BIOGRAPHIES SIMON CALLAGHAN CONWAY Steinway Artist Simon Callaghan has performed throughout the UK, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Austria, France and Belgium and has broadcast on BBC TV and radio. Engagements have included Wigmore Hall, Fairfield HALL Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, St David’s Hall Cardiff and Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. In chamber music he has SUNDAY performed with the Maggini, Sacconi and Carducci Quartets, Tim Hugh, Raphael Wallfisch, Jack Liebeck and the actors Samuel and Timothy West and Prunella Scales. Other highlights include a gala concert with ENO principals, CONCERTS a residency at the Banff Centre (Canada) a highly acclaimed recording of English piano music and the first UK performance since 1946 of Medtner’s Third Piano Concerto. Recent recordings include a two-disc recording of Delius orchestral works in arrangements for two pianos, a two-volume set of Brahms and a highly-acclaimed world premiere recording of music by Roger Sacheverell Coke (on SOMM). Simon is Head of Piano at the Ingenium Summer Academy (Winchester) and Artistic Director of the renowned Conway Hall Sunday Concerts, the longest-running Patrons - Stephen Hough, Laura Ponsonby AGSM, Prunella Scales chamber music series in Europe. CBE, Roderick Swanston, Hiro Takenouchi and Timothy West CBE Artistic Director - Simon Callaghan

Sunday February 14th 2016, 6:30pm

VALENTINE’S OPERA GALA NEXT AT CONWAY HALL Sunday February 21st 2016, 6.30pm FABIEN THOUAND (OBOE) with members of the London Symphony Orchestra ILONA DOMNICH MARIO SOFRONIOU Laurent Quenelle - Violin Malcolm Johnston - Viola SIMON WALLFISCH Eve-Maria Caravassilis - Cello PIANO SIMON CALLAGHAN Mozart Oboe Quartet in F K370 Fiala Oboe Quartet in F Britten Phantasy in F minor Moeran Fantasy Quartet Françaix Quartet (for Cor Anglais and String Trio)

