Autumn 2008 proved a busy time for our Young Artists, both on the YAA Programme and in their academic pursuits.In early October, Claudia Boyle and Gavan Ring had the good fortune to be selected to participate in a masterclass at the National Concert Hall with our Programme’s Patron, Ann Murray. Ann will be back in Dublin in January to present another masterclass with our partners in the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Baroque expert Christian Curnyn, no stranger to OTC audiences himself, having taken the reins on previous productions of Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea and Handel’s Orlando, took time out from his triumphant English National Opera debut in Handel’s Partenope to travel to Dublin for two days, for a series of one-on-one coaching sessions with the YAA, as well as a wonderful masterclass for students at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. The repsonse from both the YAA and the students at the RIAM was a resounding “May we have him back soon, please?” and I am delighted that he will indeed be returning to these shores in Autumn 2009 when he joins our Artistic Director Annilese Miskimmon to conjure up more baroque magic in our new production of Handel’s Alcina – keep an eye on our website for further details.

It was a real coup to have our esteemed Vocal Consultant Brenda Hurley in Dublin for a whole week to work intensively with the Young Artists. Brenda is delighted with the progress of Claudia, Gavan, Dean Power and John-Owen Miley-Read, and is hoping to work with them again over the festive season when she will be back in Dublin to prepare for her next journey to The Metropolitan Opera in New York where she will be working on Bellini’s La sonnambula with Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Floréz.

There will be no let-up in the new year for the YAA – Claudia, Dean and Gavan will be singing the principal roles in the RIAM production of Mozart’s delightful comedy La finta giardiniera which is directed by Annilese Miskimmon and conducted by David Adams.

Meanwhile, John-Owen will be preparing for the next important step in his career when he leaves these shores in March to join the Glyndebourne Chorus – a path already trod by Programme Alumni Máire Flavin and Martha Bredin. All this, as well as more coaching with Ann Murray, Rupert Dussman, Ingrid Surgenor, plus education workshops to coincide with our upcoming production of Xerxes – all the more reason to wish them well for 2009!