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South African baritone Jacques Imbrailo completed a post-graduate degree course in opera studies at the RCM under Ryland Davies and he finished his studies with the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in 2008. In the 2007/8 season, Jacques took on roles at the Royal Opera House which have included Scythian in Iphigénie en Tauride, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Morales in Carmen, the Wig maker in Ariadne auf naxos and the Flemish Deputy in Don Carlos.
South African baritone Jacques Imbrailo completed a BA Law Degree and a BMus.Degree at
the Potchefstroom University in South Africa in 2002, followed by post-graduate opera studies at
the RCM under Ryland Davies. Awards include Finalist in the Kathleen Ferrier Competition 2007
and the Audience Prize at Cardiff Singer of the World, 2007.
Jacques has attended Master Classes with Mimi Coertze, Helmut Deutsch, Thomas Hampson, Sir
Thomas Allen, Gerald Finley and Christa Ludwig. He is also a founder member of the Prince
Consort ensemble.
Opera roles include Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and Mercutio in
Roméo et Juliette. He has performed extensively in South Africa and England, including lieder
recitals and concert programmes. Oratorio performances include Bach’s St John Passion, Handel’s Messiah, Brahms’ Requiem,
Fauré’s Requiem and Durufle’s Requiem amongst others.
He completed his studies with the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in
2008 and made his Royal Opera House debut in December 2006 as Morales in Bizet’s Carmen.
In the 2007/8 season, Jacques took on roles at the Royal Opera House which have included Scythian in Iphigénie en
Tauride, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Morales in Carmen, the Wig maker in Ariadne auf naxos and the
Flemish Deputy in Don Carlos.
This season sees Jacques make debuts as Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at Opera de Lille with conductor
Emmanuelle Haïm and at Welsh National Opera, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte with Opera Colorado and Glyndebourne
Touring Opera and Schaunard in La Bohème with the Royal Opera House. Looking further ahead, Jacques will sing the title
role in Michael Grandage’s new production of Billy Budd at the Glyndebourne Festival in the summer of 2010.
Concerts include the Brahm’s Requiem with the Wimbledon Choral Society at Southwark Cathedral, Belshazzar’s Feast with
the Guildford Choral Society, Handel’s Messiah with the Cardiff Polyphonic Choir and Welsh Chamber Orchestra at St
David’s Hall in Cardiff and a recital at Wigmore Hall.
Gary Matthewman is the current holder of the Legal & General Junior Fellowship at the Royal
College of Music.
He developed his strong interest in song accompaniment and chamber music early on in his studies,
and he now works almost exclusively within these fields of repertoire.
He was a member of the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme in 2004, studying French Song
with Malcolm Martineau. Recent awards include the accompaniment prizes at the 2005 Maggie
Teyte Awards and the 2005 Royal Over-Seas League Competition and he has appeared at the
Aldeburgh, Bath and North Norfolk Music Festivals, at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Covent
Garden, the Wigmore Hall, and the Churches of St James Piccadilly and St-Martin-in-the-Fields.
Abroad, Gary has performed as a song/chamber music recitalist in Germany, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, South Korea,
Canada and the USA. He has performed alongside some of today’s leading young singers and instrumentalists, including
Stephan Loges (baritone), Elizabeth Watts (soprano), Toby Spence (tenor), Cora Burggraaf (soprano), Sylvia Schwartz
(soprano), Jared Holt (baritone) and the Sacconi and Doric String Quartets. He has also collaborated with such established
artists as Dame Josephine Barstow (soprano), Nicholas Daniel (oboe), Simon Rowland Jones (viola) and Susan Milan (flute).
Gary has made several live broadcasts for BBC Radio 3.
Gary’s studies were supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, a Foundation Scholarship from the Royal College
of Music, and a Leverhulme Award. He also received further support from the Geoffrey Parsons Memorial Trust.