Beginnings

Believe it of not, I started my working life as a zookeeper, looking after monkeys and snakes at Howlett's zoo. I then went into banking (not at all dissimilar to working at a zoo!), but my passion for singing was my driving force and so, after successes in a number of music festivals and with considerable experience as an amateur singer, I gave up my banking career in order to study music full-time at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. There, I was lucky enough to study with professor Robert Dean, and received my Bachelor of Music degree with Honors. I spent a further two years as a member of the Guildhall's prestigious postgraduate Opera course and sang the roles of Michele (Il Tabarro - Puccini), The Earl of Dunmow (A Dinner Engagement - Berkeley), Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro - Mozart) and Olivier (Capriccio - R.Strauss). For British Youth Opera I sang the title role in Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) and Schaunard (La Boheme - Puccini) in their tour of Italy and France. Before long I was in demand as a soloist and regularly working for a number of Orchestras and Opera companies, alongside conductors such as Sir David Willcocks, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Colin Davis, Gianluca Marciano and Stephen Barlow. My performances have taken me across Europe and I have been lucky enough to perform in such venues as The Royal Festival Hall, L'Opera Comique , the Giovanni Agnelli Auditorium and the Bela Bartok Concert Hall. Closer to home I have performed the role of Publio for English Touring Opera (La Clemenza di Tito – Mozart) Sciarrone for Grange Park Opera (Tosca - Puccini) and the Sacristan for Pimlico Opera (Tosca – Puccini). Along the way I have also managed to pick up a number of prizes which include, winner of the Guildhall’s English Song competition, the Wyburd award for German Lieder and the Patrick Libby drama prize.

Now, with a young family to care for, I prefer to stay closer to home and focus on teaching. They say 'The best way to learn, is to teach!', and so I have taught singing for almost as many years I have been a professional singer, and it has brought much joy into my life!