Katerina’s Opera Blog

…. there’s always a first time, and this time it’s very exciting!

I can’t tell you how honoured I am to be singing in the biggest event to celebrate the 50th Independence Anniversary of the Republic of Cyprus, at Eleftheria Stadium in Nicosia. It is the first time for me to sing in a stadium, in front of thousands of people, and for that I am very thankful. The event, to be attended by the President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias, will involve music, dancetheatre in combination with multimedia projection presentation, and also incorporate a political dimension. I will be singing at the Grand Finale of the event, performing music composed especially for the event by Austrian-based Cypriot composer Roman Kariolou. I’m very much looking forward to meeting Roman in Prague soon, where I will be recording the piece with a professional symphony orchestra.

I’ve just come back from South Wales where I had a great time on the course, meeting wonderful singers and colleagues, singing Alice Ford from Falstaff  in the opera gala concert - such an amazingly hilarious role that I would love to perform soon (!), and being chosen to sing in a public Masterclass with John Fisher! My wellies proved to be very useful as the there was not a single day without rain… and some of it was pretty heavy… well I’m happy to find better weather in London!

I’ll write again soon. Hope you are all well and had a great summer.

Lots of Love,

KaterinaxXx

Hello, hello!

I know, it’s been a while since I posted a blog… and it’s Friday 13th today, but hey…. For us Greeks, the ‘good’ luck day is Tuesday 13th!  … As you can see I don’t believe in ‘bad’ luck and ‘good’ luck days. Every day is a new experience, with new opportunities, and let’s face it: Making use of all the opportunities presented to us is what makes Life so exciting.

I hope that you are enjoying the summer! The weather has been great here in the UK and even though we now have the odd shower, it’s still quite pleasant. I’m off to Wales soon, and I am taking with me a pair of wellies. Yes, well, partly for any rain that will come my way, but mainly because the production requires them. I’ll be singing Alice Ford, from Verdi’s opera Falstaff, at the international summer opera course ‘Can you sing opera’, at the seaside town of Porthcawl. I’m delighted to be working with conductor Carl Penlington-Williams and director Keith Cheetham, who is setting Falstaff in the 1950’s. Alice Ford is gardening, so a pair of wellies, a period dress and a white hat is her image. Oh, I’m expecting also to be wearing gardening gloves and some fake pearls on my neck, brilliant stuff!

I’m also learning the music for my autumn engagements at the moment, and I can reassure you there’s quite a lot to learn… I’m working on Verdi’s Requiem, Chopin’s song cycle op.74, Schumann’s song cycle Frauenliebe und -leben, and I’m expecting lots of vocal scores to arrive from Greece for a concert at this year’s EKON Festival, a celebration of contemporary Greek culture in the diverse setting of London! Not to mention the repertoire I’m learning for a few professional recordings that will take place in 2010. All is looking very busy and I am very thankful for that.

More news to follow in the next blog!

Kisses and lots of love,

Katerinaxx

Dear All,

How are you? I’ve missed writing a blog! ….. but I must admit I have been feeling very ‘lazy’ lately, enjoying the summer break and not doing much. This of course is not going to last much longer, as I started feeling the pressure of the new repertoire I have to learn, which is quite a LoT! So I’m hoping to start working seriously next week! …

I haven’t been completely out of it though…..went to the Opera House a couple of times; I got a last minute invitation to see Manon with Anna Netrebko in the title role, singing and acting like a GODESS! and I was so fortunate to be sitting in one of the Boxes - THANK YOU George for you kind invitation! I’ve also seen Salome a couple of nights ago at the Opera House - my God, how much I would love to play that role!

Went also to the ENO to watch Tosca, and last night my dear friend and colleague - the very talented composer Constantinos Stylianou - invited me to the National Theatre’s superb production of After the Dance. My word, this is an utterly brilliant show that I strongly recommend for a GREAT night at the theatre. This is National Theatre at its best! I could easily watch this play again.

So, I’ve been talking non stop…. Time to talk about a new and very exciting global network for classical music that I joined recently, called ‘Akouson Classical’  www.akouson-classical.com  The network is intended for professional performers, musicians studying at any level, musicologists, academics, teachers, artist agents, record labels and recording engineers, and provides a dedicated platform for interaction and promotion, as well as the opportunity to participate in events such as music workshops, competitions and concerts organised exclusively for ‘Akouson Classical’ members. There’s a great offer at the moment for membership, so hurry up if you are interested in joining! It’s very easy to join, add your profile and photos, write blogs and promote yourself. The founder and director of the network is the brilliant pianist performer Vicky Yannoula. Congratulations Vicky and best wishes for a very successful network! I’m very pleased to be part of it.

