Andrea Baker

Described as possessing a “luscious and full-bodied tone” (Das Opernglas), British-American mezzo-soprano Andrea Baker is renowned for her distinctive voice, intense artistry, and passion. Her much heralded interpretations range from Amneris in Aida, Fricka in Die Walküre and the title role in Carmen to Mescalina in Le Grand Macabre and Nen -Nen in Dominique Legendre’s world premiere of The Bird of Night. The 2015 season saw her debut in the role of Die Amme in Die Frau Ohne Schatten. Her enthralling interpretation was hailed as an extraordinary success. Andrea Baker was described as “born to sing and act the music of Richard Strauss” (Opernetz).

Throughout her career Andrea Baker has been celebrated as a performer of great integrity, intensity, and vocal ability. Her career has taken her to a number of the world’s greatest opera houses and concert halls: National Theatre Munich; Opera Bastille, Paris; Teatro alla Scala, Milan; Opera Australia, Sydney; Royal Opera Covent Garden, London; Berlin Philharmonic; Royal Albert Hall, London; Orchestra Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome; Konzerthaus, Berlin; The Barbican, London and Tokyo Opera City to name but a few. Her collaborations with conductors include, Zubin Mehta, Sir Simon Rattle, Donald Runnicles, Richard Hickox, Antonio Pappano, Philippe Auguin, Valery Gergiev, Marin Alsop, Adam Fischer, and Sir Charles Mackerras.

Albert Horne

South African-born Albert Horne studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He worked as Chorus Master and conductor at Cape Town Opera in South Africa from 2007 to 2014, and under his leadership their chorus was voted “Best Opera Chorus of the Year” at the 2013 International Opera Awards in London. In 2012 he was Chorus Master for concert performances of Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” at the Philharmonie in Berlin, with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker.

He has conducted the Munich Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria (Melbourne), Orchestre Pasdeloup in Paris, as well orchestras in Malmö, Tel Aviv, Bordeaux, London (ENO) and Cardiff. Albert Horne has been Chorus Master and Conductor at the State Theatre of Wiesbaden since 2014, where he has conducted "Candide", "Madama Butterfly", "Boris Godunov", "La Bohème", "Peter Grimes", the world premiere production "Schönerland", the Wiesbaden premiere of Tim Plegge's ballet "Liliom", as well as a Symphony Concert with the Hessisches Staatsorchester.

In 2018 he also conducted the Rheinland-Pfalz Youth Orchestra on tour in Germany, South Africa and Botswana. During the 2019/20 season, he conducted a new production of Mark-Anthony Turnage's "Anna Nicole", as well as a revival of Britten's "Peter Grimes" in Wiesbaden. In addition, he conducted an orchestral concert with the Rheinische Orchesterakademie Mainz, as well as several concerts with the Münchner Symphoniker in the Philharmonie am Gasteig and the Prinzregententheater in Munich.

Yardheads International Ltd

Yard Heads is a non-profit performing arts company with an interest in new epic, innovative and international work with high production values and leading artists whilst at the same time seeking to provide opportunities for emerging artists, and to empower and elevate global majority voices.

Yard Heads core is director-producer team John Paul McGroarty and Alexandra Lort Phillips, collaborating with independent artists to produce creative projects locally and internationally.

Howard Moody

Howard Moody has written six operas, commissioned and produced by La Monnaie, Glyndebourne, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Opéra national du Rhin.  His musical The Nine Coloured Deer is presently touring China. Other works include orchestral and chamber pieces for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, twelve symphonic works for the London Symphony Orchestra and numerous instrumental, vocal and choral pieces.

As a conductor he has worked with orchestras, choral groups and opera companies worldwide.  He is artistic director of La Folia – a production company that creates large scale arts projects. As a keyboard player, Howard crosses the worlds of  classical and improvised music on piano, harpsichord and organ, recording for ECM, Chandos, Guild, SDG and the BBC. He is a principal keyboard player of Orchestra of St Johns and English Baroque Soloists. As an improviser he has worked extensively with saxophonist John Surman with whom he has played in many of the major international jazz festivals.

Richard Lewis

Born in Sydney, Richard was educated in Edinburgh and went on to read music at Magdalen College, Oxford, later completing a master’s degree at Edinburgh University,. A year at the National Opera Studio in London (where he studied conducting under David Parry) was followed by a full-time position at the National Theatre in Mannheim, Germany, as a conductor and repetiteur.

Richard was appointed chorus master and conductor at Opera Queensland between 2007 and June 2010 where he also made his conducting debut with the company in a new production of Mozart’s Magic Flute.

On the symphonic front, Richard has conducted the Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra, Danish Radio Sinfonietta, the Shanghai City Symphony Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and The Queensland Orchestra. He made his conducting debut at La Monnaie, Brussels in 2012 with Rusalka and gave the first Australian performances of Haydn’s L’isola disabitata in 2016.

Between 2012 and 2017 Richard was Convener for Culture and Sport for the City of Edinburgh, during which time he remained a visiting lecturer in conducting, opera and musical theatre at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Richard continues to work and conduct across the globe, including Puccini’s ‘Il Trittico’ in Australia in January 2020. In addition, he remains active as a composer, using the nom de plume Richard Ferguson.

Available online and direct from www.birnamcdshop.com Amazon UK, US & Digital iTunes.

This debut solo CD features a selection of songs from the show Sing Sistah Sing! -a celebration of the sound and extraordinary breadth of the African American female voice and a heartfelt retelling of some of their most incredible life stories. Artists honoured in Sing Sistah Sing! include Leontyne Price, