Bampton Classical Opera announces Young Singers’ Competition 2021 finalists

After an exciting first round of the fifth Bampton Classical Opera Young Singers’ Competition 2021 in London on 30 and 31 October, six singers have been chosen for the public final in the Holywell Music Room in Oxford at 6.00pm on 28 November.

The Bampton Classical Opera Young Singers’ Competition 2021 finalists (pictured above) are Jessica Cale soprano, Frances Gregory mezzo-soprano, Sophie Sparrow soprano, Shafali Jalota soprano, Dan D’Souza baritone, and Cassandra Wright soprano.

The Public Final is always an entertaining and thrilling event and a chance to hear some remarkable performances. Each singer will present a programme of around 20 minutes.

Judges for the competition include the renowned tenor Bonaventura Bottone, Royal Academy of Music vocal teacher Jennifer Dakin, and the accompanist and conductor Phillip Thomas, a vocal coach and répétiteur at ENO, and the official accompanist to the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World for many years.

The Bampton Classical Opera Young Singers’ Competition was launched in 2013 to celebrate the company’s 20th birthday.

It is now well established and identifies, rewards and nurtures some of the country’s most talented young professional singers aged 21-32 and their accompanists.

The previous winners were mezzo-soprano Anna Starushkevych (2013), soprano Galina Averina (2015), mezzo-soprano Emma Stannard (2017), and soprano Lucy Anderson (2019). In 2017 an Accompanists’ Prize was introduced, when the first winner was Keval Shah, followed by Dylan Perez in 2019.

Bampton Classical Opera has a reputation for its commitment to young talent, and several singers who have appeared on the Bampton stage have gone on to work with national companies such as The Royal Opera, English National Opera and Opera North.

The public final will take place at the Holywell Music Room in Oxford at 6.00pm on 28 November.

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