Budding Longborough Wagnerians in a masterclass with acclaimed soprano Susan Bullock CBE, accompanied by pianist Satoshi Kubo.
Singers will include Grace Maria Wain and Rozanna Madylus.
This event is part of Between the Ring, our standalone series of exciting events designed to fit around our Ring cycle. You don’t need a ticket to the Ring to book for these events.
Susan Bullock’s unique position as one of the world’s most sought-after dramatic sopranos was recognised by the award of a CBE in June 2014.
Of her most distinctive roles, Wagner’s Brünnhilde has garnered outstanding praise leading Bullock to become the first ever soprano to sing four consecutive cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Royal Opera House under Sir Antonio Pappano. Appearances as Richard Strauss’ Elektra have brought her equal international acclaim and collaborations with some of the world’s leading conductors including Fabio Luisi, Semyon Bychkov, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Mark Elder and Edo de Waart.
In addition to her operatic achievements, Susan Bullock’s concert work has been extensive and diverse. She has collaborated with renowned conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen and Zubin Mehta, for the Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde. Celebrated appearances have included the Last Night of the Proms in 2011 and a special appearance at the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony. And on a lighter note, at Wigmore Hall and elsewhere, she enchanted audiences in her programme ‘Songs My Father Taught Me’ with pianist Richard Sisson, which ranges from Sondheim to Noel Coward and Burt Bacharach.
Japanese-born pianist Satoshi Kubo began his initial training in Oita, Japan. He is a distinguished graduate of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris, studying with Itamar Golan, Jeff Cohen and Roger Muraro. He also discovered a passion for chamber music at the Festival Pablo Casals in Prades, where he worked as official class accompanist of its International Academy for several years. Kubo has been awarded numerous prizes, including the Prix de Duo Chant-Piano and the Rainier III de Monaco at the 6th Concours International de Chant-Piano Nadia et Lili Boulanger along with soprano Raquel Camarinha; and the Grand Prix at the Forum Musical International de Normandie, along with cellist Hee-Young Lim.
Now based in London, Kubo works as a freelance pianist and opera répétiteur. He was a 2017-18 Young Artist at the National Opera Studio in London, generously supported by the Nomura Foundation during that time. He regularly collaborates with
singers and works internationally for major and independent opera companies, including the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, the Royal Opera House, The Opera Story, and New Sussex Opera. Since 2018, he has worked as coach for the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, Royal Opera House. His most recent work is researching the Takuboku songbook composed by Yasuji Kiyose, and the use of the Japanese language in art song performance.
Grace Maria Wain hails from The Fens, and currently resides in Lanarkshire. She completed her studies at RWCMD with a BMus (Hons) and an MA in Opera Performance, and is also a Samling Artist.
Her roles include; La Zia Principessa Suor Angelica (Wexford Festival Opera), Grimgerde Die Walküre, Zweite Maid Elektra (both Regents Opera), Zweite Norn (Cover) Götterdämmerung, Melissa (Cover) La liberazione di Ruggiero (both Longborough Festival Opera), Flower Maiden Parsifal (New Palace Opera), Cercatrice 1 and (Cover) Sorella Infermiera Suor Angelica, Hippolyta (Cover) A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dorabella (Cover) Così fan tutte, Dryade (Cover) Ariadne auf Naxos (all Scottish Opera) Prince Charmant Cendrillon (Fife Opera), and Zweite Dame Die Zauberflöte (Escales Lyriques).
She is joint-winner of the Carole Rees Award (Wagner Bursary) presented by The Mastersingers 2023, a qualifier and Wagner prize nominee for the final rounds of International Vocal Competition ’s-Hertogenbosch 2022 and selected for a masterclass with director John Fulljames.
This year Grace looks forward to creating the role of Rose O’Riordan in The Ballybruff Trilogy (Luke Byrne) with Opera Workshop Limerick, covering the role of Magdalena in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner) with Saffron Group and returning to Regents Opera to sing the role of Erika in their Orchestral Workshop of Vanessa (Barber).
Described as having ‘an engaging stage presence’ (The Daily Telegraph) and giving ‘compelling performances, offering fluid line and gripping conviction’ (Opera magazine), British-Ukrainian mezzo-soprano Rozanna Madylus has appeared on international stages including English National Opera, Waterperry Opera Festival, Garsington Opera, Birmingham Opera Company, Wexford Festival Opera and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. As an active recitalist, she has performed at The Wigmore Hall, The Royal Festival Hall, The Holywell Music Room, Kings Place, The Mendelssohn-Remise Berlin, The Prokofiev Hall in the Mariinsky Theatre and the St Petersburg Philharmonic. She graduated from the internationally acclaimed Royal Academy of Music Opera Course and was a Young Artist of the Berlin Opera Academy, Georg Solti Accademia and the Oxford International Song Festival (formally the Oxford Lieder Festival). A City Music Foundation Artist, a 2024 Offie (Off West End) Award Finalist for her performance as Hänsel (Hampstead Garden Opera) and winner of the 2023 Audience Prize for the Mastersingers’ Carole Rees Awards Wagner Voice Competition, Rozanna’s recording of Kokoschka’s Doll with Sir John Tomlinson and Counterpoise is available on Champs Hill Records.
