Jessica Dean and Anthony Hunt

Jessica Dean

Young South Australian soprano Jessica Dean is fast becoming recognised as one of Australia’s brightest emerging artists.

She is currently studying on the Royal Academy Opera course at the Royal Academey of Music, London, where she recently performed the role of Barbarina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro conducted by Sir Colin Davis. In May, she will perform the role of Calisto in La Calisto, by Cavalli, which will be conducted by the Director of RAO, Anthony Legge.

Jessica has performed many major leading roles over the past few years, in productions with South Australia’s major companies. Most recently, she performed the role of Beth in the Australian Premiere of Mark Adamo’s Little Women, co-produced by the State Opera of South Australia and The State Theatre Company of South Australia. For the Adelaide Festival Centre, she played the role of Yum-Yum in Opera Australia’s production of The Mikado, opposite Anthony Warlow and David Hobson. In the State Opera of South Australia’s Studio Program, she played Chloe La Rue (Madame Warblewell) in Mozart’s The Impresario - in Vegas! ; the title role in The Breasts of Tiresias by Poulenc, and the title role in L’enfant et les Sortileges (performed as an ancilliary event during the 2004 Ring Cycle); in addition, she has been regularly featured in major roles in the Opera Studio’s innovative program, including the roles of Laurette in Bizet’s Le Docteur Miracle, Celeste/Elaine in Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George, The Dew Fairy in Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel (a Youth Opera production which also toured to the Bundaleer Festival), Amelia in Howard Blake’s The Station.

As well as these roles, Jessica has played many smaller ensemble roles in the Studio’s productions of Gallantry (Moore), Kiss Me Kate (Porter), Candide (Bernstein) and The Happy Prince (Williamson); she is also a member of the State Opera of South Australia Chorus, and has performed in the main-stage productions of La Boheme, La Traviata, Madama Butterfly, Nabucco, and L’elisir d’Amor.

Jessica has successfully featured with other companies, including Co-Opera (Australia’s regional touring Opera company), for whom she created the role of Stella Bowen in The Portrait: A Tribute to Stella Bowen by Adelaide composer Becky Llewellyn. She has also toured in their production of Die Fledermaus, and recently as Valencienne in The Merry Widow.

Jessica was awarded the Adelaide Critics Circle Award for Best Individual Performance for her portrayal of Maria in Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, for the MS Society of Adelaide. For the MS Society’s series of successful musicals, she has also performed the role of Cosette in Les Miserables opposite Normie Rowe.

Jessica is a first-class honours graduate of the Elder Conservatorium, University of Adelaide. Whilst at University, she studied voice with Rosalind Martin and Guila Tiver, and performed the title role in Suor Angelica, Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro, and Eurydice in L’Orfeo.

Last year, Jessica, in partnership with husband, pianist Anthony Hunt, was awarded an Emerging Artist’s Grant from ArtsSA to study in London with internationally renowned vocal coach David Harper, and in Berlin with renowned accompanist and coach Phillip Moll.

Anthony Hunt

Young Australian conductor and repetiteur Anthony Hunt has gained a strong reputation as one of Australia’s best emerging opera artists.

Anthony is currently studying as a repetiteur on the Royal Academy Opera course at the Royal Academy of Music, London, with teachers Iain Ledingham, Anthony Legge and Colin Stone. He has been involved in their productions of Mozarts Le Nozze di Figaro (cond. Sir Colin Davis) and Shostakovich’s Paradise Moscow (cond. Dominic Wheeler), and conducted selected scenes for RAO’s spring tableaux, including the Flowermaiden’s scene from Parsifal.

Anthony has been Musical Director for many chamber operas and musical theatre works in partnership with Artistic Director Patrick Lim. Acclaimed for their State Opera Studio productions, their most recent production of Mozart’s The Impresario - in Vegas! was a great success. They recently won Best Show (Musical) for their Adelaide Premiere production of Poulenc’s The Breasts of Tiresias. In 2004, Anthony conducted the new chamber orchestration of Ravel’s L’enfant at les Sortileges as an Ancillary Event to The Ring Cycle. He was Musical Director for their award-winning Adelaide Premiere production of Sunday in the Park with George (Sondheim) and their acclaimed cabaret-style production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. Other productions include Ravel’s L’Heure Espangole, Menotti’s The Telephone, Barber’s A Hand of Bridge, Marry Me a Little (Sondheim), Cole Porter’s Kiss Me Kate, Bizet’s Le Docteur Miracle and Moore’s Gallantry - A Soap Opera.

In 2003 Anthony conducted their Youth Opera Initiative, Malcolm Williamson’s The Happy Prince. He repeated this experience in 2005 with an outdoor production of Hansel & Gretel, which was commissioned by the Bundaleer Weekend.

Anthony has repetiteured on State Opera’s mainstage productions including La Boheme, La Traviata, Nabucco and Flight (for the Adelaide Festival of Arts), and most recently for the Australian Premiere of Mark Adamo’s Little Women, presented by SOSA and the State Theatre Company. He was Musical Director of the State Opera’s Schools Company 2003 - 05, performing in the South Australian tour of An Opera about Opera and Poulenc’s L’Histoire de Babar.

Anthony Hunt is a first-class honours graduate of the Elder Conservatorium, University of Adelaide, in both Piano and Organ performance. During his time at university, he was awarded many prizes as a soloist, and developed his experience as an accompanist and repetiteur. In 2004, he was invited back to Musically Direct the Conservatorium’s opera production of Suor Angelica. Anthony also recently conducted for Co*Opera, Australia’s premiere touring opera company, touring nationally with a new Australian chamber opera, The Portrait, by Adelaide composer Becky Llewellyn.

Anthony is Assistant Organist at St Peter’s Anglican Cathedral, Adelaide. He has given many recitals in the Cathedral, the Adelaide Town Hall, and St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne. In 2001 he attended the Oundle International Summer School for Organists in Peterborough, UK, and in 2003 he returned to the UK to study at Liverpool Cathedral. In 2006-7. he toured with the St Peter’s Cathedral Choir around the UK, playing in many of England’s finest cathedrals and abbeys. He regularly conducts the St Peter’s Cathedral Choir, and conducts the Gregorian Choir and the St Peter’s Singers (an occasional choir in January.)

In 2005 and 2006, Anthony participated in the Symphony Australia Conductor Development Program. He is a regular guest player with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, having also performed and recorded for ABC Classic FM broadcast, with the Adelaide Chamber Singers, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and The Firm.

As a pianist, Anthony performs regularly in many capacities and won the 2006 Geoffrey Parson’s Accompanist Award. In 2002 he made his New York debut with Patrick Lim in their critically acclaimed cabaret act A Couple of Swells, which has since enjoyed return New York and Melbourne seasons.

Anthony was awarded one of Arts SA’s Emerging Artist Awards, in partnership with Jessica Dean, with whom he studied in Europe during 2006.