I’m delighted to say that I was selected as a finalist in the London Handel Festival International Singing Competition! It was a real joy to sing in.
I sang five contrasting Handel arias: a villain cheating his way into royal power (one of Garibaldo’s arias from the opera Rodelinda); a lover serenading his beloved (Claudio from Agrippina); an emperor determined to maintain order at any cost (Valens from Theodora); a father whose fatal error has doomed his own son (Cosroe from Siroe); and a servant who loses his master and decides to get drunk instead (Elviro from Xerxes).
The baroque ensemble led by Laurence Cummings have such an electric energy and glorious sound – the supportive, collaborative feeling during the performance was wonderful. If you missed it live, do check out the recording on Youtube here: I’m up first at 15:20, and keep watching to see the other awesome finalists Bethany Horak Hallett (2nd prize), Hilary Cronin (winner) and Felix Kemp who are on after me. As a finalist I’ll have a recital in the Handel Festival next year, so stay tuned!
Enjoy the video!
Ngā mihi,
Kieran
