Soloists

Gunnel Sjöberg, soprano
Sweden

Gunnel Sjöberg received her training as a singing teacher from the School of Music at the University of Örebro. She has also studied at the Royal University College of Music in Stockholm. Gunnel is a frequent soloist in such works as the St John Passion, the St Matthew Passion and the Christmas Oratorio of Bach and the Requiems of Mozart and Fauré. She has also appeared in several TV shows and concerts. Ms. Sjöberg performs a wide range of repertoire; however, baroque music is closest to her heart. Gunnel has worked with such reknowned conductors as Eric Ericson, Anders Öhrwall, Helmuth Rilling and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Gunnel has sung with the Örebro Chamber Choir for several years.

Manon Arnold, soprano
The Netherlands

Manon Arnold’s musical career began with the oboe which she studied at the conservatories of Utrecht and Rotterdam. She played in several Dutch professional orchestras as an oboist, among them the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and The Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 1999 Manon decided to become a singer and took up her studies with the American tenor James McCray. In the same year she was offered her first role as Bastienne in Mozart's Bastien and Bastienne in a staged performance in the famous ‘Beurs van Amsterdam.’ She has made solo appearances in the annual ‘Springbacher Musikfestival’ in Germany; toured with “Musika Serenata.” In 2003 Manon sang the role of Lady Macbeth and again accepted an invitation to the Springerbacher Musikfestival to be a soloist in Bach's cantata no. 61 and Handel's Messiah. During the same year she was engaged for the soprano solo in Mahler's fourth symphony. She recently performed during the festival 'Nederlandse Hartjesdagen' in Amsterdam and performed several Verdi operas in her home country; Fenena in 'Nabucco' ,Sieglinda in 'I Lombardi' and Flora in 'La Traviata', with The Netherlands Promenade Orchestra.

Sally-Anne Russell, mezzo soprano
Australia

One of Australia’s most popular and versatile performers, Sally-Anne is a principal mezzo soprano with Opera Australia. She is also in demand on the concert platform and frequently appears as a recitalist and recording artist. She has sung in fifteen countries and has over forty operatic roles to her credit.

Operatic roles include Isabella - L’Italiana in Algeri, Angelina - La Cenerentola, Rosina - Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Jo - Little Women (Australian Premiere), Cherubino - Le Nozze di Figaro (Green Room Award Nomination),2nd/3rd Ladies - Die Zauberflote, Dorabella -Cosi fan Tutte, Bradamante - Alcina, Sesto - Guilio Cesare, Amastris - Xerses, Juno/Ino -Semele, Ursula – Béatrice et Bénédict, Lucienne – Die Tote Stadt,  Mistress Quickly - Falstaff, Suzuki – Madama Butterfly, Dido – Dido & Aeneas, Stephano – Romeo & Juliet, Mallika – Lakme and Hansel – Hansel and Gretel. more ...
 

Benjamin Butterfield, tenor
Canada

Mr. Butterfield’s career highlights have included tours with Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert as well as with Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre throughout Europe, Israel and North America. He has also toured with the Welsh National Opera (Barber of Seville), New York City Opera (Magic Flute) and Canterbury Opera in New Zealand (Eugene Onegin) and has worked with Jonathan Miller at Glimmerglass (Tamerlano). He has performed To Hope at the Montreal Jazz Festival with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Britten’s War Requiem in Thessalonika with the London Philharmonia Choir and Stravinsky’s Persephone with actress Isabella Rossellini opening the 2000 – 01 opera season at the San Carlo in Naples, Italy as well as touring with that company to the ancient amphitheater of Epidaurus in Greece.

Other engagements have included Carnegie Hall with the Oratorio Society of New York, performing with the Chicago Symphony under James Conlon at Ravinia, singing the role of Wilhelm Meister in Mignon at Le Capitole in Toulouse and participating in the St. Matthew Passion at the Saito Kinen Festival in Japan under Seiji Ozawa. He has also performed in the Symphony halls of Dallas, Houston, Detroit, San Diego, Boston, San Francisco and Washington as well as at the Sheldonian Hall, Oxford, Kings College Chapel, Cambridge, The Royal Albert Hall in London and at the Royal Court Opera in the Palace of Versailles. more ...
 

Nanco de Vries, baritone
The Netherlands

After winning the Christina Deutekom Competition and after a cum laude master degree, the Netherlands Bass-Baritone Nanco de Vries had a flying start of his career. Soon he was discovered by the opera house of Mainingen (Germany) where he was invited for a permanent position. This was followed by an even more prestigious invitation for the Komische Oper in Berlin where he was engaged for four years. He performed roles such as Rigoletto (title role), Tosca (Scarpia) Carmen (Escamillo), The Flying Dutchman (title role), Ring cycle (Alberich), Don Giovanni (tilte role), Nozze di Figaro (title role), Cosi fan Tutte (Don Alfonso), Peter Grimes (Balstrode) and many others. Nanco also has been engaged by The Netherlands Opera, Opera Bordeaux, Schwerin Opera, Flemisch Opera, Reisopera, Opera Zuid and the Nordhausen Opera. more..