December 13th saw the premiere of a new chamber opera by Matthew Dewey and writer Alexander Dick called ‘The Buzz of the Sea’. The work (currently for solo baritone and piano) was premiered in concert by Tasmanian Baritone Michael Lampard and Pianist Karen Smithies at the Meadowbank Estate on the 13th December 2008 at 10.30am.
“Lyrical and Dramatic”
Peter Donnelly “The Buzz of the Sea”, The Mercury October 16th 2008.
Premiere of The Buzz of the Sea by Michael Lampard and Karen Smithies, Meadowbank Estate.
SYNOPSIS A young man is about to launch his dingy into the water. He loads the boat with fishing equipment and an esky and heads out to sea to escape the world for a while. While he fishes, he philosophies, and the unblinking eyes of the fish force him into a terrible admission.
About Michael Lampard
Michael Lampard is 22 years old and has just completed a ‘Bachelor of Music with Honours’ degree at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music, Australia studying classical voice under Suzanne Ortuso. He is the inaugural recipient of the ‘DJ Motors Tasmanian University Scholarship’. Michael is a founding member of the early music vocal ensemble “Consorte di Sospiri Interrotti”.
Michael has received recognition nationally and internationally, performing as soloist in recital, oratorio and opera. In 2004 Michael was awarded Associate of Trinity College London diploma and in 2005 Licentiate of Music Australia diploma.
Michael has performed as soloist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Hobart Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Pasdeloup, Rome Festival Orchestra, Melbourne Opera, 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, The Friends Singers and the Hobart Orpheus Choir. Conductors he has worked with include: Richard Bonynge, Placido Domingo, Fritz Maraffi, Simon Kenway, Timothy Sexton, Jean Louis Forestier, Gary Wain, Myer Fredman, Carol Nies, Peter Tanfield, Jonathon Grieves Smith, Rick Prakhoff, Greg Hocking and Simon Reade.
Michael has been featured on ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) national radio in the recital series ‘Young Australia’, and ABC Tasmania state radio as a regular guest artist. ABC national and state television has broadcast several documentaries on Michael’s development through boy soprano to baritone. In 2007 Michael was selected as a quarter-finalist in Placido Domingo’s OPERALIA competition in Paris. He was also a semi-finalist in the Australian Singing Competition and quarter-finalist in the McDonald’s Aria in Sydney. In 2006 he was a finalist in the Australian Singing Competition – The Mathy Awards in which he received 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 ‘Director’s Prize’ (2007), ‘Margaret Raward Award’ (2004), “Frank Schuster Memorial Award” (2006), ‘Nelson Prize’ and the ‘Jessie Wakefield-Luckman Prize for voice’ and has twice been included on the ‘Dean’s roll of excellence’ at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music. In July 2006 he was awarded first prize in the ‘DJ Motors Operatic Aria’ at the City of Hobart Hobart Eisteddfod. In 2007 Michael was the recipient of the Hobart Orpheus Choir Scholarship.
In 2005 Michael appeared in the role of Guglielmo from the Mozart opera ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ at the Rome Opera Festival. Michael was selected through international audition and is the first Australian singer to be involved with this festival.
Michael’s repertoire encompasses many roles in operas and oratorios including ‘Carmen’ (Bizet); ‘The Call of Aurora’ (Joe Bugden); ‘15 Years on Hold’ (Matthew Dewey); ‘Trial by Jury’ (Gilbert and Sullivan); ‘For No Apparent Reason?’ (Griffiths); ‘Da Ponte in Absentia’ (Koukias); “Olegas’ (Constantine Koukias); ‘Cats’ (Lloyd Webber); ‘Cinderella’ (Peter Maxwell-Davies); ‘La Serva Padrona’ (Pergolesi); ‘La Boheme’ (Puccini); ‘Trial by Jury’ (Gilbert and Sullivan); ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart); “Touch Wood” (Pompili); ‘Dido and Aeneas’ (Purcell); “Love’s Lesson’s Learned” (Sussmann); ‘As if electronically Controlled’ (Workshop) (C. Williams) ; ‘St. Matthew Passion’ (J.S. Bach); ‘Requiem’ (Durufle); ‘Te Deum’ (Dvorak); ‘Requiem’ (Faure); ‘In Ecclesiis’ (Gabrielli); ‘Messiah’ (Handel); ‘Prayer bells’ and “Troparion 2 – Only Begotten Son” (Constantine Koukias); ‘Requiem’, ‘Missa Longa’ and ‘Vesperae Sollemnes De Confessore’ (Mozart); ‘Psalm 150’ (Schutz).
Michael regularly performs in concert recitals from the genres of English art song, German lieder, French Melodie, Arie Antiche, Sacred vocal repertoire as well as commissioning and performing new works from composers as far spread as Mexico. Concert works include ‘Five Mystical Songs’ and ‘‘Songs of Travel’ (Vaughan Williams) ‘Gesange Des Harfners’ (Schubert); ‘Liederkreis Op. 24’ and ‘Dichterliebe’ (Schumann); ‘Kindertoten-lieder’ (Mahler); “Songs of the Fleet” (C.V. Stanford); ‘Six songs from a Shropshire Lad’ (Butterworth); ‘Psalm Eighty Four’ (Sheridan); ‘Five Popular Greek Songs (Ravel); ‘Don Quichotte e Dulcinee’ (Ravel); ‘An Die Ferne Geliebte’ (Beethoven); ‘When Night Her Purple Veil’ (Purcell); “Dalla Guerra Amorosa” (Handel); ‘A Twelfth Night Interlude’ (Don Kay); “Let us garlands bring” (Finzi); “Eight Epitaphs” (Chanler) and ‘Insomniac’ (Matthew Dewey). Accompanists Michael has had the pleasure to work with include Karen Smithies, Claire Cooper, Myra Huang, Dean Sky-Lucas, Janet Perkins, Sharrolyn Kimmorly, David Harper, David McNicol; and Shirley Trembath.
In 2007 an album entitled ‘Scent of Snow ‘ was released in Japan and featured Michael Lampard singing music by Tasmanian composer Tim Jones. For this release Michael appeared live on NHK radio in Japan.
Michael teaches classical voice privately, with students having success in local competitions and eisteddfods and successfully auditioning for national children’s choirs.
Upcoming performances include Schubert’s ‘Winterreise’ two recitals in Hobart including an Australian premiere performance of John Metcalf’s song cycle ‘In time of Daffodils’, the world premiere of Matthew Dewey’s ‘The Buzz of the Sea’ and a performance of John Rutter’s ‘Mass of the Children’ with the Friends Singers. Michael has also been selected as a finalist in the Australian Singing Competition – The Mathy Awards in October 2008 where he will perform at the Sydney Opera House with the Australian Opera and Ballet orchestra. In the coming years, Michael will also sing in the full performance seasons of Constantine Koukias’ new opera ‘Olegas’ and in Joe Bugden’s opera ‘The Call of Aurora’. Michael has also been offered a position in Di Capo Opera’s resident artist program in New York City, a position he is intending to take up in 2009.
