Carnegie Hall

The English Concert is an outstanding orchestra—exceptional in the world-renowned quality, ambition, and variety of its live and recorded output; unique in the zeal of its players for working and performing together; and unwavering in its desire to connect with its audience around the world.

Under the artistic direction of Harry Bicket and principal guest Kristian Bezuidenhout, The English Concert has earned a reputation for combining urgency, passion, and fire with precision, delicacy, and beauty. The artistic partners it collaborates with reflect and enhance its pursuit of new ways to bring music to life. Joyce DiDonato, Dame Sarah Connolly, Iestyn Davies, Alison Balsom, Trevor Pinnock, Dominic Dromgoole, Tom Morris, and many more have not only brought their extraordinary skills to individual projects, but continue to help the ensemble shape the way it performs.

One cornerstone of the orchestra’s annual cycle is its international Handel opera tour. Blossoming from an ongoing relationship with Carnegie Hall, the itinerary now regularly takes it to the Theater an der Wien, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Elbphilharmonie, and the Barbican Centre, and the roster of great halls continues to grow. Meanwhile, its regular London series allows it to explore a radically different path, presenting programs to its home audience that challenge and inspire the musicians. The English Concert launched a partnership with Garsington Opera in 2019, and looks forward to this summer’s visit with performances of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and Mozart’s Così fan tutte. For more information, visit englishconcert.co.uk. Follow The English Concert on Facebook (@theenglishconcert), Instagram, Twitter, Blog, and LinkedIn.

Internationally renowned as an opera and concert conductor of distinction, Harry Bicket is especially noted for his interpretation of Baroque and Classical repertoire and since 2007 has been artistic director of The English Concert, one of Europe’s finest period orchestras. In 2013, following regular guest appearances at Santa Fe Opera, he became its chief conductor and in 2018 was appointed music director. Since taking up his position, he has conducted Così fan tutte, Fidelio, La finta giardiniera, Roméo et Juliette, Alcina, and Candide. In the 2019 season, he also performed Strauss’s Four Last Songs with Renée Fleming. Born in Liverpool, Mr. Bicket studied at the Royal College of Music and the University of Oxford.

Projects with The English Concert in the 2021–2022 season include tours to the United States for Handel’s Serse and gala concerts, in addition to their London season and recording projects. Mr. Bicket also leads a new production of Handel’s Theodora, directed by Katie Mitchell at the Royal Opera House and featuring Joyce DiDonato and Julia Bullock, followed by return visits to the Metropolitan Opera (Rodelinda), BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and Santa Fe Opera.

Following the success in earlier seasons of Rinaldo and Ariodante featuring Joyce DiDonato, The English Concert continued its Handel opera series with performances of Semele in Europe and the US, including at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Barbican Centre, and Carnegie Hall. Other highlights with The English Concert have included Mr. Bicket’s own arrangements of Mozart works for mechanical clockwork organ, Bach cantatas for Advent, and Wayne Eagling’s ballet Remembrance, set to Handel’s Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day, for English National Ballet.

A 2020 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist, Emily D’Angelo is the first and only vocalist to have been presented with the Leonard Bernstein Award by the Schleswig-Holstein Festival. One of Canada’s “Top 30 Under 30” Classical Musicians and WQXR Public Radio’s “40 Under 40” singers to watch, she has won first prize in numerous international competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera Competition, the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio Competition, the George London Competition, the Gerda Lissner Competition, the Innsbruck Baroque Competition, and the Operalia Competition, at which she won First Prize as well as the Zarzuela, Birgit Nilsson, and Audience prizes. She made her stage debut as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro at the Festival dei Due Mondi di Spoleto, where she was awarded the 2016 Monini Prize.

Ms. D’Angelo’s engagements in the 2021–2022 season include her role debut as Ottavia in L’incoronazione di Poppea at Zurich Opera House, and her house and role debut as Angelina in a new production of Rossini’s La Cenerentola at Semperoper Dresden. At the Metropolitan Opera, she stars as Prince Charming in Cinderella before returning to Teatro alla Scala in Milan for her role debut as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni; in addition, she makes her house debut at Opéra de Paris as Siebel in Gounod’s Faust and makes her role debut as Orphée in Orphée et Eurydice at the Aix-en-Provence Festival.

