Caryl Hughes Biography

Caryl graduated with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music in summer 2007, having studied with Noelle Barker and Audrey Hyland. She also holds a BA (Hons) in Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. She went on to receive an inaugural HRH Prince of Wales Scholarship for Advanced Study in Music to attend Cardiff International Academy of Voice, under the direction of Dennis O’Neill. Awards whilst a student include the coveted W.Towyn Roberts scholarship (National Eisteddfod of Wales, 2005), runner-up in the Opera Rara Patric Schmid Bel Canto Prize 2007 and the S4C scholarship for developing talent. She also won the 2006 Morriston Orpheus Young Singer of the Year award and was a finalist in the Welsh Singer’s Competition 2006 at St David’s Hall, Cardiff. Most recently, she won the 2009 Stuart Burrows International Voice Award.

Caryl made her debut for Scottish Opera in 2007/08 as Cenerentola. She returned in 2009/10 to sing Varvara/Katya Kabanova. In 2008, she sang Teti/Le nozze di Teti e di Peleo for Welsh National Opera, under the baton of Carlo Rizzi. Other performances have included concerts and recitals at The Sage Gateshead, Cadogan Hall, Wales Millennium Centre and the Wigmore Hall, where she was a finalist at the 2007 Kathleen Ferrier Awards.

Operatic and Musical Theatre roles include Cosette/Les Miserables for Pimlico Opera, Olga/Eugene Onegin and First Nymph/Rusalka for Grange Park Opera, Angela in the world-premiere of Nicola LeFanu's Dream Hunter, Madama Brillante/The Italian Girl in London for Bampton Opera, Orlovsky/Die Fledermaus for Welsh National Opera, Rita Rat/Fantastic Mr Fox for English Touring Opera, Cenerentola for Iford Arts Festival, Sonya/Sonya's Story for the tete-a-tete Festival, Cherubino/Le nozze di Figaro(cover) and Dorabella/Cosi Fan Tutte(cover) for Scottish Opera, Carmen for Opra Cymru, Rosina/The Barber of Seville for Armonico Consort, Irene/Tamerlano for Opera by Definition, Sifare/Mitridate (cover) for Welsh National Opera, Yniold/Pelléas et Mélisande for Independent Opera, Flora (world première of Jonathan Dove’s The Enchanted Pig) for the Young Vic Theatre and The Opera Group, Female Chorus/The Rape of Lucretia, Little Moon/A Night at the Chinese Opera and Eustazio/Rinaldo, all for RAO.

Caryl has performed in recital with Bryn Terfel at Grange Park Opera and the Hay Festival and with Sir Thomas Allen at the Three Choirs Festival. Oratorio engagements include Handel Israel in Egypt, Bruckner Requiem, Pergolesi Stabat Mater, Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Petite Messe Sollennelle, Vivaldi Gloria, Mozart Requiem and Haydn’s Missa Brevis and Nelson Mass, and she has also sung for HRH Prince of Wales at Cardiff Castle. She is both a Britten-Pears and Samling scholar. In 2010 Caryl appeared as a Young Artist at the Azuriales Festival in Cap Ferrat, France, and was a finalist in the Ozone Young Artists' Competition. Her debut disc of Britten's Cabaret Songs with Malcolm Martineau has been released by ONYX, having performed them at the 2009 Aix-en-Provence and Aldeburgh Festivals.

Recently, Caryl played Maria for Pimlico Opera's production of West Side Story at HMP Erlestoke. Future engagements include a series of concerts with Bryn Terfel, Giacinta for Bampton Opera's La Finta Semplice, and cover Jane Seymour for WNO's Anna Bolena.