13895 Wagner News 174 - Wagner Society of England

WAGNER SOCIETY BAYREUTH BURSARY 2013 AUDITIONS
Royal Academy of Music, 10th June 2012
Andrea Buchanan
Photography by John W Rogers: jw.rogers@virgin.net
The Bayreuth Bursary audition day is always a good-humoured event, as we do our best
to put nervous young artists at their ease. With twenty candidates to accompany and
adjudicate it is also a very full day for judges and pianists alike. Richard Black and Kelvin
Lim did a sterling job, each accompanying his allocated singer in the audition room
whilst the other worked with his singer in the rehearsal room. They worked in a non-stop
sequence (apart from a few coffee and meal breaks) which filled a long day, during which
the singers clearly appreciated the help which they received from both of these very
accomplished musicians.
Kelvin Lim working with Bayreuth Bursary candidate Susan Parkes (soprano)
Judges Ludmilla Andrews, David Edwards and Malcolm Rivers
(photo: left) awarded places in the December 1st final to Rhonda
Browne (mezzo), Anando Mukherjee (tenor), Ben Woodward
(pianist) and Laura Wolk-Lewanowicz (soprano). They also
awarded a place in the final to Oliver Hunt (bass) who had come
along to be evaluated for some financial assistance from the
Wagner Society, and had previously indicated that he did not yet
feel ready to audition for the Bayreuth Bursary. In the event, the
judges were sufficiently impressed to offer him a place in the
Bursary finals in addition to some coaching to help him find an
appropriate piece. He is also reported as singing an excellent
Hunding in Fulham Opera’s Walküre and will sing Fasolt in their forthcoming production
of Rheingold. In the event Oliver accepted the offer and so he will participate in the finals.
Two finalists from last year: Simon Lobelson (bass) and Justine Viani (mezzo) re-applied
but were not required to audition as the judges were already aware of their capabilities.
– 32 –