Artist profiles
Judy Davis — Mezzo Soprano
Judy studied at Trinity College of music in London under Erich Vietheer and Elizabeth Hawes and later in Germany with Ingeborg Muller. She continues her vocal training with Ian Comboy. She has an extensive repertoire and sang professionally for many years on the concert platform and in Opera all over the U.K. and in Europe. She has sung the roles of Micaela (Carmen), Musetta (La Boheme), Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier), Siebel (Faust), Lady Macbeth (Macbeth), and the title roles in Carmen and Tosca. She has also sung many roles for Bath Opera including Elizabeth (Don Carlos) and the title role in Aida. Judy combines bringing up her two sons, Ben and Dominic, and a busy singing schedule with teaching voice at Bath Spa University. In April, Judy will play the Duchess of Plaza Toro in ‘The Gondoliers’ at the Theatre Royal, Bath.
Peter Blackwood — Accompanist
Peter, who is from Belfast has directed the music for over two hundred theatre productions. After training as a classical-pianist he studied conducting with George Hurst and entered the world of orchestral and choral conducting. However his pianist hands are still much in demand - for real playing and from time to time for TV appearances most recently in Casualty and Torchwood. His hands have appeared as screen doubles in film and TV although they were apparently attached - to the bodies of actors such as Richard Chamberlain and Jane Seymour. Peter has been extensively involved in productions for Bath opera including Gianni Scicchi, Suor Angelica, The Threepenny opera, Turandot, Carmen, Don Carlos and many many others.
Anthony Sanchez — Baritone
After moving from Oxford to Bath in 2004 Anthony Studied voice under Judy Davis at Bath Spa University. After graduating in 2007 with a BA (Hons) degree in Music, he completed his PGCE, and is now a full time music teacher. He began his singing career as a Chorister, and has taken part in many Chamber choir tours to, Prague, Barcelona, and St Marks in Venice. Oratorio works include, Braham’s Requiem where he was the Baritone soloist, as well as the Messiah, and Haydn’s Mass. Opera appearances include, Marcello in Puccini’s ‘La Boheme’, Mr Gobineau in ‘The Medium’ (Menotti) , Aneaus in ‘Dido and Aneaus’ (Purcell), Somnus in ‘Semele’ (Handel), ‘The Flying Dutchman’ (Wagner), ‘A Masked Ball’ (Verdi), ‘Candide’ (Bernstein), ‘Idomeneo’, (Mozart), and ‘The Barber Of Seveil’, (Rossini). Musical theatre appearances include, Prince Charming in ‘Into The Woods’ (Sondheim), Doody in ‘Greece’, and Bugsy in ‘Bugsy Malone’. Anthony is now working on his Professional solo career, performing recitals in and around Bath.
Felicity Courage — Mezzo Contralto
Felicity Courage studied Performing Arts at Hertfordshire University where she specialised in music and, in particular, composition. She has achieved Grade 8 in Singing, Piano and Clarinet and has been working towards her diploma in singing, with Judy Davis, her singing coach. She works as a singing teacher for a number of local schools and runs her own Performing Arts clubs in Bradford-on-Avon and Corsham. She joined Bath Opera two years ago which is where she met the lovely Tara!
Tara E. Wood — Soprano
Tara began her training in 1998 with Molly Costello, also undertaking opera studies at Birkbeck University London where she studied with Peter Burt-Jones. Having recently moved to Bath, she is continuing her vocal and music theory training with Judy Davies. She has performed with Bath Opera in “The Jewels of the Madonna”, “La Boheme” and “La Cendrellon” (this is where she met the lovely Felicity). Tara has sung with Dorset Opera in “The Pearl Fishers” and performs regularly at other events including “The Festival of the Voice” (Stourhead) which she has done since 2005. She has also performed as a soloist for the Dorset Philharmonic Orchestra and in the course of her studies as Arabella (Arabella), Papagena (The Magic Flute) and Euridice (L’orfeo).
