Baritone James Atkinson gave a stunning performance combining Lieder, art song and opera into a delightful programme securing the second section win in the 70th year of the ROSL Annual Music Competition.
Last night, baritone James Atkinson became the second section final winner of the competition, taking home £5,000 and claiming the second of four spots in the Gold Medal Final, which this year will take place at Wigmore Hall.
In the 70th year of the Royal Over-Seas League’s Annual Music Competition, four soloists competed in the Singers section final. Cassandra Wright soprano, Annabel Kennedy mezzo soprano, James Atkinson baritone Mimi Doulton soprano delighted the crowd in the Princess Alexandra Hall. The adjudicators Gillian Keith, Geoff Parkin, Nicky Spence and Sue Spence had the difficult task of choosing the winner and the soloist who will go onto compete for the Gold Medal and a further £15,000.
James Atkinson was chosen as the winner, after combining works by Finzi, Faure, Schubert and Bellini into a stunning programme. James Atkinson is agraduate of the Royal College of Music Opera Studio, where he studied with Alison Wells. James has won prizes at the Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards, the Somerset Song Prize and the Mozart Competition. In Spring 2022 James makes his debut with Welsh National Opera as Masetto in Don Giovanni, returns to the Ludlow English Song Festival alongside Iain Burnside, gives recitals at Lake Como for Kirker Music Holidays, and performs Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra.
You can catch up on all the action here:
Cassandra Wright opened the show, impressing alongside collaborative pianist Harry Rylance
It was a privilege to see singer Annabel Kennedy and collaborative pianist Ana Manastireanu performing together on stage
James Atkinson winner of the Solo Singers section final performed with Chad Vindin, our 2016 collaborative piano award winner
Closing Solo Singers section final proceedings on a high note, Mimi Doulton and collaborative pianist Dylan Perez
ROSL Annual Music Competition Section Finals take place each Tuesday 7-9pm at Over-Seas House, Park Place, St James’s Street, London, SW1A 1LR.
You can book for the upcoming section finals here
