Mariam Battistelli

Born in Ethiopia, the Italian soprano graduated with honours from Mantua’s Conservatorio di Musica Lucio Campiani, and later attended the Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo at Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia de Valencia. In 2017 she won both First Prize and Audience Prize at the prestigious Ottavio Ziino International Opera Competition in Rome. From 2017 to 2020 she joined the Wiener Staatsoper Ensemble, where she debuted as Musetta/La bohéme, Gretel/Hänsel und Gretel and Pamina/Die Zauberflöte, and worked with conductors including Christian Thielemann, Adam Fischer and Speranza Scapucci.

Jack is a freelance pianist and repetiteur based in London. He recently completed a masters in piano accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music, studying with Michael Dussek and James Baillieu. Graduating with a DipRAM and Regency prize, he won the Marjorie Thomas Art of Song Prize in competition. A thoroughly rewarding two years at the Academy produced many highlights with some extremely talented soloists. He has earnt a place on the Oxford Lieder Young Artist’s programme with soprano Clara Orif, performed as part of the Academy’s Song Circle, and performed at Wigmore Hall with trombonist Isobel Daws. Jack has acted as repetiteur for a range of productions, most recently Massenet’s Werther for Lyric Opera Ireland, and also productions of Bizet’s Carmen, Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, and Adam Gorb’s new opera The Path to Heaven. He also sings professionally for choirs and opera chorus, including under Carlo Rizzi for Opera Rara’s performance of Mercadante’s Il Proscritto at the Barbican.