Artists' Testimonials

SIMON KEENLYSIDE – Clonter 1984
“I learned a lot and am grateful for the platform which was my first attempt at an opera which has since taken me all over the world.”

AMANDA ROOCROFT – Clonter 1984
“I very much enjoyed my time with Clonter Opera and found it an invaluable experience.”

JONATHAN LEMALU – Clonter 2000
“My association with Clonter Opera began in their 2000 production of The Marriage of Figaro, and continued subsequently in The Barber of Seville in 2001. Clonter Opera is a unique organisation, taking young singers and introducing them to the stage and all facets of performance; from training, rehearsal and stagecraft to vocal and physical stamina etc. As a 2000 Clonter Opera Prize Winner I was given financial assistance for my vocal studies, and as a 2001 Singers Academy Member I was lucky enough to receive coaching with John Tomlinson at the Royal Opera House. The chance as a young performer to experience and work in opera is vital to our development. Not only the festival season at Clonter, but also the performances in London, which are a great opportunity for the production to be viewed and showcased to a wider audience.” 

LEE BISSET – Clonter 2000
“I first sang for Clonter as Tatyana in Eugene Onegin as a student. I was in a vicious circle of not getting roles because I didn’t have enough experience (I had only done one opera previously) and Clonter took a chance on me. It was a fantastic learning experience working with staff who wanted the best for the singers and the show. There is enough exposure to make doing it worthwhile, but it is sheltered enough that one can take risks. This year I sang for Clonter again, taking the risk of singing a role that I would not otherwise have had the courage to sing in a different environment, Violetta in La traviata. Once again it was a sharp learning curve for me, but again the conductor and director were fantastic. I really believe that what Clonter do in nurturing and promoting young talent is unique. Next year I will make my debut in a lead role in a major house in the UK. Without   my experience on stage there, and the contacts I made, I would not have taken the path I have done.” 

NATALYA ROMANIW – Clonter 2010
“I am grateful to Clonter for allowing me to find my strengths in one of Donizetti’s most challenging roles Lucia di Lammermoor, which is a role I am sure I will perform again and again. Clonter is an extremely friendly and fun atmosphere to work in, with the Locketts providing much hospitality and support for the young singers they nurture during their time there. I would recommend it to any young singer with very high regard.”

KAMILLA DUNSTAN – Clonter 2015 
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to perform my first large operatic role. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at Clonter and am most grateful.” 

ELIZABETH SKINNER – Clonter 2015
“Looking back, I am really proud of everything we achieved. I learnt so much about myself as a singer, how to pace myself, knowing my voice can take a lot more than I thought it could. It has built my confidence and allowed me to take risks. Being a young singer is hard. You need the experience, but you need someone to take a chance on you and help build and nurture your skills. Clonter offers this unique chance to do these things in a safe and supportive environment. That you for such a wonderful opportunity.  I loved every moment from rehearsals to performance and hope to come back one day.” 

HARRY FEHR – Clonter 2015 & 2018
“The main advantage of Clonter is that it offers young singers the chance to perform major roles in a fully equipped, proscenium arch theatre. While there are now a great number of opportunities for young artists to perform with fringe companies, most of these play in ‘found’ spaces, so Clonter is a rare exception of a venue which replicates   the spaces where most established companies perform”. 

PIRAN LEGG – Clonter 2016
“I had an unbelievable time at Clonter again, it really was one of the most developmental experiences I’ve had … What an opportunity! … For me, the chance to do a large role and spend time working on it in the context of a staged production is the best format for Artistic Development.” 

EDWARD ROBINSON – Clonter 2017
“I particularly enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to be coached on the role of Figaro whilst at Clonter. To be given the opportunity to sing in the role with orchestra for the tech rehearsal is testament to the development ethos of Clonter and was a real highlight of the experience. Also to perform my first professional role alongside an incredibly talented group of emerging singers is something I’ll always remember”. 

ERIKA BAIKOFF – Clonter 2018
“Rehearsals really kicked off from the very beginning…there was only one cast and so it was entirely our responsibility to perform our best each night…I really appreciated that our orchestra was not a full-size orchestra because it was a good introduction to singing with orchestra without pushing too hard…I loved making opera in the countryside, so far away from London…performing standard operatic repertoire is really beneficial and not many opera programmes provide this opportunity”. 

ALEXANDRA LOWE – Clonter 2019
“There isn’t any other company that I can think of that bridges the gap between student and professional as well as Clonter. I was fortunate to work for three companies this summer all offering opportunities for young talent or young artists/Clonter’s cast was the only one with a full student emerging company. The others say they offer opportunities to ‘young artists’ but most of them have been working professionally for about 5 – 10 years! In my mind, there should be more opportunities for younger and less experienced singers. Clonter is doing something very unique in our field”. 

HENRY NEILL – Clonter 2021
“There are very few opportunities for young singers, fresh out of music college or still studying, to perform an entire role in a professional setting. Other festival operas employ young singers almost exclusively as small roles, covers or chorus which while useful doesn’t have the same impact as learning a large or medium sized role. Clonter really offers a unique chance for young singers to gain the experience needed to perform larger roles in their future careers. Learning to perform larger roles is not just about if you can sing all the notes. It also includes how to pace yourself through the opera, how to pace yourself through the rehearsal process, learning how to build up your character, how well prepared you need to be etc. This is why I think the chance Clonter gives to sing larger roles is invaluable for young singers.”

JACK ROBERTS – Clonter 2022
“Finding work as any singer, particularly an emerging artist, can be difficult. Clonter is one of a small handful of companies that focus on employing emerging artists in principal roles, whilst also offering a substantial and fully staged production with orchestra. It provides a vital bridge between small scale, fringe productions to being taken seriously for bigger, established opera houses and this is invaluable to us.”

HANNAH O’BRIEN – Clonter 2023
“With how competitive opera is and will continue to become, there are no limits to how many stepping-stones are needed for young singers and emerging artists. Clonter has changed me as a performer and has given me so much confidence and pride… The most important part is that we are treated like professionals in Clonter, we are    respected in all ways and that is not very common, especially when people know we will do anything to get where we need to go. It’s a real confidence booster too, with so much support from amazing people. It was honestly the best experience of my Opera career so far. I would go back in a heartbeat… It was a great opportunity to perform a role that I wouldn’t have got to do at this stage of my career otherwise…I learnt to be a better and quicker musician and learner. I could now potentially get an agent out of performing with Clonter, which is a huge deal and wouldn’t have happened at this stage without Clonter. (Clonter is also a) safe space, the safest I’ve ever experienced. Caring people and staff. It’s like a beautiful little commune while you’re there, in the best way possible. They care so much you can actually feel it in the air. You get professional level videos of the performance as well.”

EMILIE CAVALLO – Clonter 2024
“Clonter is most definitely providing an opportunity that is still needed, especially because last year’s production of The Butterfly House was a new creation and we were asked to sing the most famous extracts from Puccini’s operas as well as doing some straight acting. It was an immense challenge, and I am glad I benefitted from Clonter’s environment to develop my skills. Also, the connections you make at Clonter are precious, and I have never been so well taken care of in a production. I have to say it! It is a safe environment where we feel we can express ourselves. The size of the theatre is also not too big nor too small. The acoustic is also fantastic!”