PROGRAMME

LOUISE DEARMAN

Training: Laine Theatre Arts.


Theatre:

Ruth Sherwood in Wonderful Town (Opera Holland Park); Sarah Parker in Mimma (Cadogan Hall), Daisy in Side Show (Southwark Playhouse); Adelaide in Guys and Dolls (UK tour); Elphaba in Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre); Glinda in Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre); Mrs D in the world premiere of The Waterbabies (Leicester Curve Theatre); Soloist in Judy (UK tour); The Woman in Tell Me On A Sunday (International); Eva Peron in Evita (UK tour); Grizabella in Cats (Cyprus); Debbie in Debbie Does Dallas (Edinburgh Festival); Mimi in Guys and Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre); Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls (UK tour); Jan in Grease (Victoria Palace Theatre and UK tour); Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK tour).


Recordings:

You and I; Here Comes the Sun (Big Hand Recordings - 2012); It’s Time (Silva Screen - 2013); For You, For Me (Big Hand Recordings 2018) ; Bond and Beyond (EP -2014) Louise also has recordings with Marti Pellow, Kimberley Walsh, Scott Alan, Shayne Ward, Steve Balsamo and can be heard on albums Christmas in New York, The Route to Happiness, Lift, Scrapbook, More With Every Line, All Things in Time, Songs, Somewhere In The Audience.


Concerts:

Louise has opened The Festival of Remembrance in the presence of The Royal Family which was broadcast live on BBC One. Louise has performed as a guest artist for Josh Groban on his UK and European concert tour and was invited back to perform with him at The O2 Arena in 2018 and has also appeared as a guest artist for Michael Ball, Ramin Karimloo and Lee Mead. As a soloist , Louise has performed with many orchestras including The BBC Concert Orchestra, The London Concert Orchestra, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The John Wilson Orchestra, The Halle Orchestra, The Camerata, The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, The Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and many more. Louise has performed solo shows at The Other Palace, The Leicester Square Theatre, The Prince Edward Theatre, London (with Kerry Ellis) and performed The National Anthem at the Capital One Cup Final (Wembley Stadium).Radio, Television and Presenter: Lois Lane in BBC Proms Kiss Me Kate (BBC television broadcast); Gershwin In Hollywood (BBC television broadcast), Cole Porter in Hollywood (BBC television broadcast), The Warner Brothers Story (BBC television broadcast); The voice of Clara in Confused.com (television commercial). Louise is regular guest on Friday Night is Music Night for BBC Radio 2 and has recorded for Heart and Capital FM aswell as presenting her own radio show for Magic FM. Louise was a guest presenter for The Olivier Awards Live at The Piazza and Westend Live alongside Tom Price.


Book:

Secrets of Stage Success (with Mark Evans).

KERRY ELLIS

Kerry Ellis has fast become recognised as the leading lady of West End musicals from her starring roles in London and on Broadway. She has also achieved chart-topping success as a recording artist signed to Universal Decca with her debut album Anthems.


Kerry originated the role of Meat, in Queen’s We Will Rock You and was the first British Elphaba in the West End smash, Wicked, for which Kerry won the 2008 Whatsonstage.com Award for ‘Best Takeover in a Role’. She then immediately transferred to Broadway and played Elphaba at the Gershwin Theater for 6 months, where she won the Broadway.com Audience Award for Favourite Female Breakthrough Performance, before returning to London for 6 months in 2009.


Her many other leading role credits include Nancy in Oliver! at Drury lane, Eliza Doolittle My Fair Lady, Ellen in Miss Saigon and Fantine in Les Miserables.


Kerry’s first major CD release was the amazing Wicked in Rock, a collaboration with long time friend and Queen guitarist, Brian May. This led to her being signed to Universal as a solo recording artist and her debut album Anthems was released in 2010 on Decca Records.


The success of the album, which reached No.15 in the UK album chart, and No.10 in the UK pop club charts (for Defying Gravity), led to a major tour Anthems: The Concert throughout 2011, which kicked off at the Royal Albert Hall. She has performed internationally promoting the album, including performances at the Royal Variety Performance, at the Laurence Olivier Awards, duetting with Barry Manilow on BBC Television and Radio, at G.A.Y., on Loose Women, Alan Titchmarsh Show, BBC Breakfast, at the Henley Festival alongside John Barrowman, the Queen’s Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace, continuing to a run of An Audience With Kerry Ellis at the Shaw Theatre.

MATTHEW HOPKINS

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR

Matthew studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire, where he gained an Honours degree as a Bachelor of Music.


He has established a national and international reputation as both a choral and orchestral conductor, with many acclaimed performances across the UK and in Europe. He has conducted and worked with some of the most renowned orchestras in the UK, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and English Pro Musica. Matthew is Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the newly formed International Film Orchestra, with whom he be conducting the British Premiere of Jurassic World in March 2023. He is also Artistic Director to the Let’s Sing National Choir which has a membership of singers from across the UK.


He has worked in many different genres of music, including Film, Classical, Broadway and Popular and has had the pleasure to conduct many internationally renowned soloists and artistes.


Matthew's broad experience with a variety of music has allowed him to work in many different musical fields, having directed many professional events, musicals, cabarets and pantomimes across the UK and Europe. In 2012 he was invited to be the Musical Director for the 30th Anniversary Concert for the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, which included a World-Premiere commission. In 2019 Matthew conducted the Premiere of Celestial – a new work by renowned composer, Paul K Joyce, including live syncronised projections and soundscapes.


He has worked extensively as both a vocal and conducting coach and mentor to both amateur and professional ensembles/individuals across the UK and Europe, delivering a variety of master-classes and workshops.


Over the last fifteen years Matthew has been in the role of Director of Music at Nottingham Trent University and has built and developed the music department at Nottingham Trent University from scratch, putting into place many successful musical ensembles, including the Award Winning NTU Chamber Choir who have given many acclaimed performances in Holland, Spain, India, China, Hungary, South Africa and the Czech Republic. The University Choir has also gained a national reputation for their performances alongside some of UK’s greatest orchestras and soloists. 


Matthew is very much in demand as a professional tenor soloist, and is equally at home singing opera, oratorio or musical theatre. He is a well-known exponent of the English Song repertoire and he has a national reputation for his performances of Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, and Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man, and has performed the majority of the standard oratorio repertoire.On the operatic stage he has played many roles, including works by Britten, Mozart and Cavalli and he also created the role of Cecil, in the world premiere of Robin Grant’s opera Dee.