2007 January « Jessica Dean and Anthony Hunt

Concert with the Tallis Scholars

January 30, 2007 at 4:00 am | In Concert, Singing, cathedral, choir | No Comments

The Tallis Scholars is one of the worlds best choirs; in fact, some would argue THE best choir, certainly in their specialist field of renaissance a-capella sacred music.

How do they relate to us?! Well, they are touring Australia, including a concert in St Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide. As a bonus, the “curtain-raiser” to the concert will be sung by the St Peter’s Cathedral Choir, our first concert since returning from our own tour of the UK. It will be a thrill to perform with the Tallis Scholars; but equally a thrill just to hear them live! I thoroughly recommend anyone to come along to this concert - it’s a guaranteed first-class performance.

More details HERE.

A Special Evensong - 7pm, Sunday 28th January

January 26, 2007 at 3:25 pm | In Singing, cathedral, choir | No Comments

St Peter's Cathedral Just a quick note re: this Sunday night at St Peter’s Cathedral. Each January, for the past three years, I have had the opportunity to put together a small choir to sing a service or two, before the Cathedral Choir returns from it’s summer break. This year, we are singing Evensong at St Peter’s, including music by Jacob Handl and Herbert Howells - (Howells is a favourite amongst Cathedral musicians, but to those instrumentalists out there, his chamber music is well worth an exploration!)

If you have never been to an Evensong before, why not give it a try! It’s a meditative sort of service, where the music takes a focus.

Thanks to my singers this year for giving up their time purely for the pleasure of singing great music: Jessica Dean, Eleanor Blythman, Bronte McNicol, Sheila McCarthy, Eleanor Brasted, Alice Keath, Bernard MacGeean, Jason McMahon, David Watts, Edward Joyner, Tom Flint, Jonathon Bligh and Alan McKie.

Off to the Royal Academy…!

January 21, 2007 at 11:57 am | In Opera, Singing | 1 Comment

Big Ben The big, exciting news from our recent jaunt in London is that we have both been accepted into the Royal Academy of Music! Anthony has been offered a place on the postgraduate repetiteur course with a full fee scholarship, while Jessica has grabbed one of the few places on the Royal Academy Opera course, and offered a part scholarship!

It is very exciting for us both to be able to continue our studies and careers in such an exciting way, and to be able to do it together! It will be the next big step in our lives. Thankyou to those who have assisted so far, in helping us audition and have lessons in London - ArtsSA, the Friends of State Opera, The Adelaide Chamber Orchestra, The Australia Council, and, of course, our families.

The courses will both start in September this year, but between now and then there is a lot of fundraising to do - living costs in London for a year are estimated to be at least £10,000, and that’s just for one person! - add in the remaining course fees, it adds up to a sizeable sum of money in Australian Dollars! So watch this space for information on fundraising concerts - if you have any fundraising ideas yourself, please contact us!

Choir tour returns home

January 20, 2007 at 11:21 am | In choir, travel | 1 Comment

Over the past week and next, there has been a steady trickle of choristers arriving at Adelaide Airport, fresh - well, haggard actually - from two weeks of touring around England. Outside King's College Cambridge

Yes, the St Peter’s Cathedral Choir has returned from it’s first international tour! After an extremely hectic year - hundreds of services, a concert series, a CD release, and a national broadcast on Christmas Eve (now available on DVD from ABC Shops) - what better way to top off an already impressive year than by travelling to the “Mother Land” to experience the true heritage of the choir!

It was an impressive itinerary. Masses and evensongs at St George’s Chapel Windsor, Christchurch Cathedral Oxford, St Alban’s Cathedral, Hereford Cathedral, Lincoln Cathedral, Ripon Cathedral, Wakefield Cathedral and York Minster, plus sight-seeing in London, Cambridge, Harewood House, Bath and Stratford-upon-Avon; all this topped off with an impressive concert in Sherborne Abbey and dinner in the Roman Baths. Well, not actually IN the bath, you understand.

Over 50 people in the party made for exciting travelling - around 30 choristers/musicians and around 20 parents. It must be said, a huge thanks and congratulations to all involved in preparing and organising the tour - accomodation, transport, food, robes, music, services, everything ran astoundingly smoothly for such a complicated undertaking!

Rehearsal at Wakefield Cathedral As organist for the tour, Anthony had the (unenviable/enviable depending on your point of view) task of playing many of England’s finest organs! Unenviable because of the often short practice time; enviable because - well, frankly they were all magnificent instruments; stunning in sound, well maintained, beautifully adorned - in short, a pleasure to play. Highlights had to be the superb organ in Hereford Cathedral, while Stanford in G at York Minster will be forever remembered.

Jessica was not forgotten in the tour - the Benedictus from the Haydn St John Missa Brevis raised eyebrows of admiration at Christchurch Cathedral, whilst the rendering of Mozart’s Laudate Dominum at Sherborne Abbey brought a tear to many an eye at the close of the concert.

It has been formally decided that the choir’s next tour should be to Reykjavik, although no-one is entirely sure why.

A Little Woman!

January 19, 2007 at 1:10 pm | In Opera | 3 Comments

Jessica is thrilled to announce that she will be performing the role of Beth in the upcoming production of Little Women, presented by the State Opera of SA and the State Theatre Company of SA.

This Little Women is a new opera by young American composer Mark Adamo - but don’t let that deter you! The music is brilliantly crafted, modern but tremendously lyrical - best of all, Beth’s “death-bed” aria is extremely beautiful, a highlight of the piece, so - lucky Jess!

The cast is an exceptional blend of some of Adelaide and Australia’s best talent - Pelham Andrews, Kylie Bailey, Eleanor Blythman, Elizabeth Campbell, Jessica Dean, Timothy DuFore, James Egglestone, Sally-Anne Russell, Sarah Sweeting, David Thelander and Andrew Turner.

Best of all, Anthony will be repetiteuring for the piece, and also playing piano in the pit orchestra (the Adelaide Art Orchestra, conducted by Timothy Sexton) - always exciting to work together!

The season will be from 19th May - 2nd June, so get along to BASS and get your tickets if you haven’t already done so!

Don’t miss it - Don’t miss Jessica and Anthony, and don’t miss a GREAT piece!

Event details HERE.

Remembering Rae…

January 19, 2007 at 12:31 pm | In Concert, Opera, Singing | 1 Comment

The wonderful Guila Tiver and Ric Trevaskis have been busy organising a memorial concert, as a tribute to Rae Cocking, the singing teacher who touched the lives of so many people in Adelaide. The concert will be in Elder Hall on the Sunday the 18th of February, at 2.30pm. It serves a dual purpose; to celebrate the life of Rae in the way she would have loved best - through singing; and to raise funds to establish a prize or scholarship in her name, that her legacy may continue.

Please come along to this special event; many of Adelaide’s and some of Australia’s finest singers will be there performing, and the repertoire selection is sure to please everybody! It promises to be an especially exciting afternoon, and I think a very important event in Adelaide’s musical life. Don’t miss it!

More ticket details HERE.

Welcome!

January 18, 2007 at 1:04 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

Welcome to all visitors!

This is the official site for the Australian soprano Jessica Dean, and her husband, the pianist/organist Anthony Hunt.

We hope this site is a useful way of staying in touch with what we are doing, around Adelaide and the world! On this site we will post information with news about upcoming performances and developments.

For those who don’t know who we are, please have a look at the “About” page to see what we have been doing so far!