Wednesday, April 29, 2009

WENDY GROSE - BIOGRAPHY

Wendy Grose (soprano) is an actor and musician. Wendy’s numerous credits in theatre and opera include performances with The Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Welsh National Opera, Opera de Lyon, London Modern Music Theatre Troupe, Chamber Made Opera, Back to Back Theatre, Voiceworks Theatre, The Production Company, Mainstreet Theatre Company and the Queensland Theatre Company. Operatic roles performed range from Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes to Mimi in La Boheme.
Wendy regularly performs recitals of diverse repertoire with her accompanist, Len Vorster and has appeared as a featured recitalist in Britain, Italy, France and Australia and in broadcasts for the BBC and ABC. As soprano soloist, she has appeared with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestres de Bayonne et Bordeaux, Surrey Sinfonietta, London Civil Services Orchestra, the Australian Boys Choir and the Australian Pops Orchestra performing works ranging from Ravel’s Sheherezade and Strauss’ Four Last Songs to popular and comedy songs.
Wendy’s television credits include Whatever happened to that guy, Forget the rules, Kath and Kim, Sea Change, Neighbours, Blue Heelers, Marshall Law and presenting for “This Week in Geelong”.
Recent engagements include extensive touring (Australia wide and in USA) of her show, “A Different Hat”, based on the life of opera singer, Marjorie Lawrence. Following the great success of “A Different Hat” (Wendy was featured in The Weekly Times’ Hall of Fame 2002 for her portrayal of Marjorie), Wendy and Len created “Perfect Timing” (A tribute to concert comedienne extraordinaire Anna Russell). Anna Russell declares that if anyone is going to be her, it’d have to be Wendy!
As well as creating a new cabaret show“When love comes to call”, exploring love’s highs and lows through the beautiful melodies of Gershwin, Cole Porter, Weill, Kern and Blitzstein, Wendy and Len recently premiered their new comedy show, “Mind your manners!” – a comic exploration of 21st century etiquette. They have also released a new CD with label “Cracked Records” called “Look in my Eyes”.
Wendy was soprano soloist for the Royal Opera’s education department, is presently a teaching artist for the Victorian Arts Centre and is on the vocal staff at the Universities of Melbourne and Monash. She regularly conducts workshops in voice production, music and drama for people of all ages and abilities.
Future plans include a return to Europe to perform with acclaimed innovative UK companies, Amici Dance Theatre and Improbable Theatre in their 30th anniversary production at the Lyric Theatre London and two runs of one woman show, “Florence – Young as ever!” celebrating one of J. C. Williamson’s early 20th century stars, Florrie Young.
REVIEWS

“Indeed, it would be worth attending just to hear Wendy Grose’s rich timbre and refinement. Let’s hope that this Australian-born singer plans on staying awhile.” Chris Boyd, FINANCIAL REVIEW

“Wendy Grose ....... with a rich, sensual sound, notably during the solo Caritas Abundat. Grose sang with a kind of earthy luxuriousness.” Clive O’Connell, THE AGE

.”....... all revolved around Wendy Grose’s vibrant and gutsy soprano ..........Grose would carry the composition’s weight, both dramatic and melodic content entrusted to her pretty much exclusively.” Clive O’Connell, THE AGE

“.... the first of four recitals by the outstanding soprano Wendy Grose. Grose was a brilliant choice for she has, apart from a fine and captivating voice, a natural and ingenuous manner that communicates with the audience with remarkable ease. The audience responded to her generosity with full houses. She was equally at home with comedy songs, operatic arias and most especially in French chanson where her impeccable diction added a moving depth to songs by Hahn and Poulenc.” Michael J. Easton, THE AGE

“.... she was firm in pitch and Grose’s range was surprising. Grose used vivid tones to personify Chastity debating the devil.....great richness and dynamic theatre.” Keith Field, HERALD SUN


Wendy Grose - CV
TRAINING
· Devising workshops - Music Theatre - Royal Opera, London
· Screen Actors Studio – Geelong (Acting, presenting, writing, editing, comedy for television)
· Drama Studies - Morley College, London.
· Bachelor of Music Degree (Opera) – Elizabeth Todd - NSW Conservatorium
· Britten Pears School of Advanced Music Studies (Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Hans Hotter) - UK
· L’Academie de Musique M. Ravel (Gerard Souzay, Manuel Rosenthal, Gabriel Bacquier) – France
· Studies with Wolfgang Stange, Amici Dance Theatre, London

TELEVISION
TITLE CHARACTER DIRECTOR PRODUCTION CO.
· Whatever happened to that guy Wendy Ted Emery Foxtel
· Kath and Kim Series III Fountain Lakes player Ted Emery ABC
· Marshall Law Judge Pat Hunt 7 Network
· Sea Change Councillor ABC TV
· This week in Geelong Presenter & host John McGlynn Channel 31
· Forget the rules WWW interactive
· Presenter/interviewer/reader Radio RPH 99.5 FM

THEATRE
TITLE CHARACTER DIRECTOR PRODUCTION CO
· Florence-Young as ever Florence Young Stephanie Daniel Beleura Mansion
· Mind your manners! Miss Conduct Voiceworks Theatre
· Stars are out tonight Black Angel Wolfgang Stange Amici Dance Theatre/Improbable Theatre, London
· Perfect Timing Anna Russell P S Jones
· Music Man Ethel Toffelmeier The Production Company
· A Different Hat Marjorie Lawrence P S Jones Voiceworks Theatre
· Sweeney Todd Ensemble Queensland Theatre Company
· Lucky Stiff, King Island Christmas Port Fairy Spring Festival
· Lacuna Bishop Chardin Chamber Made Opera
· Voices of Desire Various Back to Back Theatre
· Woolaway Cressy Mary McMenamin Mainstreet Theatre Co
· Ariadne auf Naxos Ariadne South London Theatre Co.
· Pillow Song, La Malinche – various roles London Modern Music Theatre Troupe

OPERA
TITLE CHARACTER PRODUCTION CO.
· La Boheme Mimi South London Opera
· Samson Virgin Royal Opera, Covent Garden
· Lohengrin Page Royal Opera, Covent Garden
· Der Rosenkavalier Orphan Royal Opera, Covent Garden
· Peter Grimes Ellen Orford Kentish Opera, UK
· Der Freischutz Agathe (cover) Welsh National Opera
· Lohengrin Elsa(cover) Victoria State Opera
· Don Carlos Elisabetta (cover) Victoria State Opera
· The Medium Mrs Nolan Port Fairy Spring Festival
· Amahl and the Night Visitors Mother Australian Boys Choir, Melbourne

CONCERT
· Soloist in concert with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Whitehall Orchestra, Fine Arts Sinfonia, Surrey Sinfonietta, Orchestres de Bayonne et Bordeaux, Australian Pops Orchestra performing works ranging from Ravel’s Sheherezade and Strauss’ Four Last Songs to popular and comedy songs.
· Recitals of classical and contemporary repertoire in France, Italy, Australia and Britain.


Skills
· Piano * Dance * Photography * Accents * Fluent French * Basic German, Italian, Auslan * Sewing * Cooking * Percussion * Swimming * Manual driver’s licence *

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