The Royal Opera Chorus
The Royal Opera Chorus was created in 1946 for the re-opening of the ROH after World War II. Known then as the Covent Garden Opera Chorus, it first appeared during December the same year in Purcell’s The Faery Queene, staged together with Sadler’s Wells Ballet (now The Royal Ballet). Its first full-scale opera production was Carmen in January 1947.
Since then the chorus has been the backbone of the Royal Opera, performing in an average of 20 productions each season, in a wide repertoire ranging from Baroque through to newly commissioned works. The chorus is frequently augmented by as many as 60 freelance singers when larger productions are mounted.
As most operas are performed in the original language (Italian, French, German, Russian, Czech) the chorus works closely with language coaches during the rehearsal period.
Due to the brevity of production runs (six or seven performances) the chorus will often be performing in two or three productions in the evenings while rehearsing one or two other productions during the day and also learning the music of several other operas all at the same time.
Chorus Director
Renato Balsadonna
Assistant Chorus Master Stephen Westrop
Chorus Manager Dermot Agnew
Assistant Chorus Manager Ruth Mulholland
Sopranos
Melissa Alder
Yvonne Barclay
Katy Batho
Joan Carroll
Tamsin Coombs
Marianne Cotterill
Eileen Hamilton
Kiera Lyness
Anne Osborne
Deborah Peake Jones
Eryl Royle
Emma Smith
Contraltos
Louise Armit
Amy Catt
Amanda Floyd
Andrea Hazell
Elizabeth Key
Kate McCarney
Madeleine Mitchell
Deborah Pearce
Dervla Ramsay
Cari Searle
Renata Skarelyte
Tenors
Simon Davies
Alan Duffield
George Freeburn
Neil Gillespie
Elliot Goldie
Mark Guerin
Lee Hickenbottom
Andrew Macnair
John Mulroy
Andrew O’Connor
Dominic Peckham
Luke Price
Andrew H. Sinclair
Douglas Telfer
Basses
Dominic Barrand
Donaldson Bell
John Bernays
Nigel Cliffe
Jonathan Coad
Jonathan Fisher
Christopher Lackner
Michael Lessiter
John Morrissey
Paul Parfitt
Bryan Secombe
Olle Zetterström