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Conway Hall Sunday Concerts are an integral part of the charitable activities of Conway Hall. Please turn off all mobile phones and electronic devices. Conway Hall’s registered charity name is Conway Hall Ethical Society (n o . 1156033). No recording and photographing allowed at any time. PROGRAMME BIOGRAPHIES ILONA DOMNICH Ilona Domnich is a rising opera star described by critics as a memorable voice of silken beauty with a luminous edge (1756-91) to the tone, a sensitive musician and an actress of magnetic presence. She was chosen by Opera Now 2014 as one of EIN MÄDCHEN ODER WEIBCHEN [Die Zauberflöte K620 (1791)] (Wallfisch) their Top 10 high flyers, a “new generation of who are destined to have impressive careers” and is The artist of the month in Opera now magazine. Her recent CD “Surrender, voices of Persephone” of operatic arias and duets Mozart with the baritone is released world-wide by Signum Records. Ilona studied in St. Petersburgh, Jerusalem and the RCM in London. She has performed at English National Opera, Buxton and Grange Park Opera, BBCCO and music PAPAGENO AND PAPAGENA [Die Zauberflöte] (Domnich & Wallfisch) festivals in the UK and Europe and sung title roles in operas including , , , , , La Boheme, Pelleas and Melisande, , Onegin, Merry Widow, Fortunio, (1813-1901) La voix humaine. In 2015 Ilona sang Olympia/Antonia/Guilietta/Stella in the English Touring Opera production of The CARO NOME [Rigoletto (1851)] (Domnich) Tales of Hoffman. Future plans include Poulenc Gloria at Notre Dame de Paris, Brahms Requiem, Songs of the Auvergne and concerts at Albert Hall, Barbican and Birmingham Symphony Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Verdi E IL SOL DELL’ANIMA [Rigoletto] (Domnich & Sofroniou) MARIO SOFRONIOU Georges Bizet (1838-1875) Proclaimed for his “stylish, dark, yet clarion quality” (The Times) and “beautiful, Italianate tenor” (Das Opernglas), [ ( )] ( ) emerging British tenor Mario Sofroniou is in increasing demand across Europe. Mario’s recent and future engagements LEILA’S ARIA Les Pecheurs de Perles 1863 Domnich include Pinkerton in Madam Butterfly at the , Don Jose in Carmen, Ismaele in , and Rodolfo in La Boheme for Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater, and on the concert platform, opera galas at the Royal Festival Bizet Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Previous season’s highlights include Il Duca in Rigoletto (Stadttheater AU FOND DU TEMPLE SAINT [Les Pecheurs de Perles] (Sofroniou & Wallfisch) Freiburg), Orombello in Bellini’s Beatrice di Tenda (Landestheater Niederbayern), Alfredo in La Traviata, and Il Duca in Rigoletto (Slovenian National Opera), and Zamoro in the British premier of Verdi’s Alzira at the Royal Festival Hall, London. Subsequent roles include Chevalier de la Force in Dialogues de Carmelites, Aeneas in Les Troyans, Tamino in INTERVAL Die Zauberflote, and Max in Der Freischutz. Recent concert performances include Verdi’s Requiem, under the baton of (15 mins) Sir David Willcocks, Britten’s Ballad of Heroes with James Judd, opera gala concerts at the Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and at the Bridgewater Hall with the Manchester Concert Orchestra, the (1858-1924) world premier of Duncan Ward’s Ave Maris Stella at the Royal Festival Hall, London, and Lucerne Festival, Switzerland, CHE GELIDA MANINA [La Bohème (1896)] (Sofroniou) and the world premiere of Peter Milmer’s Requiem with the Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra. Mario studied on the postgraduate opera course at Trinity College of Music, London, and previous to this was an ENT Surgeon. Puccini MI CHIAMANO MIMI [La Bohème] (Domnich) SIMON WALLFISCH Born in London into a musical family, Simon Wallfisch studied cello and voice at the RCM where he was awarded Puccini numerous prizes. In 2006 Wallfisch left London for studies in Berlin and Leipzig. Subsequently he was engaged at the O SOAVE FANCIULLA, O DOLCE VISO [La Bohème] (Domnich & Sofroniou) International Opera Studio of the Zurich Opera House (2009-2012) to sing several roles on the main stage under the batons of Sir Mark Elder, , Phillipe Jordan, Ingo Metzmacher and Massimo Zanetti. Recent roles include Puccini ESCAMILLO (National Reis Opera, Holland). PELLEAS (Grimeborn Opera Festival) ALBERT (English Touring Opera). QUESTO AMOR, VERGOGNA MIA [Edgar (1889)] (Wallfisch) Appearances in Germany have included roles at the Leipzig Opera, Magdeburg, Dessau, Altenburg-Gera, Potsdam Theatres and the Ludwigsberger Scholss Festspiele. In January 2015, Simon Wallfisch broadcast as soloist and conductor to just over 3 Million viewers BBC 2 Television and he is frequently invited to perform live on Radio 3’s “In Puccini Tune”. A documentary film about his family was made for ARTE and ZDF. He has appeared on Bayerische Rundfunk/ OH MIMI TU PIU NON TORNI [La Bohème] (Sofroniou & Wallfisch) Fernsehen, Mittel Deutsche and Nord Deutsche Rundfunk and Schweizer Rundfunk SRF2. His CD Songs of Geoffrey Bush (Edward Rushton, piano) is available on Lyrita Records. Their second CD of songs of Caplet, Ravel, Honegger and Marino Marini (1924-1997) Milhaud was released in December 2015 on Nimbus Records. On the concert platform, Wallfisch is in great demand as Oratorio Soloist and has performed works from Bach to Janacek in Hamburg Laeiszhalle Kleinersaal, broadcast AMOR, MON AMOUR, MY LOVE (Wallfisch) on NDR Kultur, London: Kings Place, Purcell Room, Cadogan Hall, Manchester: Bridgewater Hall, Berlin: Konzerthaus, Otto Braun Saal of the Philharmonie, Französischer Dom, Leipzig: Thomaskirche, Opernhaus, Bremen Pier 2 Arena, (1898-1937) Zürich: Fraumünster, with orchestras including the English Chamber Orchestra, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Zurich SUMMERTIME [ (1934)] (Domnich) Konzert Chor, Frankfurter Sinfoniker, Reading Bach Choir, Imperial College and Chethams Symphony Orchestra. As recitalist, Wallfisch is often featured artist at the Oxford Lieder Festival, London Purcell Room, St Georges Brandon Hill Bristol, King’s Place, London Song Festival, Alwyn Festival, Lichfield Festival, International Wimbledon Festival, Eduardo di Capua (1865-1917) Leamington Music Festival, The Lieder Society of Victoria (Australia) and several festivals across France, and ‘O SOLE MIO (1898) (Sofroniou) Switzerland. Simon is also very active as a musical comedian, thrilling audiences as The Singing Cellist, with a combination of musical satire and original arrangements for voice and cello. This act has seen him take on London’s famous Leicester Square Theatre, late night in the Bechstein Room of the Wigmore Hall and in 2017, Wallfisch will Tonight’s performance will finish at approximately 8:15pm. collaborate with celebrated musical comedy duo Igudesman and Joo in a new original show.