Soprano
Merle Fairhurst, born in South Africa, raised in Europe and trained on both
sides of the Atlantic, has performed extensively on concert, opera and club
stages. Reviewed by international and national press, Merle has been described
as a singer with “sensitivity and
sincerity” (Cherwell, Oxford) and “vocal strength and charm” (Opera). Her operatic debut was as the fragile
heroine, Mimi, in Oxford City Opera’s La Boheme. More recently she
played the title role in Blow’s Venus and Adonis. At present, while
working on her DPhil in Neuroscience at Lady Margaret Hall (University of
Oxford), her love of jazz and French mélodie has prompted a return to New York
stages where she has been performing with pianist Ronen Segev, a friend from
her studies at the Juilliard School of Music. Last year the pair performed cycles from Ravel, De Falla and Gershwinat
the Melbourne Arts Festival. Continuing with the repertoire of folk
song, Merle is currently preparing a recital with friend and pianist
Pei-Liao Ciao which will include cycles by Obradors, Canteloube, Hahn
and Quilter performing in Europe's oldest concert hall - the
Holywell Music Room.
Concert / Recital Performances
Songs
French
Berlioz,
Debussy, Délibes, Duparc, Fauré, Hahn, Poulenc, Satie
German
Brahms,
Dvorzak, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Strauss, Wolf
Italian
Caccini,
Pergolesi, Tosti
English
Barber,
Gershwin, Quilter
Arias
Excerpts form Hansel and Gretel (Humperdink)
Gretel
Excerpts from Nozze di Figaro (Mozart) Susanna, Countess
Excerpts from Don Giovanni (Mozart)
Zerlina
Excerpts from La serva padrona (Pergolesi) Serpina
full concert / orchestral performances
Chants d’auvergne
(Canteloube)
2006
Les Nuits d’été (Berlioz)
2005 - 06
Oxford City
Orchestra
Chansons Gréques (Ravel) and Siete Canciones (Defalle) 2005
Merlbourne
Arts Festival
Venus and Adonis (Blow) - Venus
2004
Oxford
Baroque Soloists
Requiem (Mozart) - Mezzo-soprano
2004
Lady
Margaret Hall Choir
Requiem (Fauré) - Soprano
2004
Lady
Margaret Hall Choir
St John Passion (Bach) - Soprano
soloist
2003
Oxford
Baroque Soloists
La Bohème (Puccini) - Mimi
2003
Oxford City
Opera
masterclasses – workshops
Robin Bowman
Guildhall
’00 ; ‘04
Dalton Baldwin
Academie
Internationale de Nice ’00 – ‘03
Heidi Raymond
Geneva
Switerland ’01 – ‘03
Lorraine Nubar
Academie
Internationale de Nice ’00 – ‘03
teachers
David Crown Oxford, United Kingdom ’03–present
Carole O’Hara New
York City, NY USA ’98; ‘02
Heidi Raymond Geneva, Switzerland ’00 – ‘01
Lorraine Nubar Juilliard School of Music ‘99 – ‘01