A sought-after concert performer, Ms. D’Angelo returns to Prague for a program of works by Rossini and Donizetti, performs a recital at the Stockholm Filharmoni, joins Rolando Villazón in concert at the Philharmonie Luxembourg, tours throughout the US and Europe with The English Concert presenting Handel’s Serse in concert, and presents a concert in Oviedo and at the Festival Castell Peralada.

Ms. D’Angelo is an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon recording artist. Her debut album, enargeia, features music from the 12th and 21st centuries by composers Hildegard von Bingen, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Missy Mazzoli, and Sarah Kirkland Snider. Visit emilydangelo.com for more information.

Born in Staffordshire, Lucy Crowe studied at the Royal Academy of Music, where she is a fellow. With repertoire that ranges from Purcell, Handel, and Mozart to Donizetti’s Adina, Verdi’s Gilda, and Janáček’s Vixen, she has sung with opera companies and at festivals throughout the world, including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; the Glyndebourne Festival; English National Opera; Teatro Real in Madrid; Deutsche Oper Berlin; Bavarian State Opera; and the Metropolitan Opera. Recent opera highlights include the title role of Handel’s Rodelinda at the Dutch National Opera, Teatro Real, and Frankfurt Opera, and Poppea in Agrippina at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where she returns next season for her role debut as Musetta in La bohème. Highlights this season include a return to the Metropolitan Opera for Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, and Pamina in The Magic Flute at Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu.

In concert, Ms. Crowe has performed with many of the world’s finest conductors and orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker under Daniel Harding, Emmanuelle Haïm, and Andris Nelsons; Vienna Philharmonic with Mr. Nelsons; Salzburg Camerata with Sir Roger Norrington; Orchestre de Paris with Mr. Harding; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with Richard Egarr; London Symphony Orchestra with Sir Simon Rattle; Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Yannick Nézet-Séguin; Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra with Sir John Eliot Gardiner; Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with Antonio Pappano; Budapest Festival Orchestra with Iván Fischer; and Los Angeles Philharmonic with Gustavo Dudamel.

A committed recitalist, Ms. Crowe has appeared at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and Carnegie Hall as well as at the Aldeburgh, Edinburgh, Mostly Mozart, and Salzburg festivals, and she is a regular guest at the BBC Proms and London’s Wigmore Hall. In 2021, Linn Records released her debut recital recording—which features songs by Berg, R. Strauss, and Schoenberg—to great acclaim. Her recent recordings of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen with Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra and the title role of Handel’s Rodelinda with The English Concert and Harry Bicket were nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award and an International Classical Music award.

Mary Bevan’s engagements this season include Haydn’s The Creation with the Academy of Ancient Music and Laurence Cummings, a tour of Handel’s Messiah with Kammerorchester Basel and Paul McCreesh, Haydn’s Theresiennemesse with the Handel and Haydn Society under Harry Christophers, Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Richard Egarr, a tour of Bach’s St. John Passion with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Mark Padmore, and Messiah with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Engagements next season include a return to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as Morgana in a new production of Handel’s Alcina; LIGHT: Bach Dances with the Hofesh Shechter Company at the Philharmonie de Paris; and a return to Garsington Opera.

In 2020–2021, Ms. Bevan sang Marzelline in Beethoven’s Fidelio at the Royal Danish Opera, made her debut at the Bolshoi Theatre as Dalinda in David Alden’s production of Handel’s Ariodante, and sang with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in the world premiere of Sir James MacMillan’s Christmas Oratorio, which she also performed at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. Other recent highlights include Rose Maurrant in Weill’s Street Scene for Opéra de Monte-Carlo; Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Eurydice in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld for English National Opera; the title role in Mark-Anthony Turnage’s new opera, Coraline, for the Royal Opera at the Barbican; Merab in Handel’s Saul at the Adelaide Festival; an appearance with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Proms; and her main-stage debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro.

