Georgia Mae Ellis / Umsagnir

The student cast was certainly up to the challenges of Poulenc’s score with the relationship between the nuns built to a convincing level of intensity. An emotionally complex character, Blanche was portrayed well by Yuliya Shkvarko who improved steadily revealing her bright soprano producing a notable level of intensity. Mezzo-soprano Molly Barker created impressive drama as the ailing Prioress notable for her smooth, expressive voice. Standing out in the part of Blanche’s fellow novice the rather immature Sister Constance was soprano Pasquale Orchard. Such a good actress Orchard’s performance was a joy, singing with a focused and clear tone, exhibiting her talent for communicating dramatic expression. Georgia Ellis a mezzo-soprano sang producing strong emotion and acted most effectively as Mother Marie.

Georgia Mae Ellis’s Cherubino was a boyish bumpkin, swapping his knitted tank top for army khakis. Ellis’s timing and tone were spot on – Cherubino’s offer to pretend that he hadn’t heard the Count’s prepositioning of Susanna was wonderfully droll – and she excelled in the moments of physical humour too, stumbling about in thick socks and red stilettos, or posing a menace with a rifle. ‘Non so più’ bubbled along, but ‘Voi che sapete’ was a knockout, as Cherubino found, momentarily but winningly, poise and maturity and emerged from adolescence into nascent adulthood.

'though for sheer vocal voluptuousness Georgia Mae Ellis's Mother Goose is hard to beat.'