About The Teachers
Anne Marie Gibbons
Anne Marie Gibbons studied at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, Dublin and subsequently at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester. Early credits in Ireland include the title roles in Ariodante and Cinderella with Opera Theatre Company; whilst in the U.K. she appeared as Pippo in The Theiving Magpie for Opera North. She subsequently joined English National Opera in London as a Company Principal where credits include: Dorabella in Cosi Fan Tutte; Anna and Ascanius in The Trojans; Ino in Semele; Sister Mathilde in The Dialogues of the Carmelites; Pitti-Sing The Mikado; Flora La Traviata; Nero Agrippina; Kasturbai Satyagraha and Annio in La Clemenza di Tito.
With an extensive oratorio and concert repertoire, Anne Marie has appeared with the RTé Concert Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra amongst others. Recordings include: Zulma in Elvida and Abra in Il Diluvio Universale for Opera Rara; Sister Mathilde in The Dialogues Of The Carmelites, and Zulma in Italian Girl In Algiers for Chandos.
Recent engagements include: the Second Lady in The Magic Flute with Welsh National Opera and Rosmira in Partenope at Les Azuriales Festival in Cap Ferrat, France. Future plans include the title roles in Ariodante and Teseo for English Touring Opera and Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri with the RTé Symphony Orchestra at the National Concert Hall in Dublin.
Hugh Francis
Hugh Francis studied at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) and London Centre for Theatrical Studies (LCTS), and was a member of the Vilar Young Artists Programme at The Royal Opera House – Covent Garden.
He made his Royal Opera debut in Luisa Miller and has since performed there in such works as Samson and Dalila, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Ariadne auf Naxos, Tosca, La Fanciulla del West, Salomé, Werther and The Emperor of Atlantis. Elsewhere in the UK credits include Wozzeck with the Philharmonia Orchestra at The Royal Festival Hall in London; Wozzeck and The Queen of Spades with Welsh National Opera; Elektra with Opera North; The Gambler and The Marriage of Figaro with Grange Park Opera; Sarka and Osud with Garsington Opera; Adriana Lecouvreur with Chelsea Opera Group at Queen Elizabeth Hall; The Nose with The Opera Group and Fidelio with The Edinburgh Symphony Orchestra at Greyfriars Kirk.
Internationally performances include roles in: Wozzeck at the Theatre des Champs- Elysees in Paris; Tosca, Karl V and Playing Away with the Bregenz Festival; From the House of the Dead at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo; The Greek Passion with the Janacek Theatre in Brno; Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk for Canadian Opera Company in Toronto; and Carmen and Tosca with Den Nye Opera in Bergen.
Hugh is currently appearing as the Drum Major in Richard Jones’ award winning production of Wozzeck with Welsh National Opera. Plans include roles with The Royal Opera – Covent Garden, De Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam and Grand Theatre de Geneve, Switzerland.