Stephanie Marshall with Rising Stars of Orion Chamber Music Concert

Thursday 30 November 2017 at 7 pm at the Embassy of Switzerland 16–18 Montagu Place, London W1H 2BQ THE SWISS CONNECTION

The artistic director of the Orion Orchestra Toby Purser will introduce the internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Stephanie Marshall and members of the Orion Orchestra.

The concert will be followed by a reception when the audience will also have the unique opportunity to meet the artists and hear the exciting projects envisaged by the Orchestra for the season 2017/2018.

I/we would like to attend the event on Thursday 30 November 2017 at 7 pm at the Embassy of Switzerland, 16–18 Montagu Place, London W1H 2BQ. Entrance: £5 for NSH members, £15 per person for non-members.

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As booking is essential, please return the completed slip to Camilla Ghislanzoni, 49 Beaumont Road, London W4 5AL with your cheque made payable to New Helvetic Society. If you wish to pay by bank transfer, email the number of seats you require with your name, address, email and telephone number, names of your guest and the amount of your payment to [email protected]. Here are the bank details: Account holder: New Helvetic Society, Sort code: 60-06-18, Account no: 50563556 Registration deadline: 25 November 2017 – Confirmation of your booking will be sent to you.

New Helvetic Society, c/o Embassy of Switzerland, 16–18 Montagu Place, London W1H 2BQ Website: www.newhelveticsociety.org.uk | Email: [email protected] Thursday 30 November 2017 at 7 pm at the Embassy of Switzerland 16–18 Montagu Place, London W1H 2BQ

The Orion Orchestra Patron HRH Princess Michael of Kent President Lady Solti Orion Orchestra was founded in 2005 by current ENO Mackerras Fellow Toby Purser to give London’s best young classical musicians, the experience, inspiration and mentorship they need to bridge the gap between music college and a professional career. Through its concerts, Orion also promotes access to music for those with the least opportunity. Over it’s decade-long history, Orion has:

 given concert opportunities to over 1,500 young musicians including Swiss artists, launching professional careers.

 inspired children across the South-East to take up a musical instrument for the first time in their lives.

 brought the vitality of a young orchestra to everyone – dedicating 20% of tickets to those who wouldn’t ordinarily be able to attend classical concerts.

Over the years, the New Helvetic Society has supported and seen first-hand the wonderful work that Orion does, and what they are capable of achieving. Conductor Toby Purser has some truly exciting plans for the coming years of Orion – giving opportunities to increasing numbers of young musicians, and enhancing the musical life of London at the same time – and we would be delighted if you would join the orchestra and its supporters for an evening on 30th November.

Toby Purser Presently English National Opera Mackerras Conducting Fellow, a Composers’ Prize, a Young Founder and Artistic Director of the Orion Orchestra, and Conductors’ Award and a Artistic Director of the Peace and Prosperity Trust, Toby Purser Great Young Soloists series. first came to prominence as a prizewinner in the 2002 Leeds His debut CD with the Conducting Competition. He was also appointed Assistant orchestra was released in Conductor of L’Ensemble Orchestral de Paris following his 2010, with critical acclaim participation in the 2007 Vendome Academy with Janos Furst praising his “passionate but and John Nelson. finely nuanced” conducting.

Orchestras he has conducted include the Royal Philharmonic For English National Opera, he has conducted The Marriage Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Royal Liverpool of Figaro. At Grange Park Opera, he has conducted Madama Philharmonic, London Concert Orchestra, Manchester Concert Butterfly, Eugene Onegin, Rigoletto and Fortunio, which Orchestra, L’Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Kotor Chamber was also performed at the Buxton Festival and with Opera Orchestra, the Orchestra of Opera North, Orpheus Sinfonia, Della Luna The Daughter of the Regiment, Orpheus in Oxford University Orchestra, Cambridge University Chamber the Underworld and Tales of Offenbach. Other operatic Orchestra, Sinfonia Viva, Kammerphilharmonie Graz, the St performances have included Bailey’s The Black Monk for The Petersburg Camerata and the St Petersburg Festival Orchestra. Sirius Ensemble, Haydn’s The Apothecary and La Canterina He conducted a number of concerts for Raymond Gubbay for Bampton Classical Opera, Hänsel und Gretel and Die Ltd including Tchaikovsky Spectacular and Love Classics Entführung aus dem Serail for British Youth Opera and Le at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Spectacular Classics at Comte Ory for Chelsea Opera Group. For Pimlico Opera, he Bridgewater Hall, Birmingham, and Christmas concerts at the has conducted productions in various prisons, with a cast Barbican, London. His CD ‘Bel Canto’ with tenor Jesús León and of inmates performing alongside professionals in repertoire the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra was released last include Carmen the Musical, Les Misérables, Sugar, Sister Act, year by Opus Arte CD. Sweeney Todd and West Side Story.

