Gareth Huw John
Gareth trained at the Guildhall, School of Music and Drama. In 2003, he was awarded the David Lloyd memorial scholarship at the National Eisteddfod of Wales and the Blue Ribbon for the best soloist under 25. Engagements include a tour of Johannesburg with the South African Welsh Society. Roles at the Guildhall include: the Butler and Auctioneers’ Assistant in the premiere of Violet - Scrutton, Bardolfo in Falstaff - Verdi, Song–Seller in Il Tabarro, Gherrardo in Gianni Schicchi - Puccini, HRH Prince Phillipe The Dinner Engagement - Berkley, Roderick ll The Long Christmas Dinner - Hindemith, Don Basilio and Don Curzio Le Nozze di Figaro - Mozart, Flamand Capriccio –Strauss and covered Fracasso La Finta Semplice by Mozart. He also covered Lenski Eugene Onegin -Tchaikovsky [British Youth Opera] and sang Jupiter Semele – Handel [Winterbourne Opera) in 2007 and Mr Upfold, the Mayor Albert Herring – Britten [BYO] in 2007.He has recently covered Vicomte Cascada Merry Widow – Lehar and Italian Singer Der Rosenkavalier –Strauss for English National Opera.

Robyn Lyn Evans
Robyn is from Ceredigion. He graduated from Trinity College Carmarthen where he was awarded the Stuart Burrows bursary and furthered his studies at The Royal College of Music, London. Competition successes include International Young Singer of the Year Llangollen International Eisteddfod 1999; National Eisteddfod of Wales Osborne Roberts Memorial Prize 2000 and winning the David Ellis Memorial Prize (Blue Riband) at the Flint National Eisteddfod 2007. Operatic rôles include Tebaldo (cover) I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Opera North); Gérald, Lakmé and Prince, Rusalka (Opera School Wales); Ferrando, Cosí fan tutte (Hand Made Opera); Alfred and Dr Blind, Die Fledermaus (Bristol Opera and Pavilion Opera); Abdullah, Nabucco (Burry Port Opera); 1st Soldier, L’incoronazzione di Poppea (Benjamin Britten International Opera School) and most recently made his debut as Duke in Verdi’s Rigoletto for Pavilion Opera.He can also be heard frequently for BBC Cymru Television and BBC Radio Cymru (Wales) as a performer and vocal commentator.

Robert Davies
Robert studied at the University of Sheffield and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama before embarking on a solo career, both on the opera stage and concert platform. Awarded the Erich Vietheer Memorial Award at Glyndebourne in 2003, he went on to appear as Marcello La Bohème, Count Almaviva Le Nozze di Figaro, Mr Gedge Albert Herring and Doctor Falke Die Fledermaus on the Festival Tour. Roles elsewhere include Greek Captain Les Troyens in Châtelet Theatre, Paris; Verrina in the UK premier of Lalo’s Fiesque; Dancaïre Carmen Diva Opera; Pish Tush The Mikado D’Oyly Carte; Escamillo Carmen and Count Di Luna Il Trovatore for English Pocket Opera/CMW and Aeneas Dido and Aeneas at the Edinburgh Festival. Robert also sang in the European premieres of Ned Rorem’s Hearing and The Robbers.In 2007, he was shortlisted for the prestigious Jetter Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Aris Nadirian
Born in Isfahan (Iran) of Armenian parents, Aris studied piano and singing at the London College of Music where he was awarded the Silver Medal of the Most Worshipful Company of Musicians. Since then he has sung with many Opera companies the UK in a variety of roles which includes Zurga in Pearl Fishers, Papagano The Magic Flute, Marcello La Boheme, Figaro Marriage of Figaro Escamillo Carmen, Sid Albert Herring, Figaro Family matters, Aeneas Dido & Aeneas, Macbeth Macbeth, Don Carlo La Forza del Destino, Bartolo and Figaro The Barber of Seville, Dulcamara L’Elisir d’Amore, Don Magnifico La Cenerentola. He has recently sung the role of Hortensius in The Daughter of the Regiment and Papageno in The Magic Flute for Swansea City Opera. In this season as well as singing he will be undertaking a new role as Asst. Conductor.