Ms. Bevan’s discography includes an album of art songs titled Voyages with pianist Joseph Middleton and Handel’s Queens with London Early Opera, both released by Signum Records; Felix Mendelssohn songs for Champs Hill Records; Handel’s The Triumph of Time and Truth and Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day with Ludus Baroque; and Vaughan Williams’s Symphony No. 3 and Schubert’s Rosamunde with the BBC Philharmonic. In fall 2019, Signum Records released her second disc with Joseph Middleton, which included lieder by Schubert, Haydn, and Wolf.

Ms. Bevan is the recipient of the RPS Young Artist award and UK Critics’ Circle Award for Young Talent, and was awarded an MBE in the 2019 Queen’s birthday honors list.

Neal Davies studied at King’s College London and the Royal Academy of Music, and won the Lieder Prize at the 1991 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. His engagements in 2021–2022 include a return to English National Opera as Don Alfonso in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Tiridate in Handel’s Radamisto with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and a recording of Sullivan’s Utopia, Limited for Scottish Opera. On the concert platform, he sings Ariodate in Handel’s Serse with The English Concert at Carnegie Hall and in London, Madrid, and Pamplona; Haydn’s The Creation with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Mozart’s Requiem with Jonathan Nott in Tokyo; Messiah with Les Violons du Roy and Jonathan Cohen; Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra and Stephen Layton; and Handel’s Israel in Egypt on tour throughout Europe with the Freiburger Barockorchester and René Jacobs.

Recent concert appearances have included Britten’s Peter Grimes with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Valens in Handel’s Theodora with Arcangelo at the Wiener Konzerthaus, The Seasons with the Moscow Philharmonic Society and Maxim Emelyanychev, a tour of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Hallé Orchestra and Sir Mark Elder, The Creation at the Edinburgh Festival with Edward Gardner, and Vaughan Williams’s Dona nobis pacem at the BBC Proms. Additional highlights include appearances with David Afkham and the Spanish National Orchestra, Maxime Pascal conducting the Hallé Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy and the New York Philharmonic under Jonathan Cohen, Bach Collegium Japan and Masaaki Suzuki, Music of the Baroque and Jane Glover, and The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Bernard Labadie.

Mr. Davies’s discography includes Songs of Travel with the Hallé Orchestra and Sir Mark Elder; Haydn’s Il ritorno di Tobia with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg and Ivor Bolton; Handel’s Acis and Galatea under Christian Curnyn; Handel’s Messiah, Theodora, and Saul and Haydn’s The Creation under Paul McCreesh; Janáček’s Jenůfa and The Makropulos Case under Sir Charles Mackerras; Barber’s Vanessa with Leonard Slatkin; Messiah with René Jacobs; The Hyperion Schubert Edition with Graham Johnson; and Britten’s Billy Budd with Daniel Harding.

Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack leads the vanguard of a new generation of opera singers, infusing her artistry with a mix of intensity, adventurousness, and effortless charisma. In recent seasons, she has made debuts at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as Rosina in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia; at the Metropolitan Opera as the Kitchen Boy in Mary Zimmerman’s new production of Dvořák’s Rusalka; at Ópera de Oviedo as Sesto in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito; with the BBC Philharmonic as Béatrice in Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédict; and at Boston Lyric Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre as Rosina. She made her house and role debut as Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and debuted at Florida Grand Opera in Carmen, where she returned for her role debut as Charlotte in Massenet’s Werther. She appeared at Santa Fe Opera for her first North American performances as Isabella in Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri, as Bradamante in Handel’s Alcina conducted by Harry Bicket, and in her role debut as Carmen. Additional highlights include Bradamante in Alcina at Washington National Opera, her Seattle Opera debut as Béatrice in Béatrice et Bénédict, Angelina in La Cenerentola at Arizona Opera, Il barbiere di Siviglia in San Francisco, Rosmira in Handel’s Partenope in Madrid, and Romeo in Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi in Seville. Upcoming engagements include Handel’s Amadigi di Gaula with Boston Baroque, Verdi’s Nabucco at Teatro Real in Madrid, and Rossini’s Otello at Opera Philadelphia. Ms. Mack is an alumna of the Adler Fellowship Program at San Francisco Opera, where she appeared as Idamante in Mozart’s Idomeneo, Siebel in Gounod’s Faust, and Lucienne in Korngold’s Die tote Stadt. She performed the title role of La Cenerentola as a member of the Merola Opera Program, made her West Coast recital debut as part of San Francisco Opera’s Schwabacher Recital Series, and was a finalist in the 2013 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition.

