Clare Presland, who is shortly to sing the role of Miss Jessel in Nevill Holt Opera’s production of Britten’s The Turn of the Screw (5 & 6 July), was chosen following audition from over 40 young singers who applied.

The award was made by a distinguished jury, chaired by pianist and close friend of Susan Chilcott, Iain Burnside and featuring Chilcott Scholarship Trustees, soprano Dame Josephine Barstow, international voice coach, Lady Pappano, Pamela Bullock, bass baritone, Neal Davies, Ian Rosenblatt, Founder of the Rosenblatt Recital Series and RPS Trustee and John Gilhooly, Director of Wigmore Hall and Chairman of the Royal Philharmonic Society. They were joined by Camilla De Rijck, Producer at Cypres Records, radio host and producer and owner of Forumopera.com, David Sigall, Director of Ingpen and Williams, and Eva Kleinitz, Opera Director, Stuttgart Opera and President of Opera Europa.

Clare Presland has appeared at English National Opera, Grange Park Opera, Longborough Festival Opera, Garsington Opera and with Opera UpClose. Forthcoming engagements include Mercedes in Carmen (ENO), Young Lover in Tansy Davies’s Between Worlds (ENO at The Barbican), Wowkle in La Fanciulla del West at English National Opera, and Christina in the world premiere of Søren Nils Eichberg’s Glare at the Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House. She trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is the recipient of awards such as a 2012 Grange Park Opera Scholarship, was a finalist in the Maureen Lehane vocal awards 2011 at Wigmore Hall, winning the Odette Sansom Memorial prize for English song and is also a Britten Pears Young Artist. Clare will use her award to fund ongoing singing lessons with her singing professor, Robert Dean, language tuition, performance coaching as well as to support travel/audition and promotional costs.

Iain Burnside comments: “The jury spent a day listening to a formidable array of emerging vocal talent. Clare impressed us with her flair and commitment, allied to an arresting range of vocal colour. We believe she has a bright future ahead of her, and hope the Chilcott Award will help in her artistic development. We will be watching her grow with great interest and wish her the very best for the coming years.”

Read the press release

More about the Chilcott Scholarship

18 June 2014