“We are thrilled to introduce an exciting line-up of young professional singers performing the world premiere of Fame & Envy under the direction of brilliant American director Callie Nestleroth.”
Teddy Woolgrove, Baritone. Plays Florian
A recent graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where he was awarded first prize in the John Ireland Prize and Edward Brooks Lieder Prize in 2022. Recent performances include Barabashkin (cover) in Cherry Town, Moscow (Shostakovich) with Welsh National Youth Opera and Mother Star in The Flowering Desert (Daniel Blanco Albert) with Infinite Opera. Roles at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire include Madame Beurrefondu in Mesdames de la Halle (Offenbach), Father/Other Father in Coraline (Turnage), Surgeon in Banished (McNeff), and Sir Thomas Bertram in Mansfield Park (Dove). Scenes at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire include Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Britten), Guglielmo in Così fan tutte (Mozart), Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni (Mozart), and Minskman in Flight (Dove). When not performing, Teddy teaches singing and piano in Birmingham and works in the productions team at Birmingham Contemporary Music Group.
Victoria Harley, Soprano. Plays Helena
Victoria is a soprano in her 2nd year of a Postgraduate Diploma studying at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Previous roles she has sung are Musetta (La Boheme), Nance Ferrell (Banished, Stephen McNeff) and in March 2023 she sang the role of Vixen Sharp-Ears in Janacek’s Cunning Little Vixen. In Opera Scenes she has sung Governess (Turn of the Screw, Britten), Irma (Louise, Charpentier), Fiordiligi and Marcellina (Cosi fan Tutte, Le Nozze de Figaro). She has sung in masterclasses with Jacques Imbrailo and Susan Bickley, and was recently invited to sing in a masterclass and gala concert with James Black at the North Wales Opera Studio. At RBC she also won third prize in the Edward Brookes Lieder Prize and was a finalist in the Ashleyan Opera Prize. Outside of opera Victoria is an accomplished metal vocalist and has performed across the UK and Europe. She is still an active part of the scene and provides operatic vocals for bands as both a recording and live artist.
Giuseppe Pellingra, Bass. Plays Dan Decimate
Born in Sicily, Giuseppe begins exploring his interest in music early. After attending a 2-year course in performing arts in Palermo he decides to commit to classical singing, he starts to sing minor roles in staged operas such as Rossini’s ‘Barbiere di Siviglia’ in Malta, Donizetti’s ‘Le Convenienze ed Inconvenienze Teatrali’ and Puccini's ‘Manon Lescaut’ in Palermo. Later, he sings Gennaro Iovine in Nino Rota’s ‘Napoli Milionaria’ in Lucca, Livorno, Pisa, and Budapest, and as Mafia in ‘Falcone e Borsellino’ at Verdi Theatre in Pisa. In London, he was cast as Father Francis in ‘Tolkien’ at The Arts Theatre in the West End.
In 2022 Giuseppe completed his Master of Music (MMus) degree at Trinity & Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (TLCMD) in London. He actively took part in masterclasses led by Elaine Kidd (ROH Jette Parker programme), James Clutton (Opera Holland Park), Roderick Williams, David Kempster, Andrew Shore, and Laurent Naouri.
Joshua Elmore, Counter Tenor. Plays Louella
Joshua is a native of Mobile, Alabama, U.S.A. He studied at the University of Southern Mississippi where he received a bachelor’s degree in music education and at the University of Leeds where he received a master’s degree in vocal performance.
Joshua has performed in the U.S., the Caribbean, Europe, and the UK where he presented several recitals, premiered pieces, and has been the soloist in numerous works. A few of his musical engagements are as follows: Countertenor Chorister, Seven Last Words (English National Opera Chorus), 'La Maestra Delle Novizie', Suor Angelica (Carmina Priapea Opera Company), ‘Cat’, Brundibar, (Boco Arts), Alto/Mezzo Soprano soloist, Vivaldi’s Gloria (Richmond Choral Society), Alto soloist, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (St. Mary Magdalene Church Richmond Choir), and ‘Ruth/Zorah’, Ruddigore (Leeds University Opera Society).
Freya Jacklin, Soprano. Plays Amanda.
Freya Freya studied at the University of York, where she achieved a 1st class hons degree in Music followed by study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama achieving a Distinction for her MA and MMus in Vocal Performance. She regularly performs with the BBC Singers, London Voices, Ex Cathedra, RSVP Voices, Philharmonia Voices, the Hanover Band and the Chamber Choir of London.
Career highlights include solos with Birmingham Opera Company in Stockhausen’s Mittwoch aus Licht directed by Graham Vick, singing on various film soundtracks and two solo performances at the Wigmore Hall.
Opera credits include: Hansel (Hansel and Gretle), Amastris (Xerxes), Dido and Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas), The Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors), Julia Bertram (Mansfield Park), Annina and Flora (La Traviata), Cherubino (Marriage of Figaro), 2nd Lady and 2nd Boy (Magic Flute), various roles (Suor Angelica) and Marc Antonio (Marc Antonio e Cleopatra).
Stephen Brown, Tenor. Plays Joseph
Stephen is a young London-based Jugendlicher Heldentenor, fresh from completing his MMus at Trinity Laban conservatoire. A Kathleen Creed scholar, Stephen has recently been highly focused on English repertoire – playing such roles as Fredric in Pirates of Penzance for Cardiff Opera and Don Basilio/Don Curzio in an English production of The Marriage of Figaro for Puzzle Piece Opera. Stephen is excited to be joining Oxford Contemporary Opera and hopes that Joseph, his actual brother, could be half as intelligent as his namesake character.
Callie Nestleroth, Artistic Director.
Callie is a theatre and opera director based in London. Originally from the USA, Callie has previously lived in New York City where she worked with organizations including The Wooster Group, New Georges and Fresh Ground Pepper. She moved to London for a Masters in Advanced Theatre Practice at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Callie is passionate about developing innovative ways of engaging audiences directly into the world of a production. This involves working in an interdisciplinary, interactive way, often in site-specific spaces as well as in theatres.