Bethan Terry, soprano & Francesca Lauri, piano

Programme

My Own Country - Peter Warlock (1894-1930)

Wapping Old Stairs (from A Song for the Lord Mayor's Table) - William Walton (1902-83)

The Last Rose of Summer - arr. Benjamin Britten (1913-76)

It was a Lover and his Lass (from Seven Shakespeare Songs) - Madeleine Dring (1923-77)

Ariettes oubliées - Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

   i. C’est l’extase langoureuse

   ii. Il pleure dans mon coeur

   iii. L’ombre des arbres

   iv. Chevaux de bois

   v. Green

   vi. Spleen

L’invitation au voyage - Henri Duparc (1848-1933)

Les chemins de l’amour - Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)

Seven Early Songs - Alban Berg (1885-1935)

    i. Nacht

   v. Im Zimmer

Quando m’en vo (from La Bohème) - Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)

Pure Imagination (from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) - Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley

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British soprano Bethan Terry is currently studying under Sophie Grimmer at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance on the Bachelor of Music Performance undergraduate degree, and is in her fourth year. 

Over the last ten years Bethan has won numerous prizes at the Harrogate Competitive Music Festival and was a finalist in the Musician of the Festival. Other recent competitions include: finalist in the Bath Opera Isobel Buchanan Award; English Song Competition for Voice and Piano; Elisabeth Schumann Lieder Duo Competition (highly commended); and the 2019 Lillian Ash French Song Duo Competition, in which they were highly commended by Malcolm Martineau, going on to win the competition in 2020 adjudicated by Roger Vignoles.

Bethan has performed in recital across London in venues such as Southwark Cathedral, and has also performed as a soloist for Potters Bar Choral Society, the Peter Warlock Society and for Jonathan Dove’s 60th birthday concert arranged by Trinity Laban. Participation in masterclasses has seen her work with Elaine Kidd, Nicky Spence, Yvonne Howard, Ron Morris, and Toby Spence. Before the pandemic, Bethan had begun rehearsals for an opera role debut with Brent Opera as Majenka in Smetana’s The Bartered Bride and Iphis in The Yorke Trust's production of Jeptha. Hailing from York, Bethan has a passion for music in the community and is working on community projects across South London to ensure music is accessible to everyone.

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Francesca Lauri, born in 2000, is studying at Trinity Laban on the undergraduate BMus piano course. She was the recipient of the Lee Family and Gladys Britton Scholarships in her first year and is currently a Trinity Scholarship Scholar. She is studying with Sergio De Simone, the head of the keyboard department.

Previously, Francesca attended the Purcell School of Music where she studied piano with Andrew Ball and harpsichord with David Gordon. During her time at Purcell, she regularly performed at the Fazioli Hall in Italy and the Royal Scottish Conservatoire in Glasgow as part of the biannual keyboard festivals, performed solos both outside school and in internal concerts. These include Beaulieu Abbey, Lingfield, Bromley, Leeds International Lunchtime concert series, Godalming and Oxford. She was also awarded the school’s Leaver’s prize: the Felsenstein Scholarship.

In 2016 Francesca performed at the Wigmore Hall both for the Chamber Music Coffee Morning Series and later in the year as a soloist. She then returned in 2018 performing in duo. She has since performed solos in Godalming, Waltham Abbey, The Old Royal Naval Chapel, Oxford, Bolzano A.B. Michelangeli’s Hall (Italy).

On the harpsichord, Francesca accompanied the school opera productions of Dido and Aeneas and Venus and Adonis as well as performing for several years in the Purcell School Baroque Chamber Ensemble. The Ensemble has performed several times at the Blackheath Early Music Festival, Godalming Baroque Festival and various venues in London. She returns every year as the harpsichordist for the annual Baroque Day Festival in Godalming.

Francesca has taken part in masterclasses with Vanessa Latarche, Philipe Fowke, Graham Humphries, Timothy Carey and more recently with Pascal Roge in 2019 and Joaquin Achucarro in 2020.

At present, Francesca is collaborating with several singers and recently won the Lillian Ash French Song Competition at Trinity Laban with regular duo partner, Bethan Terry, adjudicated by Roger Vignoles as well as being commended by Malcolm Martineau in the previous year. She was also a finalist with her regular partner, baritone Michael Temporal Darrell, in the 2019 Somerset Song Competition.

Francesca has also been in collaboration with co-leader of the London Symphony Orchestra, Carmine Lauri. They performed a series of recitals as part of the LSO ‘Summer Shorts’ Concert Series in 2020 as well as releasing online videos for the LSO ‘Coffee Morning’ concerts during the first National Lockdown.