Australian-born mezzo-soprano, Lynette Alc\u00e1ntara studied at Monash and Melbourne Universities and was a member of the Young Artists\u2019 Encouragement Programme with the Victoria State Opera Company<\/strong>. She was a choral exhibitioner in the choir of Trinity College<\/strong>, Melbourne. Whilst at university Lynette won numerous prizes and scholarships and in 1991 won the National Liederfest Prize and a Menzies scholarship which enabled her to travel to Britain.<\/p>\n Lynette moved to England in 1992 to further her vocal studies with the late Audrey Langford. In 1993 she was appointed as a staff alto with the BBC Singers<\/a>, singing at the funeral of Princess Diana and singing for many of the world’s leading conductors. \u00a0She has sung with many of the leading ensembles in Britain and appears regularly for BBC radio and TV and frequently at the Royal Albert Hall and on the South Bank.<\/p>\n Lynette has sung operatic roles from Monteverdi and Handel through to Stravinsky and Simon Holt including: Dorabella, Cherubino, Third Lady, Baba the Turk, Dinah (Trouble in Tahiti) and Selene (Handel\u2019s Berenice). Recent works include The Governess<\/em> in Tchaikovsky\u2019s Queen of Spades<\/em> at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester conducted by Gianandrea Noseda<\/strong> for the BBC and Kirov Opera, and the role of Marcolfa<\/em> in Simon Holt\u2019s The Nightingale\u2019s to Blame<\/em> for die Wiener Taschenoper, conductor Peter Rundel<\/strong>, which she also understudied for Opera North. Lighter repertoire includes a Model<\/em> in Weill\u2019s The Firebrand of Florence<\/em> for the BBC Symphony Orchestra\/Andrew Davis recording, and the roles of Leila<\/em> in Iolanthe<\/em> for Jane Glover<\/strong> and Fiametta<\/em> in The Gondoliers<\/em> conducted by Barry Wordsworth<\/strong>, both for BBC Radio 3 and BBC TV. Work for English National Opera included covering the Alto role in Deborah Warner\u2019s<\/strong> new staging of Handel\u2019s Messiah<\/em> for ENO.<\/p>\n On CD she has appeared regularly as soloist for Sir. John Eliot Gardiner<\/strong> and The Monteverdi Choir including \u2018Shallow Brown\u2019 on the Gramophone Award-winning disc \u2018Londonderry Air-the music of Percy Grainger\u2019<\/em>, with the Choir of Gonville and Caius College<\/strong>, Cambridge and on numerous CDs with the BBC Singers<\/strong>, including alto soloist on BBC Music Magazine recording of Vaughan Williams Mass in G minor<\/em>.<\/p>\n Equally at home on the concert platform, she has appeared at the Spitalfields Festival, the Last Night of the Proms<\/em> with Sir. Andrew Davis<\/strong>, the Royal Festival Hall and King\u2019s College, Cambridge. Lynette has sung the Mozart Requiem<\/em> for the BBC and Stephen Cleobury<\/strong> at Fairfield Halls, The Dream of Gerontius<\/em>, Bach St. Matthew Passion<\/em> at The Royal Festival Hall and Vivaldi Gloria<\/em> (both for The Bach Choir and David Hill<\/strong>), and Beethoven\u2019s Symphony No. 9<\/em> for Martyn Brabbins<\/strong> at the Cheltenham Festival. Recent concert highlights included Strauss Elektra \u00a0for BBC Proms (Schlepptr\u00e4grein), Prokofiev Alexander Nevsky<\/em>, Mozart C minor Mass<\/em>, Durufle Requiem in King’s College Chapel<\/em>, Bach St. Matthew Passion<\/em> at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford and The Queen\u2019s Hall, Edinburgh, Bliss Pastoral<\/em> and Berkeley Poems of St. Theresa<\/em> of Avila and Dvorak Mass in D<\/em>. 2005 concerts included Haydn Nelson Mass<\/em> and Mozart Solemn Vespers<\/em> for The Bach Choir, Tippett \u2018A Child of our Time<\/em>\u2019 for CUMS Chorus in Kings College Cambridge, Montsalvatge 5 Canciones Negras<\/em> and Mozart Concert Aria K505<\/em> with the Cambridge University Graduate Orchestra<\/a>, Mozart Requiem<\/em> in Amelia and Rome and Stravinsky\u2019s Le Rossignol<\/em> conducted by Gianandrea Noseda<\/strong> at the BBC Proms. Lynette also sang the role of Mary of Bethany<\/em> in the European premiere of Francis Grier\u2019s The Passion of Jesus of Nazareth<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lynette Alc\u00e1ntara: Mezzo Soprano Australian-born mezzo-soprano, Lynette Alc\u00e1ntara studied at Monash and Melbourne Universities and was a member of the Young Artists\u2019 Encouragement Programme with the Victoria State Opera Company. She was a choral exhibitioner in the choir of Trinity College, Melbourne. Whilst at university Lynette won numerous prizes and scholarships and in 1991 won … Continue reading Biography<\/span>