Susan Parkes
Operatic Soprano
E-mail parkessusan@hotmail.com
Susan Parkes, Soprano
Susan Parkes gained a BMus(Hons) and a Postgraduate Diploma (with distinction) at Royal College of Music where she was an undergraduate scholar. She now studies with Jennefer Dakin.
Susan has considerable operatic experience having performed in London productions of Puccini's Madama Butterfly (the role of Cio Cio San ) for Hampstead Garden Opera. Mozart's Don Giovanni (the role of Donna Anna) for Opera de Baugé in France. Mozart's Der Schauspieldirecktor (role of Mdme Siberklang) for Charles Court Opera. Puccini's La Rondine,Tosca and La Boheme, Bizet's The Pearl Fishers. Straus's Die Fledermaus (the role of Ida), Lehar's Merry Widow (role of Olga) Massenet's Werther (Role of Kätchen) Verdi's Stifelio,Cilea's Adrianna, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and Beethoven's Fidelio.(Opera Holland Park). Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera (Capital Opera). She has also performed The Cunning Little Vixen (the role of the Young vixen) for British Youth Opera and Eric Satie's Socrates (Role of Fedon) for Sevenoaks Opera. Her RCM opera scenes include Butterfly in the flower duet from Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Leonora in Beethoven's Fidelio and Euradice in Gluck's Orfeo.
In concert Susan has sung in Szymanowski’s King Roger (conducted by Sir Simon Rattle at Salzburg International Music Festival) and in Stravinsky’s Les Noces in the Bath International Music Festival. She has performed in Carl Orff's Carmina Burana and in the world premiere of Judith Weir’s Storm at the BBC Proms,Handel's Cleopatra arias at St John Smith Square and Haydn's Nelson Mass at the Fairfield Hall. In 2001 Susan was one of the soloists (along with former Young Musician of the Year Guy Johnston) in the premiere of Karl Jenkins The Armed Man’s Mass for Peace, at the Royal Albert Hall, and subsequently recorded the work for Virgin records later featured on classic fM.
Other major solo appearances have included a selection of Brahms' Lieder in St Phillips Cathedral in Birmingham (with the CBSO) and Berlioz's Les nuits d’été at Symphony Hall, Birmingham and at the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire, both in 1999.
Susan was selected to appear and perform in a major Hollywood film called If Only in which she sings "Je veux vivre" from Roméo et Juliette by Gounod, which was released in late 2005. In December 2004 she was interviewed and sang "O mio babbino caro" live on BBC Radio. She has recently performed a selection of Puccini arias at Symphony Hall and sang the roles of Solveig and Anita in the complete version of Greig's Peer Gynt at the Royal College of Music.
Susan has participated in masterclasses with many distinguished musicians including Sir Robert Tear, Sarah Walker, Roger Vignoles and Jane Manning. She was selected to perform at an opera masterclass with Terry Edwards and Sir David Willcocks, at the Royal Opera's Lindbury Studio which was televised on BBC 2. Susan has toured the Netherlands, Greece, America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii, and recently gave her first vocal masterclass, in Australia.
Upcoming performances include The Marriage of Figaro at Sadlers Wells, The Buxton Festival and an Italian Tour with The Classical Opera Company, Dvorak's Te Deum, and a premiere of a work specially written for Susan with orchestra by Darrel Davidson. She has also recently been asked to appear on E4 to speak in a debate about opera due to be televised soon.
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Mob 0798 9017809