Irish mezzo-soprano Paula Murrihy enjoys a busy career in both Europe and the US. She is a former member of the ensemble at Oper Frankfurt, where her roles included the title role in Carmen (in a production directed by Barrie Kosky), Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier, and the title role in Fauré’s Pénélope, among many others.

Last season, Ms. Murrihy made her debut in the title role of Handel’s Ariodante in a livestreamed concert performance at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conducted by Christian Curnyn, and for her house debut at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre. Other recent highlights include her Metropolitan Opera debut as Stéphano in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, a return to Santa Fe Opera as Ruggiero in Alcina and Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, and Idamante in Peter Sellars’s production of Idomeneo at the Salzburg Festival. She recently appeared with the Dutch National Opera as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier, at Zurich Opera House as Concepción in L’heure espagnole, and at Madrid’s Teatro Real as the Countess of Essex in Britten’s Gloriana.

On the concert platform, Ms. Murrihy works regularly with MusicAeterna and Teodor Currentzis, most recently joining them for a European tour performing Mozart’s Da Ponte operas. An accomplished recitalist, she has given performances at Wigmore Hall with Malcolm Martineau, at the Aldeburgh Festival, and at the Diaghilev Festival in Perm. Last season, she released her debut solo album, I will walk with my love, with American pianist Tanya Blaich on Orchid Classics.

Ms. Murrihy opened her 2021–2022 season with a company debut singing the Composer in Katie Mitchell’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos at Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu. Other season highlights include her return to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow to reprise the title role of Ariodante, Palau de les Arts in Valencia for Nicklausse in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann conducted by Marc Minkowski, and Irish National Opera as Carmen. On the concert platform, she joins The English Concert as Micah in Handel’s Samson in London, Ruggiero in Alcina on a US tour, and Arsamene in Serse on tour in the US and Spain; in addition, she gives recitals with pianist Sholto Kynoch at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Oxford Lieder Festival.

William Dazeley recently sang Le Forestier in the world premiere of Sivan Elder’s Like Flesh at Opéra de Lille, Father in Hansel und Gretel and Marcello in La bohème at Grange Park Opera, the Prosecutor in the world premiere of Mark Grey’s Frankenstein at La Monnaie in Brussels, and Pandolfe in Massenet’s Cendrillon with Glyndebourne Tour. Other recent appearances include Claudius in Brett Dean’s Hamlet for Glyndebourne Tour, the Count in Strauss’s Capriccio for Garsington Opera, and Bernstein’s Mass at L’Auditori in Barcelona with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra of Catalonia. Upcoming engagements include the Music Master in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos at Opéra national de Montpellier.

Mr. Dazeley has appeared in opera houses worldwide, and his roles have included the Count in Massenet’s Chérubin, Marcello in La bohème, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Anthony in Sweeney Todd, Yeletsky in The Queen of Spades, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Papageno in The Magic Flute at English National Opera; Alfonso in Così fan tutte, the title role in Don Giovanni, Posa in Don Carlos, Faninal in Der Rosenkavalier, Danilo in The Merry Widow, and Mr. Gedge in Albert Herring at Opera North; L’ami in The Fall of the House of Usher and the Count in Le nozze di Figaro at Welsh National Opera; Baron Douphol in La traviata, Harasta in The Cunning Little Vixen, and Starveling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Glyndebourne Festival; Claudius in Hamlet, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and the title role in Owen Wingrave for Glyndebourne Tour; Enrico in Maria de Rohan at the Buxton Festival; Figaro at the Berlin State Opera; the Count in Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni at Deutsche Oper Berlin; and Doktor Faust at the Salzburg Festival and the Théâtre du Châtelet.

In the 2019–2020 season, Mr. Dazeley made his Royal Danish Opera debut as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, with which he subsequently toured throughout Denmark, and as the Music Master in Ariadne auf Naxis for his debut at Opéra de Montpellier. Recent concert highlights include Finzi’s In Terra Pax at London’s Cadogan Hall with the City of London Choir and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.