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Our team is lead by our Musical Director - SIMON CURTIS.
Since he turned professional in 1997 he has performed with many of
the leading opera companies throughout the UK including
Glyndebourne, D’Oyly Carte and The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
For the last 10 years he has been a member of Welsh National Opera,
with whom he has performed and understudied a large number of roles,
including the title role in
Jephtha
and Kromow in
The Merry Widow
alongside Lesley Garrett, which was broadcast on the BBC.
His concert work is extensive, having appeared at the Royal Albert
Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, St Johns Smith Square, Symphony Hall
Birmingham, The Bridgewater Hall Manchester, The Royal Centre
Nottingham and many other venues in the UK and Europe.
Simon has been a conductor, vocal coach and arranger for Sing Live
UK, a course tutor for the National Youth Choir of Wales and has
also worked with the WNO Community Choir on an operatic FlashMob. He
is also a member of the corporate entertainment group TLM
Productions.
Simon is very proud to have founded and been musical director of City Voices Cardiff since it was formed in 2008 and in September he launched City Voices Bristol on a similar journey.
Simon is also Director of the Royal Welsh College
of Music and Drama
Community and
Youth Choirs.
For more information about Simon have a look at
www.simoncurtis.com Assistant Musical Director - DAVID DOIDGE Born in Plymouth, David is currently at the
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. As a young
performer he has musically directed and coached much music theatre
in the Plymouth area such as Oklahoma, Carousel, Fame the Musical,
Snoopy the Musical, Les Miserables and Oliver. In festivals and
competitions throughout Devon and Cornwall, David has had many
successes performing as a soloist and an accompanist for visiting
artists. During his time at the RWCMD, he has worked with the BBC
National Orchestra of Wales as an orchestral pianist for Video Games
Live and other performances, Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir,
Monmouth Choral Society, Welsh National Opera as an accompanist for
chorus and orchestral members, internationally acclaimed soprano
Rebecca Evans and Last Choir Standing winners Only Men Aloud! and
has recently been appointed assistant musical director for City
Voices Cardiff shortly after winning 1st prize in the Mansel Thomas
accompaniment competition. Over the Easter period of 2010, David was
invited to spend four days playing in concert as a soloist and
accompanist on the island of Ischia (Italy) in celebration of the
lives of Sir William and Lady Susana Walton for their dedication and
passion to the profession of composition and performance. Shortly
after, David was granted a place on Yehudi Menuin’s scheme Live
Music Now with soprano Reisha Adams and has performed extensively
all over Wales. This year David also gained joint 1st prize in the
RWCMD annual concerto competition playing Shostakovich’s 2nd Piano
Concerto which was performed at Hoddinott Hall with Cardiff
Philharmonic Orchestra in June 2011 and is to be performed again at
St. David’s Hall with the RWCMD Symphony Orchestra in the spring of
2012. David has had the opportunity to perform for and with many
iconic professional pianists such as Bernard Roberts, Polina
Leschenko, Fazliddin Husanov, Richard McMahon, Martin Jones, Michael
Pollock, Simon Lepper, Anna Tilbrook, Richard Ormrod, and Leon
McCawley and continues with his piano studies at the college.
Rhiannon Pritchard and David Doidge - Christmas Spectacular 2009 Photo by Steve Hughes Principal Accompanist - RHIANNON PRITCHARD Rhiannon graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2009 where she studied piano with head of keyboard, Richard McMahon. She has already had many solo, accompanying and chamber group opportunities, taking part in many recitals and concerts in venues such as the Wales Millennium Centre, St David’s Hall and the National Museum of Wales. Rhiannon has also partaken in master classes led by both pianists and accompanists including Cardiff Singer of the World adjudicator Helmut Deutsh, renowned accompanist Simon Lepper and international pianists Leon McCawley and Martin Jones. During her time in college, she played the piano for numerous productions including Bernstein’s ‘West Side Story’ for RWCMD, Stravinsky’s ‘The Rake’s Progress’, Brian Irvine’s ‘The Calling of Maisy Day’ and Sondheim’s ‘Sweeney Todd’ for Welsh National Youth Opera. As well as being a member of the orchestra, Rhiannon was a repetiteur and vocal coach for the WNYO productions, where she was awarded the Seligman Award for her work. She has also been a repetiteur on other productions including ‘Pirates of Penzance’ and ‘Into the Woods’ for St David’s Catholic College, and sectional rehearsals for the BBC. She is also a repetiteur for ‘Opera’r Ddraig’. In 2009 she won the RWCMD’s Accompanist Prize adding to the Mansel Thomas Prize and the WNYO Seligman Award won in 2008. As well as accompanying many singers and instrumentalists, Rhiannon is also an avid member and accompanist for Cardiff choirs City Voices and CF1, who regularly take part in various Eisteddfods and concerts throughout Wales, and is also one of the accompanists for Morriston RFC Male Voice Choir. Rhiannon was accepted for the late Yehudi Menuhin’s musician scheme, Live Music Now, the largest outreach programme of its kind in the UK. 2010 sees more work as a repetiteur for Welsh National Opera MAX dept., the BBC, LMN, RWCMD and as an accompanist for many concerts and competitions, including the Stuart Burrows singing prize and the Eisteddfod. Last Updated 4th January 2012 Copyright © City Voices Cardiff
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