Thank you for reading my blogs and visiting my website. I promise to write again soon with exciting news about the opera course I will be attending next month in Wales, where I will be singing Alice Ford from Verdi’s Falstaff!

Lots of love, Katerina xxx

Good morning, kalimera sas!

Having recovered from May/June’s ‘marathon’, I am now preparing for a concert I have in Wakefield Cathedral with Wakefield’s Youth Symphony Orchestra and conductor James Cunningham. This is the last concert before the summer break ,where all I will be doing is eating, sleeping, singing and sun bathing! The autumn season is proving to be extremely busy, so I will be working every day on new repertoire for forthcoming concerts, and the recording of my first album which will be coming out soon.

The last two months were very stressful but very exciting at the same time, with one concert following another; the most challenging thing was that I had to perform different repertoire in every concert, some of which was completely new. I am very pleased with everything and very thankful that all went to plan and all concerts were very successful. Eddie is adding new material on the website, so when you have some free time, you can visit the Audio page to listen to some new tracks including arias like Casta Diva and Sempre Libera, as well as Mimi’s second aria from La Boheme. New reviews have been added already, and more photos as well as a repertoire page will be added soon.

I can’t finish my blog without talking about the Manama Singers in Bahrain and their terrific conductor, Mr Alistair Auld, who asked me to sing the soprano solo in David Fanshawe’s brilliant work, the ‘African Sanctus’. I was in Bahrain only for two and a half days, staying at a beautiful house of one of the Manama Singers whom I can’t thank enough for her wonderful hospitality - thank you Chris! I arrive at the first rehearsal, to be greeted by the most exciting and amazing choir, the Manama Singers! The largest and best choir of the Middle East.

Credit goes both to the singers for their determination and professionalism, and to their conductor Alistair Auld for his incredible passion, musicality and knowledge of the repertoire. It was great that the composer David Fanshawe was present at the rehearsals and the concert, and I am very happy to have met him and his wife Jane. I enjoyed every minute of the show and I hope that I will be asked to do more work in Bahrain, and for David Fanshawe.

I hope that you are well and happy, and enjoy the summer. The weather in the UK has been a real treat the last week and I hope it will be like this for the rest of the summer! …….

I will write again soon with very exciting news about the autumn season. Have a great weekend and speak soon,

Katerina xxx

Dear All,

How are you? This is going to be a short blog as it is nearly midnight and tomorrow is going to be another long day! … But I really wanted to write a blog today, so here we are. Now, check this out: I am in and out of airports at the moment and you know what? If you need any advice on how to pack your things within half an hour, the answer is very simple: Do not unpack your suitcase when travelling non stop. Trust me, it works!

It’s only been a few days since I came back from Cyprus where I was invited to contribute in fund raising money for the Red Cross. The event, an amazing fashion show by internationally acclaimed fashion designer Elena Antoniades, was watched by an audience of 650, and took place in the garden of a stunning private residence in Nicosia. I sang just before the fashion show started, my own operatic version of the Matrix soundtrack ‘Clubbed to Death’. The following day there was no time to waste… I was in the aeroplane again… on my way to the UK, where rehearsals and lots of learning were waiting for me.

I will be off to Bahrain soon, to sing the African Sanctus by David Fanshowe, with the Manama Singers and conductor Alistair Auld. I am really excited about this, as the piece itself is utterly exciting and very challenging for the soprano voice, which needs to carry over a huge choir, percussion, electric guitars, drum kit and electronic soundtrack. I am looking forward to be rehearsing with everybody, including David Fanshowe himself. As soon as the concert finishes I will be heading to my usual destination: the airport!

The London Song Festival is the last of a string of concerts in May and June, and then I will be able to rest for about a week before the next engagement. Check the London Song Festival’s website and book your tickets for Monday 14 June, at St John’s Waterloo! I’m truly delighted to be singing some of the most exquisite French Songs by Debussy, Renaldo Hahn, Saint-Saens, Lalo and Duparc, and to be sharing the concert with international artists baritone Marc Callahan and pianist Nigel Foster.

