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The New Zealander mezzo-soprano, Felicity Smith, studied French and Music (voice and composition) at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand as well as completing a Master of Music in Musicology from the New Zealand School of Music, specialising in the French Baroque. She studied with Tim Evans-Jones as a Vocal Masters student at the Royal College of Music (RCM) graduating in July 2012 with Distinction. She was supported by the RCM Majorie Tonks Award, The Henry Wood Trust, and the Josephine Baker Trust. She was a hugely talented and intelligent young artist who contributed significantly to life at the RCM during her years of study.
While at the RCM she performed two roles in new operas for the RCM Great Expectations project. She sang in master-classes with Sarah Walker, Dame Felicity Palmer, and Roger Vignoles, and was the alto soloist for a series of J.S. Bach Cantata concerts directed by Helmuth Rilling for Musikfest Stuttgart.
A keen exponent of new and modern repertoires, Felicity premiered three major works by emerging composers at the RCM, and performed works by Cage and Reich with the RCM New Perspectives Ensemble. In 2011 she sang Luciano Berio's Folk Songs for the Philharmonia Orchestra's Bartok Festival.
Felicity won the 2011 Croydon Music Festival Concerto Competition singing Benjamin Britten's Phaedra, and was placed third in the 2012 Brooks-Van der Pump English Song Competition. Recent operatic roles include Second Witch in Dido and Aeneas for Britten Pears Young Artists, Shepherdess in Orfeo for Hampstead Garden Opera W.A. Mozart's The Magic Flute and Sandman in Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel for London Youth Opera.
Felicity Smith tragically died on Monday September 10, 2015 in London from a pulmonary embolism. In her RCM obituary it was said: "A fine intellect meant that Felicity's performances proved personal, detailed and perceptive. Felicity’s honesty and directness of approach was refreshing, as were her suggestions to improve the experience of singers at the RCM. It was a pleasure to see Felicity progressing well in the early stages of the profession." |
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Helmuth Rilling |
Alto |
BWV 7 [2nd, 2011, Video], BWV 26 [2nd, 2011, Video], BWV 81 [2nd, 2011, Video]
Excerpts from the Bach's Passions [2011, Video] |
