Cari Searle
ELGAR – Sea Pictures – 20 November 2010
Cari Searle was born in Yorkshire and read music at Sheffield University before studying at the Royal Northern College of Music with Glenville Hargreaves. There she was awarded the Professional Performance Diploma with merit and was subsequently awarded the RNCM Curtis Gold Medal for singing.
Cari made her operatic debut in 1996 as Florence Pike in British Youth Opera’s production of Albert Herring in London and in the same year performed Bianca in the Fiftieth anniversary production of the Rape of Lucretia. She has subsequently sung the roles of Baba the Turk (The Rake’s Progress) and Amastris (Xerxes) for British Youth Opera. Having sung the role of Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) for Opera Holland Park in 2000, Cari returned in 2001 to perform Un Musico (Manon Lescaut) and Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia). In 2004 she performed the role of Suzuki at the Longborough Festival with Opera Project.
Since October 2004 she has been a full time member of the Royal Opera House chorus. In 2005 she covered both the roles of Rossweisse in Die Walkure and Wowkle in Fanciulla del West for the Royal Opera House, with these covered again in 2007 and 2008 respectively.
Her concert repertoire includes Bach Magnificat, Britten Spring Symphony; Christmas Oratorio, St John Passion; Durufle Requiem; Handel Messiah; Mendelssohn Elijah; Rossini Petite Messe Solenelle; Elgar Dream of Gerontius; Verdi Requiem; and Copland In the Beginning.
She has also performed song-cycles with orchestra; Sea Pictures; Des Knaben Wunderhorn; Kindertotenlieder; Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and Mahler 3rd Symphony. She has also performed recitals at the Royal Opera House comprising of American music, English song and a programme of Mahler, Strauss and Brahms lieder.
Cari has been successful in several competitions: most recent she won the Wagner Society’s 2006 Ralph Wells award for dramatic singers. She was a prize winner in the 1998 National Mozart Competition and a prize winner in the 1995 Frederick Cox Competition for singing. She was also a finalist in 1996 in the Kathleen Ferrier Awards.