I’m off to bed now but I will talk to you again soon. Enjoy the summer, and be well and happy always,

Katerinaxxx

To celebrate the International Culture Day - or else the World Day for Culture and Cultural Heritage - the Culture Committee of the Cypriot Political Party EDEK, organised last night a wonderful event in which I was asked to perform, accompanied by members of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra. What a great honour this was for me. And as if this was not enough, EDEK’s party leader Mr Yiannakis Omirou presented me with a beautiful award for my artistic accomplishments worldwide! 

I am very honoured, and very thankful to Mr Omirou and to everybody at the Cultural Office of EDEK who organised an impeccable event.

The members of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra with Artistic Director Wolfgang Schroeder, gave a wonderful performance last night , accompanying me in Casta Diva, Sempre Libera, Donde lieta, Carmen’s Habanera, Giuditta’s Meine Lippen sie kuessen so heiss and Hadjidaki’s Chartino to Feggaraki. Thank you all so much!

Thank you also to the wonderful audience for such a warm welcome last night; I’m glad that you enjoyed the concert as much as we did!

I will be giving two more concerts this week with pianist Elena Mouzalas, in aid of the Christina Apostolou Foundation, and then… there’s more repertoire to learn and more concerts to give! … Speak to you all soon.

Katerina xxx

Hello, hello!

I’m working flat out at the moment, but find myself posting more blogs than ever! I’ve just been offered two tickets for tomorrow’s Dress Rehearsal of La Traviata at the Royal Opera House, and I am REALLY excited about it! Can’t wait to watch the show, plus Dimitris, who is a big fan of Verdi, is coming with me, sacrificing the Formula One Qualifying… Now, that’s something!

Moreover, I am truly delighted to be offered the Soprano Solo in Michael Tippett’s ‘Negro Spirituals’ and David Fanshawe’s ‘African Sanctus’, in a performance with the Manama Singers in Bahrain and conductor Alistair Auld. I’ve been told the composer David Fanshawe will be attending the show, which makes the whole experience even more exciting! … This comes straight after singing for the Red Cross in Nicosia and before my recital at the London Song Festival, so May and June will be very challenging months. 

I’ve also been offered an Opera Pops gala concert at Wakefield Cathedral in July, with Wakefield Youth Symphony Orchestra and conductor James Cunningham. The repertoire will include arias from Rigoletto, La Traviata, Norma, Madame Butterfly and Gianni Schicchi.

I will write again, hopefully before my engagements in Cyprus…

Till then, I wish you all a very nice and relaxing weekend,

peace, joy and happiness always!

Katerina xxx

Dear All,

Greetings from London. I hope that you are well and had a lovely time over the bank-holiday weekend, despite the wet weather! … I’m good, very busy at the moment with work commitments and preparation for the next engagements.

Last night I had the pleasure to be one of the judges at the BBC Idol Singing Talent Show, hosted by Martha and Eve, in aid of the Leukaemia Society (UK). What an amazing evening it was! Joined by three celebrity judges - DJ Ritu, Peter Polycarpou, and Vasilis Panayi - I felt so honoured to be asked to be on the panel and more over, to listen to four outstanding British Born Cypriot young singers competing for an opportunity to record their first album at Livingstone Studios. It was utterly exciting to experience so much talent, determination and passion from young musicians who want to pursue a career in the singing business. I wish all four them the very best of luck and I am convinced that they will fulfil their dreams.

I will be performing in Cyprus soon, please check the the Diary Page for concert dates and book your tickets! I look forward to seeing you, and please, come backstage at the end of the concerts to say HI!!!

Lots of love,

Katerina xxx 

… Just a quick note to say HI from Kuwait, where I am enjoying a DAY OFF today! On Monday, the shows of La Traviata were postponed due to the Volcanic Ash situation… On Wednesday morning, we receive a phone-call from the opera company, asking us to ‘pack our sun cream’ as we would fly out to Kuwait that same evening! And so we did. We arrived on Thursday morning and gave two amazing shows on Thursday and Friday evening. I am so happy to have performed the role of Violetta and I look forward to singing more Violettas soon! 

 I’ll be writing again with information about all forthcoming engagements. Very exciting!!!

Speak to you all very soon,

Katerina xxx

Dear Friends,

Just a quick note to wish you all a VERY HAPPY EASTER, filled with love, peace, joy, and lots of Easter chocolate eggs!!!

Kisses and hugs,

and speak to you all very soon,

Katerina xxx