In 2005 Toby Purser founded the Orion Orchestra, a stepping- During 2016 / 2017, Toby Purser assisted Mark Wigglesworth stone orchestra for the most talented musicians leaving on Lulu and Ryan Wigglesworth on The Winter’s Tale at ENO, music college, and has developed it into one of London’s great as well as assisting Edward Gardner on Eugene Onegin at the orchestral successes, receiving glowing reviews and recognised Opéra national de Paris and Anthony Neguson Tristan und as a leading organisation for young musicians. Isolde at Longborough Festival Opera.

Now performing over a dozen concerts per year in all of Current plans include conducting performances of La Traviata London’s most prestigious venues, he recently toured with and The Turn of the Screw, the UK premiere of Johann Strauss’s them to Singapore as part of the Shaw Foundation’s ‘Ones to operetta Das Spitzentuch der Königin for Opera della Luna Watch’ Series at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatoire. Together, and with the East Anglia Chamber Orchestra, the London they have worked with soloists including Nicola Benedetti, International Orchestra, the Orion Orchestra and for Raymond Susan Gritton, Tasmin Little, Joanna MacGregor, Alwyn Mellor, Gubbay Ltd. Dame Ann Murray, Teo Gheorghiu, Martin Grubinger, Guy Johnston, Jack Liebeck, Julian Lloyd-Webber, Dennis O’Neill, Valeriy Sokolov and Simon Trypceski. Toby Purser also initiated

Stephanie Marshall – Mezzo Soprano Winner of the 2001 Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship, Canadian mezzo soprano Stephanie Marshall studied at the Royal Academy of Music, where she was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Excellence. A member of the Young Artist Programme at English National Opera, she later became a Company Principal.

Stephanie made her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Gwendolen Fairfax in Gerald Barry’s The Importance of Being Earnest – she reprised this role in the 2015/16 season and then performed the role at the Lincoln Centre, New York with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Since her debut, Stephanie has returned to the ROH for the World Premiere performances of The Crackle by Matthew Herbert, singing the central role of Susannah and last season for a new production of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.

Her engagements in North America include the title role in The Handmaid’s Tale for the Canadian Opera Company, Proserpina L’Orfeo for the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, Erika Vanessa and Nancy Albert Herring for Pacific Opera Victoria. Among numerous engagements at English National Opera are Cherubino Le nozze di Figaro, Annio La Clemenza di Tito, Mercedes Carmen, Sonja War and Peace, and Wellgunde in As a recitalist, Stephanie has performed with Julius Drake, Phyllida Lloyd’s staging of The Ring Cycle. Further appearances Christopher Glynn, Michael McMahon and Jonathan Papp. include the title roles of Maria Stuarda, Ariodante and Xerxes, She made her debut at the Wigmore Hall in 2002. Her recitals Sesto La Clemenza di Tito, Le Prince Charmant Cendrillon and have been recorded and broadcast by the both the BBC and Octavian Der Rosenkavalier. the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. This season she will return to the Oxford Lieder Festival appearing with Gary On the concert platform, Stephanie has sung the Angel The Matthewman in a recital of Faure and Schubert. Stephanie will Dream of Gerontius and El amor brujo with the Hallé, with the also be singing the role of Romeo Capuleti e i Montecchi for the BBC Symphony Orchestra she performed van der Aa’s Spaces Buxton Festival this summer. of the Blank at the Spitalfield’s Festival and with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra she created the role of Sidonie Current plans include conducting performances of La Traviata von Grasenabb in Gerald Barry’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von and The Turn of the Screw, the UK premiere of Johann Strauss’s Kant – a performance that was later released on CD. Stephanie operetta Das Spitzentuch der Königin for Opera della Luna returned to the BBC Proms in 2012 as Nancy T’ang Nixon in and with the East Anglia Chamber Orchestra, the London China She has appeared regularly with the Classical Opera International Orchestra, the Orion Orchestra and for Raymond Company, in roles including Arbate Mitridate, Re di Ponto and Gubbay Ltd. Giacinta La Finta Semplice.

New Helvetic Society, c/o Embassy of Switzerland, 16–18 Montagu Place, London W1H 2BQ Website: www.newhelveticsociety.org.uk | Email: [email protected]