Cathy Bell – Mezzo/Contralto

Cathy Bell studied English and Medieval Literature as a choral and academic scholar at Cambridge and undertook postgraduate vocal studies at Birmingham Conservatoire. Since moving to London in 2009 she has established a varied career in opera, ensemble and particularly oratorio work, coming to notice for the innate musicality and sensitivity to text that she brings to every performance. Cathy was a member of Handel House Talent 2014-15, and early music remains a specialism: recent highlights include the role of Venus in Pepusch Venus and Adonis for the Valletta International Baroque Festival; a concert with London Early Opera exploring Hogarth’s London; and Second Witch in the Academy of Ancient Music’s highly acclaimed Dido and Aeneas at the Barbican, a role which she reprised at the Nordland Music Festival with Barokksolistene Norway.

Cathy is an experienced and accomplished soloist on the oratorio platform. She has performed much of the standard concert repertoire for the alto voice, at venues including the Royal Festival Hall, Cadogan Hall, Southwell Minster, Wells Cathedral, Bath Abbey, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Nottingham Albert Hall, Nottingham Royal Concert Hall, and St Magnus Cathedral Orkney. Recent highlights include Bach St John Passion at St John’s Smith Square and Worcester Cathedral; the Rachmaninoff Vespers with several groups including Britten Sinfonia; Bach Mass in B minor with Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir; and Mendelssohn Elijah with the Bach Choir. As a low mezzo Cathy enjoys singing Handel’s ever-popular Messiah in venues across the UK, but she also loves exploring more esoteric repertoire, and has made a particular specialism of lesser-known works from the Italian baroque such as Alessandro Scarlatti’s Salve Regina and Vivaldi’s Magnificat, Dixit Dominus and Introduzione e Gloria RV588.

Opera highlights include Carmen for Barefoot Opera; Arsamenes (Xerxes) for Hampstead Garden Opera; Russian Nanny (Death in Venice) for Garsington Opera; and Third Lady/Third Boy (Die Zauberflöte) for both Diva Opera and the Palestine Mozart Festival. Chorus work includes Scottish Opera, Garsington, Grange Park, Bergen Nasjonale Opera and the festivals in Aix-en-Provence and Beijing. Cathy has a strong commitment to contemporary music and has taken principal roles in new operas at the Tête à Tête and Grimeborn festivals, recorded a new work by Will Todd for an education project at Opera North, and worked on the development of a new piece for WNO MAX.

Cathy also works regularly in ensembles such as the BBC Singers, Sonoro, Polyphony and EXAUDI, and sings for film sessions with groups including London Voices, the Pinewood Singers, Apollo Voices and RSVP Voices. She is an enthusiastic teacher of singing, working with students privately and at Dulwich College, St Paul’s Girls’ School and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.

www.cathybell.co.uk

For oratorio and concert repertoire please scroll down: