Diana Palmerston (Soprano)

Diana Palmerston studied at the Royal Northern College of Music where she won various awards including an RNCM Scholarship and the Professional Performance Diploma. Whilst at college she sang the title role in the first modern production of Handel’s ‘Teseo’. The acclaim Diana received for her performance of some of the most demanding of Handelian coloratura led to her first professional engagement, singing ‘Teseo’ with the English Bach Festival at the Royal Opera House, at Sadler’s Wells and, internationally, in Greece and Italy.

Though her singing encompasses a wide range of styles, Diana’s affinity with Handel and the Baroque and Classic repertoire led to her developing as a specialised soloist in oratorio. As such Diana has sung in many of Britain’s most prestigious venues such as The Royal Festival Hall, and Symphony Hall, Birmingham as well as Cathedrals such as Exeter, Worcester, Gloucester, and York Minster.

Internationally Diana has sung throughout Europe, the Middle and Far East. Highlights include; Verdi’s Requiem at La Madeleine, Paris; a Command Performance for the Queen of Thailand; and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in the Cairo Opera House. Most recently Diana has sung with the renowned Clarinettist David Campbell in a concert tour of Malta arranged by the British Council.

Diana’s operatic career has included seasons with the highly respected Opera Factory in Stravinsky’s ‘Rake’s Progress’. Other roles have included Violetta in ‘La Traviata’, Mimi in ‘La Bohème’ and the Countess in ‘The Marriage of Figaro’.

Diana has broadcast for the BBC, Granada Television and Classic FM. A live national broadcast of Handel’s Messiah for Classic FM was subsequently released on CD.

Recent engagements have included: Mozart’s C Minor Mass at King’s College Cambridge; Poulenc’s Gloria, broadcast from the Bridgewater Hall on Classic FM; the role of Aida in a concert version of the opera with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; and Vaughan Williams’ ‘Symphonia Antarctica’ at the Royal Academy of Music.

Forthcoming performances include a return to the Bridgewater Hall to sing Poulenc’s ‘Stabat Mater’ and the role of Michaela in Carmen at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.

Vanessa Williamson (Mezzo Soprano)

Vanessa Williamson studied at the Royal College of Music in Manchester, and won prizes for Opera, French and English Song, She remains the only singer to have graduated with a first class honours degree and a distinction in the performer's diploma. She has an extensive concert and oratorio repertoire that encompasses familiar and less familiar works from the early Baroque to the present. She has been a soloist with many major orchestras including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. A popular soloist with choral societies throughout Britain, she sings regularly in major venues and often performs abroad. Recent engagements have included Elgar's "The Music Makers" in Leeds Town Hall;Tippet's "A Child of our Time" in Exeter Cathedral; the Bruckner "F minor Mass" in Aberdeen; Beethoven's "Choral Symphony" in Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral; Bach's St Matthew Passion on Tyneside; and the "B minor Mass" in York Minster.

Quentin Hayes (Baritone)

Quentin Hayes studied at Dartington and the Guildhall School of Music. In 1992 he was winner of the VARA Dutch Radio Prize at the Belvedere Singing Competition in Vienna.

He is currently Principal Baritone at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden where roles have included Herald (Lohengrin), Schaunard (La Bohème), Ping (Turandot), Novices Friend (Billy Budd). Other roles include Figaro (Barber of Seville) for Oper am Rhein, Glyndebourne Tour, Garsington and Grange Park; Ford (Falstaff) for English National Opera and Small Convict (House of the Dead) for Frankfurt Opera and Welsh National Opera.

He has appeared with leading orchestras including The Berlin Philharmonic, the LSO and CBSO working with such distinguished conductors as Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Charles Groves, Sir Alexander Gibson, Bernard Heutink, Antonio Pappano, Richard Hickox and Philip Jordan.

Recent TV appearances include Yamadori (Madame Butterfly), Larry Landau (Sophie’s Choice) both for Royal Opera House / BBC and Le Dancaire (Carmen) for Glyndebourne Festival / BBC. Recordings include Donald (Billy Budd / Chandos), Where the Wild Things Are (Deutsche Gramaphon), Rejoice in the Lamb (Corydon Singers / Hyperion), Wallace’s Maritana (Marco Polo) and Eddy (Turnage’s Greek / Decca Argo).

Future plans include Ned Keene (Peter Grimes / Royal Opera House), Ping (Turandot / Royal Opera House), Angelotti (Tosca / Scottish Opera), Vaughan Williams "Sea" Symphony and Verdi’s Requiem (Oxford Sheldonian and Exeter Cathedral).

Quentin is delighted to be singing with Sir Philip Ledger and the Cumbria Rural Choirs again.

Paul Trotter (Tenor)

Paul was born and educated in the Manchester area and subsequently entered the Royal Northern College of Music studying with Joseph Ward, and is now studying with Llyndall Trotman from Opera North. Whilst at College he sang the role of ‘Maintop’ in Britten’s Billly Budd, and in his last year sang the role of ‘Idamante’ in Mozart’s Idomeneo.

His Oratorio works include: Bach’s St Matthew Passion, St John Passion, Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Creation, Mozart’s Requiem, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, and many other composers including Beethoven, Brückner, Dvorak, Gounod, Kodaly, Maunder, Mendelssohn, & Puccini.

His Operatic Works include Puccini’s La Bohème, Verdi’s La Traviata, Donizetti’s L’Elisir, Rossini’s Barber of Seville, Mozart’s Magic Flute and Idomeneo and other composers including, Flotow, German, Lehar, Smetana, Strauss, Offenbach, and most of the Gilbert & Sullivan Operettas.

Paul has a wide repertoire, and has sung throughout the British Isles with appearances at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester, the Isle of Man and on nationwide television.

He has sung with Glyndebourne opera, Monte Carlo Opera, and made a successful international debut in Draguignan France, singing the role of the Count in Rossini’s Barber of Seville. Also sang Verdi’s Requiem at the Church du Magdelana in Paris, and performed with Elizabeth Vaughan, Marilyn Hill-Smith and Ian Caddy, and sang at the Longborough Festival. Paul has been involved in singing extra chorus with Opera North and performing in concerts with some of their regular members.