Tasmanian Baritone Michael Lampard together with Pianist Karen Smithies will give the premiere of an aria from the new opera by Matthew Dewey with libretto by NIDA graduate Alexander Dick called The Buzz of the Sea. The opera, composed specifically for Michael to perform, is a one man chamber opera designed to act as a double bill for Dewey’s second opera, The Death of Chatterton. The aria will be premiered in concert at the University of Tasmania Conservatorium of Music in Hobart on Thursday, November 8 at
7:30pm.
About Michael Lampard:
Michael Lampard (A.T.C.L., L_Mus., B_Mus) Michael is 21 years old and has just completed a ‘Bachelor of Music’ degree at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music, studying classical voice under Suzanne Ortuso. He is the inaugural recipient of the ‘DJ Motors Tasmanian University Scholarship’. In 2007 Michael will complete his ‘Honours’ degree and the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music. In demand as a soloist in recital, oratorio and opera, and has performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Orchesta Pasledoup, Hobart Chamber Orchestra, Rome Festival Orchestra, Alexander Productions, Bel Canto Young Opera, IHOS Opera, Ice Breaker Productions (Adelaide), Tasmanian University Musical Society, Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music Symphony Orchestra and Concert Choir, Tasmanian Chorale, Launceston Philharmonic Society and the Hobart Orpheus Choir. Michael has been featured on ABC national radio and ABC national and state television. This year he was a finalist in the Australian Singing Competition – The Mathy Awards and was the recipient of four awards including the audience vote award. He holds prizes from the National Liederfest, and is a Joan Sutherland Scholarship award finalist. He is a recipient of the Directors Prize ‘Margaret Raward award’ (2006) and ‘Frank Schuster Memorial Award’ (2006) from the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music. In July 2006 he was awarded first prize in the ‘DJ Motors Operatic Aria’ at the Hobart Eisteddfod. In 2006 Michael was a finalist and in 2007 a semi-finalist in the Australian Singing Competition. In 2007 Michael was selected from international audition as a quarter finalist in Placido Domingo’s OPERALIA competition in Paris. Michael’s repertoire encompasses many works and composers including ‘La Serva Padrona’ (Pergolesi); ‘Cinderella’ (Maxwell-Davies); ‘For No Apparent Reason?’ (Griffiths); ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ (Mozart); ‘Da Ponte in Absentia’ (Koukias); ‘Love’s Lesson’s Learned’ (Sussmann); ‘Touch Wood’ (Pompili) ’15 Years on Hold’ (Dewey), ‘Dido and Aeneas’ (Purcell), ‘Requiem’, ‘Missa Longa’ and ‘Vesperae Sollemnes De Confessore’ (Mozart) ‘Requiem’ (Faure) ‘Requiem’ (Durufle), ‘Messiah’ (Handel) ‘Prayer bells’ and ‘Troparion 2 – Only Begotten Son’ (Koukias). ‘Five Mystical Songs’ and ‘Songs of Travel’ (Vaughan Williams) ‘Gesange Des Harfners’ (Schubert); ‘Dichterliebe’ and ‘Liederkries Op. 24’ (Schumann), ‘Kindertoten-lieder’ (Mahler); ‘Songs of the Fleet’ (C.V. Stanford); ‘Don Quichotte e Dulcinee’ (Ravel); ‘A twelfth night interlude’ (Don Kay); ‘When Night her Purple Veil’ (Purcell); ‘An Die Ferne Geliebte’ (Beethoven); and ‘Insomniac’ (Dewey). Although Michael’s repertoire is so vast, he has a few areas of particular interest: The operas of Mozart and Verdi, the Schubert lied repertoire and contemporary opera particularly by English and American composers including Tobias Picker. Michael is also a big supporter of new Australian music commissioning works and performing several premieres by young and established composers. In 2003 Michael commenced studying composition and works include a mass setting and two chamber operas, songs, song cycles and choral works. He is currently composing a full-scale opera, a choral magnificat and a song cycle for baritone voice based on the poetry of Australian poet Margaret Scott. Michael also studied conducting with Jean Louis Forestier and Tze-Law Chan and is this capacity works with Bel Canto Australia and musically directs the male vocal ensemble ‘Ensemble Del Sarte’. Michael teaches classical voice privately, with students having success in local competitions and eisteddfods. Upcoming performances include ‘Winterreise’. (Schubert), Matthew Passion (Bach) ‘Olegas’ (Koukias), Cats (Llyod Webber), and the ‘The Call of Aurora’ (Bugden) and several roles in new operas and standard repertoire. He also has large amount of recitals and concerts booked well into 2009.
Visit Michael Lampard’s homepage at www.michaellampard.com