Dylan Carys | mezzo-soprano
Based in Manchester, Dylan Carys is an up and coming mezzo-soprano known for his rich vocal tone and dynamic performances. Dylan is proud to have recently completed his Master’s degree in Opera & Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music, giving his operatic debut with Opera on Location’s A Masked Ball this summer.
Recent highlights include Bel Canto alongside composer Cassandra Miller, operatic roles of Natura, Idamante, Dardano and Medoro in RNCM's Opera Scenes Concert Series, four residencies at Opera North working with Tim Albery, David Cowan, Joyce Henderson and Oliver Rundell and as a soloist in Warrington Musical Society’s Summer Opera Gala. He has performed in an ensemble capacity in Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Snow Maiden, Janáček’s Cunning Little Vixen, Handel’s Messiah, Britten’s War Requiem, L’Estrange’s Zimbe! and Fr. Haazen’s Missa Luba. With his dance background Dylan is not only at home in the world of classical music but also in musical theatre, having performed in We Will Rock You, Back to the 80s, Dick Whittington, Aladdin and The Sound of Summer.
Dylan would like to thank his vocal tutor Hilary Summers and his RNCM scholarship sponsor Hargreaves and Ball for all of their support.
Dylan Carys appears by kind permission of the RNCM.
Jessica Conway | mezzo soprano
Jessica is a Scottish mezzo soprano, performing as a soloist and consort singer across the
UK and internationally. She has worked with groups including Manchester Camerata, Dunedin Consort, Kantos Chamber Choir, Manchester Baroque, Eboracum Baroque, London Voices and the Edvard Grieg Kor in Bergen, Norway. She enjoys touring regularly to Italy with L’offerta musicale and Ad Parnassum and has appeared at the BBC Proms and the Edinburgh International Festival. She also co-directs award-winning vocal octet Octavoce, which recently toured to the renowned Korkyra Baroque Festival. Recent highlights include Messiah solos with Manchester Camerata and a Hildegard Von Bingen project which toured Italy.
Jessica received a distinction for her Master’s degree postgraduate from the Royal Northern College of Music studying with Hilary Summers where she was the recipient of the Annie Ridyard Scholarship. She previously studied with Lynne Dawson and Pat McMahon, has had masterclasses with Dame Ann Murray, Della Jones and Julius Drake, and specialised in early music with Roger Hamilton and Paula Chateauneuf.
As an opera singer, she has performed a wide range of roles over the years, including Dido in Dido & Aeneas (Eboracum Baroque), Despina in Così fan tutte (Opera dei Lumi), Jo in Little Women (RNCM Opera Scenes) and the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro (Edinburgh Studio Opera).
Jessica Conway appears by kind permission of the RNCM.
Georgia Mae Ellis | mezzo soprano
Georgia Mae Ellis is a British mezzo soprano from a small village near Lewes, East Sussex. She is currently a Young Artist on The Global Talent Programme at the National Opera Studio for the 23/24 season. Her time at National Opera Studio is being sponsored by Glyndebourne as one of their New Generation Artists.
Georgia Mae has previously studied at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music Opera School under the tutelage of Yvonne Howard and Ingrid Surgenor. At the start of her first year at the Academy she joined the Glyndebourne Chorus for their tour and was subsequently asked to perform Carmen’s Habanera at Glyndebourne’s annual Christmas concert in 2021.
She studied for her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) under the tutelage of Mary Plazas.
For Royal Academy Opera, she has sung the roles of Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Clomiri in Handel’s Imeneo, Der Komponist in the prologue to Ariadne auf Naxos, Jane in the world premiere of Freya Wayley-Cohen’s opera WITCH and Mother Goose in The Rake’s Progress. At the RNCM she performed the roles of La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi, Suor Zelatrice in Suor Angelica, Mère Marie in Dialogues des Carmélites, the Fox in The Cunning Little Vixen and Fanny Price in Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park.
In April 2022 Georgia Mae covered the role of Ramise in The Jette Parker Artists production of Arminio at The Linbury Theatre at The Royal Opera House.
Recital and concert work include Sieben Frühe Lieder by Alban Berg at The Wigmore Hall as part of The Royal Academy song circle concert in January 2023. Soloist for Mahler’s Symphony No.2 at a sold out Cadogan Hall with Amati Orchestra and The London Chorus.
Upcoming engagements include National Opera Studio with ENO orchestra at Cadogan Hall on 11th June. Georgia Mae will also sing the role of Mrs Gross in Benjamin Britten's Turn of the Screw at Waterperry Opera Festival in August this year.
Georgia Mae Ellis appears by kind permission of the RNCM.