22nd December 2016, 7pm Tosti's CelebrationIn celebration of the 100th anniversary of the death of a man known as the father of modern Italian song, Francesco Paolo Tosti.

A selection of some of his most famous songs:

- Aprile- Tristezza- La serenata- Lasciami, lascia ch'io respiri- L’ultima canzone- Ideale- Malia- Sogno- 'A vucchella 

Jenny Stafford, sopranoLuca De Lorenzo, bassoElspeth Wilkes, piano

Jenny Stafford, sopranoJenny Stafford was born in Huddersfield and studied at the Royal Academy of Music where she won the Isabel Jay Operatic Prize and Dame Eva Turner Operatic Award. Last year Jenny was a semi-finalist in the Kathleen Ferrier Awards, making her debut at the Wigmore Hall. She previously undertook a BMus at King’s College, London, ENO Opera Works and the prestigious Georg Solti Accademia di Bel Canto, participating in masterclasses with Angela Gheorghiu, Richard Bonynge and Dennis O’Neill. She has also taken part in masterclasses with Edward Gardner, Angelika Kirchschlager, Barbara Bonney and Lillian Watson and is now studying under Susan Roberts in London.Jenny has performed the roles of Vitellia (Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito) and Dido (Purcell’s Dido&Aeneas) in the Cadogan Hall, Fiordiligi (Mozart’s Così fan tutte) for Opera Lyrica, Mimì (Puccini’s La bohème) for The Merry Opera Company, Musetta (Puccini’s La bohème) and 2nd Woman (Dido&Aeneas) for Silent Opera at The Vaults Festival (Old Vic), First Lady (Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte) for Ryedale Festival Opera, Grimeborn Festival and Young Opera Venture, Soprano (Handel’s Messiah - staged) and Jenny/Rachel (John Ramster’s Kiss me, Figaro!) with The Merry Opera Company and Sāvitri (Holst’s Sāvitri) and Alison (Holst’s Wandering Scholar) at Grimeborn Festival.Jenny has given recitals and concerts in such venues as the Barbican Centre, St Martin-in-the-Fields, the Linder Auditorium, Johannesburg and for the Spitalfields Music Festival and Chipping Campden Music Festival. Solo performances include Handel’s Messiah (Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra), Brahms’ Requiem, Poulenc’s Gloria, Mendelssohn’s  St Paul,  Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate,  C Minor Mass  and  Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, Haydn’s Harmoniemesse, Theresienmesse, Missa Sancti Nicolai (Zürich, Switzerland) and Missa in Angustiis, Faure’s Requiem and Monteverdi Vespers 1610.Jenny’s studies were kindly supported by the Rhoda Jones Roberts Scholarship and Josephine Baker Trust. In the 2016/2017 season, Jenny’s engagements include Mimì (Puccini’s La bohème) with

Woodhouse Opera, Donna Anna (Mozart’s Don Giovanni) with Heritage Opera (UK tour), Micaëla (Bizet’s Carmen) for the Northern Aldborough Festival, Fiordiligi with Opera Loki (UK and France tour), a recital at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes, Madrid and Mozart’s Requiem and Exsultate, jubilate with The Really Big Chorus in the Royal Albert Hall.

Luca De Lorenzo, bassoThe young Neapolitan artist Luca De Lorenzo graduated with honours at the Napoli conservatoire. In recent years he has studied with Edda Moser at the Internationale Sommerakademie Mozarteum Salzburg, and other internationally renowned artists including Bruno Praticò, Marcello Giordani, Luca Canonici, Henning Ruhe and Tobias Truniger (Bayerische Staatsoper). In 2014 he won 1st prize at the International competition Campi flegrei for Opera singers.He made his debut in 2012 as Commendatore Don Giovanni, conducted by Stefano Giannini at Teatro Flavio Vespasiano in Rieti. So far last season he has performed roles including Re Ferdinando in the world premiere of Luisa Sanfelice by Alessandro d’Alessandro at the Ufa opera house (Russia), Ramfis in the parody L’Aida di Scafati by Luigi Matteo Fischetti (first contemporary mise en scene since XIX century) at the Royal Palace Theatre in Naples and in 2015 at Teatro Mercadante in Altamura. From January to July 2015 he has been a young guest artist at the Estonian National Opera, where he prepared the role of Dulcamara in L’Elisir d’Amore, conducted by Georg Malveus.Previously, he has played the title role in Il Maestro di cappella dei mendicanti by Roberto de Simone at the ‘Napoli Teatro Festival’ arena in Pietrarsa, Pistola Falstaff at the Teatro Olimpico in Rome, Vecchio Zingaro Il Trovatore at the Auditorio de Zaragoza. Concert performances include Puccini’s Messa di Gloria in Napoli, ’European Opera Days’ at the Villa di Livia (Pozzuoli) and a Gala concert with Luca Canonici in Napoli.De Lorenzo arrives in the opera world after gaining a bachelor with honours in Scenography and history of performance. Besides his musical studies, his passion for theatre has led him to various collaborations as actor and scenographer for theatre and cinema.

Elspeth Wilkes, pianoBorn in Leigh-on-sea, Essex, Elspeth studied at King’s College, London, Trinity College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music. She has performed at venues including St John’s Smith Square; Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House; Hackney Empire and Southwark Cathedral as well as performing recitals in Greece, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, France and South Africa. Elspeth has performed at many festivals including the Ravenna music festival, Italy, the Edinburgh Fringe festival and the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival where she won the prestigious ‘Oscar’ award for outstanding performance for her playing on Francis Bacon Opera. Elspeth has worked with BBC Wales, Royal Ballet, Royal Shakespeare Company and Southbank Sinfonia amongst others. She has worked as a repetiteur/musical director with many opera companies including Opera up Close, Opera Brava, Operaroom, Merry Opera Company, Northern Ireland Opera and Opera de Bauge, playing continuo on several of their productions and acting as chorus master since 2011. In 2015, she made her conducting debut with Opera de Bauge. Elspeth works as accompanist/assistant conductor with Barnes Choir and Thurrock Choral Society and is a member of the Argento trio (piano, clarinet, soprano) and the Bridgetower trio (violin, cello, piano).