solo opportunity with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra in Finland, solo’s in Birmingham Symphony Hall and recent Chorus tours of Germany and Switzerland, Lucerne. She now sings with the Philharmonia Chorus on their student scheme and participated in their recent Brahms Requiem tour of Spain with the Orquestra de Valencia conducted by Yaron Traub.
Operatic roles include Victorian Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland (Todd) (Opera Holland Park, Royal Opera House (début)), Una Novizia Suor Angelica, Ill trittico (Opera Holland Park), 2nd Witch Dido & Aeneas (Ad Parnassum (Italian and Spanish tour)) Olga Eugene Onegin, Dorabella Cosi fan tutti, Frau Reich The Merry Wives of Windsor ((Birmingham Conservatoire) Opera scenes). The Old Prioress Dialogues des Carmélites, Principessa Ill trittico (Birmingham Conservatoire) and 2nd witch (and Dido Cover) Dido and Aeneas (Operamus). Ellie has also performed Desiree A Little Night Music, Nursemaid Street Scene (Birmingham Conservatoire) and Little Red Riding Hood Into the Woods (Off Track Theatre, Brighton).
Concert performances have included alto soloist in Tippett’s A Child of our Time (Dartington Music Festival 2014), Mahler’s Rückert Lieder (Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra, Adrian Boult Hall), Mozart’s Requiem (Various), Rossini Stabat mater (Oxford University Press, Oxford Sinfonia, Oxford), Elgar The Music Makers (Dore Abbey, Paul Spicer), Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music (Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare Festival) and Handel’s Messiah (Orchestra of St John’s,) the latter of which she performed at Kings Place, St. John’s Smith Square, London, Dorchester Abbey and St. John the Evangelist, Oxford and Stroud’s Subscription Rooms. She has also performed as part of a Purcell evening at St. John’s Smith Square, also with the Orchestra of St. John’s. Ellie is looking forward to performing the Berio Folk songs later this year with the Birmingham Sinfonia under the Baton of Michael Seal.
Ellie and her duo partner; Pianist Hannah Watson, have given recital’s at venue’s such as St. Martin’s in the Fields, London, The Jacqueline de Pré Rooms, Oxford, Southwark Cathedral and St, James’ Church Piccadilly, London. They enjoy performing chamber music and have collaborated with the Artesian Quartet, Flautist Clare Wickes and Cellist Racheal Watson giving them access to lesser performed works such as Ravel’s Chanson de madecasse and Chausson’s Chanson Perpétuelle. They also competed for the Kathleen Ferrier and the Bromsgrove International Young Musician Competition’s together this Easter. Ellie is looking forward to returning to Opera Holland Park this Summer where she will play the role of Victorian in Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland (Todd) and cover the role of Tweedle-Dee. She has also been selected to participate in Opéra Azuriales’ Young Artist Programme and will compete in the final of their competition this August.
Short Biography
British Mezzo Soprano Ellie Edmonds trained at Chethams School of Music and Birmingham Conservatoire with Christine Cairns, where she won numerous prizes and awards. Ellie is currently working towards a Masters degree at WIAV where she is a student of Dennis O’Niell.
Recent Operatic roles include Una Novizia Puccini’s Il Trittico Opera Holland Park (debut), 2nd witch Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas Ad Parnassum, Olga Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and The old prioress Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmelites (Birmingham Conservatoire).Concert highlights include Tippet’s A Child of our Time (Dartington 2014), Mahler’s Ruckert Lieder (Bham Conservatoire) and Handel’s The Messiah (OSJ).
Ellie made her Royal Opera House debut in the role of Victorian in Opera Holland Park’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in wonderland’ by Will Todd, which was performed at the Linbury Studio in November 2015. She is looking forward to a summer with Opera Holland Park and has been selected to be part of Azuriales Young Artist Programme 2016 in Nice, where she will also compete in the Final of their competition.
