Catherine Hopper (mezzo-soprano)
Catherine Hopper studied Music at the University of Leeds and the Franz Liszt Hochschule in Weimar, Germany. She subsequently graduated from Royal Academy Opera, where she studied with Elizabeth Ritchie and Jonathan Papp, before completing her studies at the National Opera Studio. She has taken part in Masterclasses with Alfred Brendel and Thomas Quasthoff, Ann Murray, Malcolm Martineau, Roger Vignoles, Thomas Hampson, Dennis O'Neill, Udo Rhineman, Paul Kiesgen, Julian Pike and Felicity Palmer. She currently studies with Noelle Barker.
At Royal Academy Opera Catherine Hopper sang the roles of Lucretia in Britten's Rape of Lucretia, Ramiro in Mozart's La Finta Giardiniera, Mezzo-Actress in Judith Weir's Night at the Chinese Opera, Zita in Puccini's Gianni Schicci and Marta in Tchaikovsky's Iolanta.
Since completing her formal studies roles have included Dinah in Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti with Psappha Ensemble at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Buxton Festival, Lucretia in Britten's Rape of Lucretia for Key Productions at the Arcola Theatre, the Kitchen Boy in Dvorak's Rusalka for Opera North, Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel for Opera Holland Park, Popova in Walton's The Bear for Mahogany Opera, Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte at Clonter Opera, Mme Larina in Eugene Onegin and Mrs Herring in Albert Herring for British Youth Opera.
Very active on the concert platform Catherine Hopper has worked with such eminent conductors as Sir Colin Davis (L'Enfance du Christ), Sir Andrew Davis (Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music) at the 2008 BBC Proms and Valery Gergiev (The Page in Strauss's Salome) at the 2010 Verbier Festival.
A committed recitalist, Catherine Hopper gave a lunchtime recital at the 2009 Cheltenham Music Festival with Simon Lepper and made her Wigmore Hall debut with Joseph Middleton. She also had the privilege of sharing a recital with Sir Thomas Allen accompanied by John Reid as part of the Oxford Lieder Festival. In 2010 she returned to the Wigmore Hall with Joseph Middleton in a recital supported by the Kirckman Concert Society and a recital with Julius Drake in which they premiered Michael Zev Gordon's Mandelstam Settings.
Future engagements include a recital at this year’s Oxford Lieder Festival with the Doric Quartet and Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte for Garsington Opera 2011.