"Cardiff's answer to
the King's Singers"
"One of the most
startling British female choirs of our age"
|
"Cardiff's answer to
the King's Singers" |
|
|
Curricula
Vitae for Members
Quick
guide to vocal range notation
Kirsten Offer biog updated 20 July 2007 CV as word document; CV as pdf document (updated 19 December 2006)
Kirsten graduated with distinction from the Welsh College of Music and Drama in 1998 and was recipient of the College Performer's Year Prize during each year of her course as well as the Valetta Iacopi Memorial Prize in 1998. She continues to study with Eiddwen Harrhy. Operatic roles include Novice, Suor Angelica, Puccini; Fortuna L'Incoronazione di Poppea, Monteverdi (excerpt) as well as chorus for Magic Flute, Mozart and The Beggar's Opera, Britten/Gay, all for WCMD; Fortuna, Liberto and Venere, L'Incoronazione di Poppea, Monteverdi; 2nd Woman and 2nd Witch, Dido and Aeneas; Mrs Noye in Britten's Noye's Fludde; chorus in La Boheme for Opera Box and Martin McEvoy Productions. Solo choral engagements have included Haydn's Imperial Nelson Mass, Mozart's Vesperae solennes de confessore, Vaughan Williams Benedicite; Rossini's Messe Solennelle; Karl Jenkins Armed Man as well as appearances as guest artiste with the London Welsh Male Voice Choir and the Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir. As a choral singer Kirsten has appeared with the BBC National Chorus of Wales, Welsh Chamber Singers, Serendipity and her own female ensemble, Vivace Singers. She has recorded extensively for radio, television and CD. As a recording artist she appears on Choral music of John Ireland (Priory 2007); Serendipity, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (Sain 2006); Choral music of Basil Harwood (Priory 2006); Passione - Shan Cothi (Sain 2005); Requiem Paradisum & In these stones horizons sing (EMI Classics for Karl Jenkins music 2005); Trial by Jury - Gilbert and Sullivan (Chandos 2004); The Poisoned Kiss - Vaughan Williams (Chandos 2003) as well as the award winning television soundtrack for Fondue, Rhyw a Deinosors (S4C composed by John Hardy) to name but a few. Most recently she has recorded soprano solos on the film soundtrack for Hawk with music by Stuart Hancock due for release in 2008. She has appeared with artists such as Bryn Terfel, Aled Jones, Katherine Jenkins, Catrin Finch and Sian Cothi. last updated 20 July 2007
Jo graduated in 1999, with first class honours, from the Welsh College of Music and Drama where she studied piano with Julian Jacobson, piano accompaniment with Antony Saunders and singing with Eiddwen Harrhy, and the bar's wine list with pretty much anyone who was available. During her time at RWCMD, as well as nursing copious hangovers, Jo received several awards for musical and academic achievements including the Margaret Tann Williams award for singing studies; the Simon Clarkson Memorial Award; the BA Year Prize, awarded for the highest mark at examination and the John Ireland Song Competition Accompanists Prize. Jo now works as a musical director, accompanist, arranger, and teacher and on occasion (usually after 11pm) as a third-rate comedienne and tap dancer. Productions she has directed include Chess, A Little Night Music, Ivor Novello's Valley of Song and Around the World in 80 Ways. She has also worked as resident jazz pianist for both Harry Ramsdens (Cardiff Bay) and The Farmer's Daughter (Bassaleg), neither of which (thankfully) were run by Gordon Ramsey! As a teacher Jo has taught singing for Stagecoach Theatre Arts in Cardiff, Monmouth and Penarth. She was a member of the RWCMD Junior Music Department teaching staff and also teaches piano privately. She finds teaching the most rewarding part of her musical life - especially at Christmas when the pupils give her lovely presents. As a singer Jo performs with the Welsh Chamber Singers and the Vivace Singers and has appeared on several BBC Radio and Television broadcasts with both ensembles. In April 2004 Jo was part of the Vivace Singers team representing Great Britain at the America Cantat IV Choral Festival in Mexico City, where they discovered the wonders of fried eggs in chocolate sauce and cactus soup, and more personally, the benefits of having a large, bright-pink suitcase when you have very little time to get your connecting flight at the airport. Jo's future ambitions include writing a musical, developing her singer-songwriting skills (under the influence of Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Margarita Pracatan and Les Dawson), and being able to resist that last chocolate biscuit. Top of Page
|
Legislative documents:
|
