Carmina Burana

Scottish baritone, Ross Cumming, graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Music from the University of Aberdeen, and went on to complete his MMus in Performance with Distinction at the Royal Northern College of Music, and an MMus in Opera at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Alexander Gibson Opera School.

Ross has performed lead roles in college opera productions as well as in the Young Artist Programme at the Buxton International Festival Opera, Opera Festival Scotland and Cumbria Opera and more recently with Grange Park Opera. He has been a VOCES8 Scholar, a Dunedin Consort Young Artist and a member of Genesis Sixteen.

Ross Cumming was one of the Emerging Artists 2023/24 with Scottish Opera, appearing in The Barber of Seville as Fiorello/Police Officer, covering Figaro, Peter (Father) in Hansel & Gretel, Marchese D’Obigny in La Traviata, First Shepherd in Daphne and in the Spring Opera Highlights tour.

Ross recently performed the role of Junius in The Rape of Lucretia with British Youth Opera this summer and looks forward to returning to Scottish Opera for the 2024/25 season as an Emerging Artist performing the roles of Sid in Albert Herring and Dr Malatesta in Don Pasquale this year.

Most recently a Tenor Lay Clerk in Canterbury Cathedral and now singing and teaching as a freelance musician in Glasgow, Scotland, David Walsh grew up in Donegal, Ireland before studying Music at the University of Aberdeen, and has performed as a singer around the UK and internationally; singing professionally with ensembles including the Dunedin Consort, Sestina Early Music Ensemble, Northern Irish Opera, Aberdeen Vocal Ensemble and many more. David is a recipient of the University of Aberdeen’s Ogston Music Prize 2019, is an alumnus of Dunedin Consort’s ‘Bridging the Gap’ scheme and was also a scholar with the professional vocal group Voces8

Paul was born in Edinburgh in 1984 but grew up in Hawick in the Scottish Borders.  He graduated from the University of Aberdeen in 2006 with a first class BMus (Hons.) degree and in 2012 with a PhD in composition, also from the University of Aberdeen.  He has taken part in numerous masterclasses with singers such as Donald Maxwell, Raimund Herincx, Cate Hughes, Irene Drummond, Margaret Cable and Stephen Varcoe.  In 2005, he was awarded the Ellie Pirie award by Aberdeen Bach Choir and the North East of Scotland Music School.  In 2006 Paul was awarded the first Derek Ogston Postgraduate Music Scholarship from the University of Aberdeen.  He is also the recipient of the Nora Bentley Award for his services with the University of Aberdeen Chapel Choir.

As a soloist, Paul has performed with many groups including Aberdeen Choral Society, University of Aberdeen Choral Society and Chapel Choir, Concordia String Orchestra, Aberdeen Orpheus Choir, Peterhead Choral Society, Inverurie Choral Society, Roxburgh Singers and the Queens Cross Charity Concert.  He has also performed with the Hereford International Summer School Chorus in the role of Aeneas in Purcell’s ‘Dido and Aeneas’.  Paul has also performed with the Gustavus Adolphus New Music Ensemble in Minneapolis, USA.  He also gives numerous recitals of English Song and Lieder and gave the first Scottish performance of ‘To a Poet’ by Gerald Finzi.  He has also received rave reviews for his performances of ‘Die Schöne Müllerin’ and ‘Winterreise’ of Schubert; “Tierney’s singing was a revelation!”  Paul has recently recorded ‘Winterreise’ with Roger Williams at the piano.

Paul is active as a conductor and composer and has studied with Alasdair Nicholson, Sally Beamish and Sir. Peter Maxwell Davies as part of the first St. Magnus Composers Course.  His piece ‘Threnody’ was premiered by the Kreisler ensemble at the St. Magnus Festival.  Paul’s music has also been performed by the Edinburgh Quartet, members of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Gemini Ensemble and Lontano Ensemble.  Paul’s work, ‘Gallowgate Lard’, based on the painting by Ken Currie was commissioned as part of the 2009 Sound Festival and was given its first performance by Roberto Fabricciani, Tadej Kenig and Rohan De Saram.  Paul was also featured as principal guest composer at the Dana School of Music New Music Festival XXVII at Youngstown State University, Ohio, USA in May 2011.  In June 2011 his new percussion concerto ‘Landscape from a Dream’ was performed by the Inverurie Orchestra, conducted by the composer.  Paul has recently presented a paper on the influence that music of the Far East had on the creative output of Benjamin Britten at the conference ‘Britten 100: An American Music Centenary’ at Illinois State University, Bloomington, USA.

Paul is currently musical director and conductor of the Haddo House Choral and Operatic Society and and is Musical Director of Aberdeen Bach Choir.  With Haddo, performances have included ‘Elijah’ by Mendelssohn, ‘Nelson Mass’ by Haydn, ‘Te Deum’ of Dvorak and ‘Samson’ by Handel in the presence of the society’s patron HRH Prince Edward.  Paul was the founding director of the University of Aberdeen New Music Group and has also conducted the University of Aberdeen Chapel Choir, the Learig Orchestra, Aberdeen Sinfonietta and University of Aberdeen Gilbert and Sullivan Society.  He has recently conducted performances of Maxwell Davies ‘Eight Songs for a Mad King’, Schoenberg’s ‘Pierrot Lunaire’, Varese ‘Octandre’, Handel’s ‘Messiah’ and Mendelssohn’s Third Symphony.  In April 2014, Paul conducted the University of Aberdeen opera society in a series of performances of ‘Eugene Onegin’ by Tchaikovsky.  In May 2016, Paul conduced Aberdeen Sinfonietta in a performance including music by Rossini, Donizetti and Haydn.   Paul has taken part in numerous choral conducting masterclasses working with conductors such as Stephen Layton (Polyphony), Neil Ferries (BBC SO) and Matthew Hamilton (Hallé).  Most recently Paul conducted the Hallé Choir in a masterclass performing Elgar’s ‘The Dream of Gerontius’.

Catriona Clark studied at the Royal College of Music and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Opera School winning various competitions including the Ye Cronies Opera Prize and the Governors Recital Award. Career highlights include Adèle in Die Fledermaus alongside Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, José Carreras and Bryn Terfel, at the Royal Albert Hall and performances for London Festival Opera, Covent Garden (Linbury Theatre) and at festivals including Les Azuriales in Cap Ferrat, Festival de Vézère and the Edinburgh International Festival.

Catriona has toured Europe with Diva Opera, singing Marie (La Fille du Regiment), Musetta (La bohème), Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro) and Euridice (Orphee aux enfers). For Opera Bohemia, she has performed the roles of Violetta (La traviata), Hanna Glawari (the Merry Widow), Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly), Tatyana (Eugene Onegin) and Mimi (La bohème).

For Scottish Opera, Catriona has performed the roles of Madame Mao (Nixon in China), Frasquita (Carmen) and Berta (Barber of Seville) for access performances, and the role of Suor Osmina in David McVicar’s critically acclaimed production of Il Trittico. She has also covered the roles of Adina (L’Elisir d’amore), Musetta (La bohème), Fiordiligi (Cosi fan Tutte), Giannetta (Gondoliers) and Zara (Utopia Limited).

Catriona has performed the soprano soloist in many oratorios including Verdi Requiem, Mozart C minor Mass and Requiem, Haydn’s The Creation, Poulenc Gloria, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle and Stabat Mater and Handel’s Messiah.

Most recently Catriona recorded the role of the Banshee (Shamus O’Brien) for Retrospect Opera with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera.