We're delighted to introduce our collaboration with guest soprano and bass soloists and our guest organist for our December concert Handel's Messiah (extracts) and Seasonal Works.
So many of you have asked about them, that we publish here their musicial biographies!
Thomas Howell - Organist
Hailing from Neath, South Wales, Thomas Howell is currently studying organ performance at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Tom served as Organ Scholar of Chichester Cathedral for two years, where he accompanied the choir through the weekly canon of eight choral services. Tom also played recitals at the cathedral including for the 2022 national gathering of the Cathedral Music Trust. He recorded organ solos with the Cathedral Choir on ‘What joy so true’; a CD to celebrate Thomas Weelkes’ compositions.
Since holding the organ scholarship at Birmingham Anglican Cathedral, Tom is now the director of music at English Martyrs’ Roman Catholic Church, Birmingham which has a weekly sung mass and monthly sung vespers. Tom couples this with other freelance church music.
To date, 2024 successes include being winner of the Corton Hyde Early Music Prize, finalist of the Dame Gillian Weir Messiaen Prize in Beverly Minster and finalist of the Royal College of Organists organ playing competition in York Minster.
Héloïse Zahedi - Soprano soloist
Héloïse Zahedi is a singer and choral conductor. A chorister from an early age with the Maîtrise de la Loire under the direction of J. Berthelon, she continued her studies at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Grenoble in opera singing, choral conducting and drama.
Co-founder of the Maison Auriolles association in Lot-et-Garonne, she has worked at the Dijon choir school with E. Meyer, and regularly gives concerts, including one for the Barrie Opera Festival, in the work of Barbier, in the summer of 2023, and another in October 2024 in Paris, performing lyrical works at a concert in Ménilmontant.
Julian Godlee - Bass soloist
Julian Godlee began his musical life as head chorister at Kings College Cambridge under Sir David Willcocks, during which time he took part in tours of Europe and Africa, as well as recordings with Benjamin Britten and Herbert Howells.
Whilst studying singing with Sir Peter Pears, he sang with The Taverner Consort with Andrew Parrott, and The Academy of St Martin in the Fields with Sir Neville Mariner. Operatic roles have included the title role in Purcell’s King Arthur, Osmin in Mozart’s Il Seraglio, and Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni.
He has performed as soloist on Classic FM and BBC Radio 3 and his many CD recordings for Cambridge Records include Schumann’s Dichterliebe, Schubert’s cycle Schwanengesang, Vaughan Williams Songs of Travel, and Gerald Finzi’s Earth, Air and Rain as well as a double CD of English Song, and ‘Soulful Songs for Bass’ -collections of jazz and spiritual songs.
He records frequently in Abbey Road Studios for Hans Zimmer and Thomas Newman with London Voices and has recently performed as soloist in premieres of works by Will Todd, Susannah Self ‘Sea Symphony’ and Douglas Coombes ‘The Bravest Man’.
He now primarily performs as an oratorio soloist and gives regular solo recitals throughout the UK including, in February 2024, Schubert’s song cycle Winterreise with pianist Brenda Blewett.
It's a truly exciting prospect to be performing with these gifted musiclans. Join us to share the experience on 14 December at Eymet's lovely church St Martin des Vignes.