The Elixir of Love July 2014 | Page 4

RONAN BUSFIELD FRANCESCA AQUILINA ROBERT GARLAND Ronan was a Scottish Opera Emerging Artist, where he performed Gastone/Giuseppe and Alfredo (cover) La traviata, Flute A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Scottish Opera/RCS), and Brühlmann Werther. Previously he graduated from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Alexander Gibson Opera School, where he performed the roles of Male Chorus The Rape of Lucretia, Don Jerome Betrothal in a Monastery (Scottish Opera/RCS), Mayor Albert Herring and Woodpecker The Cunning Little Vixen (Scottish Opera/RCS). Other roles include Cecco Il mondo della luna (English Touring Opera), Goro (cover) Madame Butterfly (Scottish Opera), Philippe d’Aguilar The Sleeping Queen by Balfe and Una Guardia Il Cappello di paglia di Firenze by Rota (Wexford Festival Opera), Father The Seven Deadly Sins (Scottish Opera), and Mayor Albert Herring (BrittenPears Young Artist Programme). Ronan was also a member of the Glyndebourne chorus for the 2012 season. An accomplished recitalist, he has recently performed Britten’s Serenade in the Queen Elizabeth Hall with the City of London Sinfonia. Francesca Aquilina (soprano) was born in Malta and is on the second year MA Opera course at the RWCMD where she studies with Suzanne Murphy and is coached by Sharon Richards and Angela Livingstone. She received a Bachelor of Music (Honours) first class degree from Edinburgh Napier University where she was awarded the ‘Harold Grey’ prize for excellence in her main study (voice). Her roles have included ‘Gretel’ in Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel, ‘Bastienna’ in Mozart’s Bastien and Bastienna and ‘Inez’ in Verdi’s Il Trovatore. Last year she sang the role of ‘Eurydice’ in Opera’r Ddraig’s production of Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld as well as ‘Despina