Tania Edmunds – Lyric Soprano
Lyric Soprano, with over 25 years performing. Classically trained, Licentiate in Music, Australia LMusA (Singing). Her musical experience extends from Opera, Operetta and Music Theatre.
Performances include; Mimi (La Boheme), Leonara (Il Trovatore), Cio Cio San (Madam Butterfly), Michaela (Carmen), Countess (Marriage of Figaro) in the magnificent Opera at Avalon setting. Also “Fiordigligi” Cosi fan Tutte with the Mozart Festival, Cape Town, South Africa. A sell-out season as principal in “Oscars Wild!” a musical tribute to the Academy Awards, Baxter Theatre, Cape Town (“An evening of sparkling singing, especially from the lead, Australian soprano Tania Edmunds” – The Argus, Cape Town).
Howard Edmunds – Director and MC
Howard’s genial and elegant Emcee role far exceeds the man in the black tuxedo who introduces the next item on the program. During an Opera Eagle’s concert Howard portrays comic charters during the performance that intimately relate to the next unfolding sequence of Opera favorites the audience is about to enjoy. His characters, range from; Giuseppe the Italian Pizza Chef, to Pierre the Bold Gendarme, or Renee the French Waiter, and Mario the Mafioso.
Howard’s humor is the perfect foil for fabulous music and leaves the audience not just humming the tunes but with a huge smile on their face.
His aim is to infuse his audience with his understanding, passion and love for fine live performance. Howard’s background is as Special Events coordinator, public relations, and Media relations.
Glenn Lorimer – Tenor
Principal Tenor with Opera Eagle’s Nest for the past eight years. A finalist in the Sun Aria competition in 1993, Glenn made England his base for 8 years, and toured the UK, Europe and Japan with Pavilion Opera. He has performed at Glyndebourne, and sung Principal roles with The London Opera Company, Scottish National Opera, Carl Rosa Opera and Opera de la Luna. Glenn studied with the legendary Sir Donald Smith and holds Post-graduate Diplomas in Opera Performance from both the Royal Northern College of Music Manchester and Queensland Conservatorium of Music. His engaging personality and rich, ringing tenor voice leave audiences on an emotional and musical high. Glenn is now the Principal Tenor with Opera Eagle’s Nest a position he has held for the last two years.
With Pavillion Opera, Glenn’s performances include Faust in Gounod’s Faust, 2003, Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville, 2002. Both productions toured UK, Japan and Channel Islands. As Manrico in La Trovatore and Don Jose in Carmen, 2000, Glenn toured UK, Europe and USA and as Polliione in Norma, Don Ottavio in Don Giovani, 1999 in London and toured UK and Japan.
Fernando in Cosi fan Tutte and Il Duca in Rigoletto, Japan tour in the presence of HRH the Crownprincess of Japan.
He sang The Italian Tenor in Der Rosenkavaliier for Scottish National Opera in 2002, and Rodolfo in La Boheme in 2001.
Camille in The Merry Widow, 2000 Tour of Repertoire Theatres of England including Buxton Opera House for Opera de la Luna.
Alfred in Die Fledermaus, 1998, for Carl Rosa Opera and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly for The London Opera Company.
JOHN WOODS – Pianist
John was born in Stirling, Scotland. After studying piano and bassoon at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama he was awarded scholarships from The Scottish Arts Council and The Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust to specialise in piano accompaniment at The Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. He has since worked as a guest repetiteur at the R.N.C.M. and The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. In 1992 he joined the staff of The Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University as an accompanist and vocal coach, preparing many of its operas, including the Australian premiere of Britten’s “Billy Budd”, as part of the 1993 Brisbane Biennial Festival.
Engagements have taken him throughout Great Britain, Europe and Australia, accompanying singers and instrumentalists on the concert platform and in radio and television broadcasts. He has worked with
some of the finest singers of the present generation including Joan Rodgers, Amanda Roocroft, Simon Keenlyside and in particular, Jane Eaglen.
He has accompanied masterclasses given by several distinguished singers including Dame Joan Sutherland, Dame Janet Baker, Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Sir Peter Pears and Luigi Alva, whom he has also accompanied in recital.
As a Musical Associate for Granada Television John Woods has credits on a wide range of arts and drama programmes which include “The Dame Joan Hammond Masterclasses”, “Coronation Street”, “Sherlock Holmes” and “Lost Empires” – the eight-hour serialisation of the J.B. Priestley novel in which he worked with the late Sir Laurence Olivier.
TERRI ANNE WATTERS – Mezzo Soprano
Terri has been singing and performing in musical theatre since she was 9 years old. She studied Theatre/Film at the University of NSW, and began her professional career aged eighteen, singing at weddings and concerts. She toured Australia and Hong Kong in South Pacific in 1993 – 1994, and in 1995 performed at the Sydney Opera House in a tribute to the Oscars.
Her roles with amateur/semi-professional groups in Australia include Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly!, Fanny Brice in Funny Girl , Nancy in Oliver!, and Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance!
Terri lived in the UK from 2000 to 2007, and performed regularly with the Stratford Musical Theatre Company, who perform one show a year at the RSC Theatre in Stratford upon Avon. At this world famous theatre, she played the part of Polly Baker in Crazy for You in 2003, and the role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady in 2004. She is now living permanently on Tamborine Mountain with her family, and is a regular performer with Opera Eagles Nest.
