Biographies

Eleanor Rastall studied Human Science at St Anne’s College, Oxford, before moving to London in August 2004. She founded Concert Bites in January 2005 and became a choral scholar at St Martin-in-the-Fields in Sept 2005. She later gained a distinction in both the Certificate of Continuing Education (2008) and the Certificate of Higher Education (2009) in Performance Studies (Opera) at Birkbeck College.

Operatic roles have included: Belinda and First Witch (Dido and Aeneas, Purcell) with Clemens Non Papa Consort, Belinda (Dido and Aeneas, Purcell) and Juno (The Fairy Queen, Purcell) with Opera Underground; and Nella (Gianni Schichhi, Puccini) with Hand Made Opera. Roles in opera scenes have included Susannah (Le Nozze di Figaro); Zerlina (Don Giovanni); Angelica (Orlando, Handel); Lulu (Lulu, Berg); Ann Trulove (The Rake’s Progress, Stravinsky) and Héro (Béatrice et Bénédict, Berlioz).

Solo Oratorio performances have included: The Angel in the World Premiere of It was only the Angels who Sang in St Martin-in-the-Field's; Mozart's Coronation Mass with the Excelsis Choir and Grayshott Festival Orchestra; Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, and Bach's Easter Oratorio for the Orpington and District Free Church Choir; Handel’s Messiah and Dixit Dominus, and Bach’s Weichet Nur (BWV 202) with Clemens Non Papa Consort; and Bach’s St John Passion with Hand Made Opera and with the St Peter’s Singers.

Recital work has included solo recitals as part of the Southwark Cathedral (London), Holywell Music Room and New Chamber Opera (Oxford) recital series, as well as semi-staged opera scenes as part of the Concert Bites recital series in St Magnus the Martyr.

Eleanor performed as Belle Canto in Belle Canto’s Opera Hour at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2009. This new production included a specially written script and a diverse set of opera scenes, including extracts from Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Verdi’s Rigoletto and Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins.

Eleanor also sings regularly with Trio Literati, based in Yorkshire, performing in specially written period performances in stately homes, including Harewood House and Temple Newsam. With Trio Literati, Eleanor has also performed at the Bewdley Festival, in Lichfield and in a joint charitable initiative with Concert Bites: A Victorian Evening at the Yorkshire College of Music. For future plans, please see the Events Diary.

William Petter began his musical training as a chorister at New College, Oxford, under Edward Higginbottom. Whilst studying for a degree in Neuroscience at UCL, he started singing as a tenor. He has since completed a 2 year Vocal diploma at the Royal Academy of Music, for which he gained the highest award, distinction with DipRAM, and a foundation prize. During his course, he attended classes on choir training with Patrick Russill, and sang in choral conducting masterclasses with Jeremy Summerly and Paul Spicer. He also took the LRAM teaching diploma, for which he gained a distinction. He studies with Jennifer Dakin, and receives coaching from Ian Partridge.

He now works mainly as an oratorio soloist and a choral singer around the UK and further afield, and has recently sung with conductors including Esa Pekka Salonen and Simone Young. He also teaches singing at Brockenhurst College, and is the director of the Orpington and District Free Church Choir, who he has recently conducted in Mozart’s Requiem with the Forest Philharmonic Orchestra.

    In Oratorio, recent performances include Bach St Matthew Passion (Evangelist), Mozart Requiem for Oxford Harmonic Society and Benson Choral Society, Handel Messiah and Shaw The Redeemer for Chigwellian Choral Society, Mozart Solemn Vespers K321 for the Orchestra of the Swan, Bach St John Passion for the St. Peter's Singers and Bach St Matthew Passion (arias) for the East Grinstead Chamber Choir. He has also performed many works of Bach in the Oxford Bach Ensemble’s annual concerts, which he helps to organise.

Opera roles performed have included Lurcanio in Ariodante for Scarlet Opera, Herald in Vanda (Dvorak), McPibroch in Whittington (Offenbach) and Die Anführer in Alfonso und Estrella (Schubert) for UC Opera, First Sailor in Dido and Aeneas and Oberon in The Fairy Quee for Opera Underground.   He also gives Song Recitals, and has recently performed a recital of English Song in Oxford. He has worked as a singing actor with Leeds-based drama group Trio Literati, performing Victorian parlour songs in their productions Home, Sweet Home and A Victorian Christmas at Temple Newsam House. Plans for 2010 include more oratorio work and a performance of Die Schöne Müllerin in Burgh House, Hampstead.