Brendan Wheatley
Brendan was born in Leicestershire and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a three year scholarship. He then went staight to Glyndebourne Festival Opera where he sang for three seasons making his debut as 'The Keeper of the Madhouse' in the internationally acclaimed production of Stravinsky's The Rakes Progress, designed by David Hockney. After leaving Glyndebourne, Brendan pursued his career as a freelance singer working with many companies both in Britain and abroad, and has now sung many major roles - from Don Giovanni to The Flying Dutchman – he also created the role of Figaro in the world premiere of Giles Swayne's Le Nozze di Cherubino. His concert and oratorio work has taken him to such prestigious places as The South Bank, Royal Albert Hall and Huddersfield Town Hall. In 1989 he founded the touring company Opera Box with his partner Bridgett Gill, over the years directing many operas for the company. In 2004 the company received funding from the City & County of Swansea, and became Swansea City Opera.

Rebecca Anne Ivey
Rebecca was born and raised in South Wales, she is a graduate of Birmingham Conservatoire and Trinity College London, gaining scholarships to both. She was a finalist in the Kathleen Ferrier Undergraduate Competition representing Birmingham Conservatoire; the MOCSA Young Welsh Singer of the year, and the Stuart Burrows International Voice Award (2007).Since leaving college she has worked with various companies including Iford; Opera Del La Luna; WNO; Opera Box; Swansea City Opera; Guildford Opera; Opera Omnibus. Also Buxton and Garsington Festivals. Roles include Queen of the Night, The Magic Flute –Mozart Fiakermilli, Arabella – Strauss, Susanna & Barbarina The Marriage of Figaro –Mozart, Iole, Hercules-Handel, Frasquita, Carmen –Bizet.She has performed with the Morriston Orpheus and Pendyrus Male Voice choirs and was a participant on the Jose Cura Opera project (2007) and the Opera School Wales Master class with David Syrus(2007).

Fraser Goulding
Fraser Goulding was born in Worcestershire and studied piano with Sidonie Wasserman, and organ with Thomas Tunnard at Birmingham Cathedral. After reading Music at Bristol University, he studied as a repétiteur and conductor with James Robertson at the London Opera Centre. He was assistant to his other mentor, Vilem Tausky at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 1973-9. As Musical Director of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company from 1979 until the closure of the original company in 1982, he gained invaluable Savoyard experience, and thus continues to be in great demand for conducting performances of Gilbert & Sullivan. Fraser has given over 200 concerts for Raymond Gubbay with the London Concert Orchestra, the Manchester Concert Orchestra, and the Glasgow Concert Orchestra, and is regular Guest Conductor with the Chamber Orchestra of Wales. He regularly conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra, and has worked with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom he performed Handel’s Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall. Fraser’s wide operatic repertoire ranges from Mozart to Britten, and in October 1999, conducted the world premiere of Alun Hoddinott’s three-act opera Tower, commissioned by Opera Box, for whom he was Musical Director from 1992-2002. For The Lyric Opera of Dublin he has conducted Verdi’s Macbeth, and Puccini’s Tosca, and in lighter vein, has conducted Carousel for Nottingham Festival Opera, Calamity Jane for Hanover Productions. He has conducted Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring at the inaugural Baugé Festival, followed by a new production of Princess Ida at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton. Forthcoming engagements include a series of concerts in with the Manchester Concert Orchestra.

Andrew Gallacher
Andrew trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Since leaving college he has sung in opera, concerts and music-theatre in 20 countries around the globe. He is a regular soloist with The Royal Opera House, English National Opera, and Glyndebourne Festival Opera as well as performing with many of the independent companies such as Opera Box and Travelling Opera. Andrew has appeared in many television programmes both as singer and actor, as well as being a frequent broadcaster on radio. A number of composers have written works and roles especially for him to perform and he has appeared in no less than 60 World Premières. He is the Education Officer for Swansea City Opera and the Director of The Elixir of Love.

Gary McCann
Gary studied at Nottingham Trent University. Design credits include Thieves’s Carnival, Jungle Book, Broken Glass, Arabian Nights (Watermill Theatre, Newbury), Shang-a-lang, Song of the Western Men, The Lost Child, One Snowy Night (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Glass Menagerie, The Man of Mode, The Snow Queen, Merry Christmas Betty Ford, Iphigeneia in Aulis, Twelfth Night, Tearing the Loom, (Lyric Theatre Belfast), The Government Inspector, The Witch (R.A.D.A.), and Goblin Market (YMT-UK). He has worked as Art Director on major theatre, TV and opera productions in the UK, Japan and America. He is Associate Artist with the award-winning Irish company Ransom Productions, and a visiting lecturer at Queen's University, Belfast.

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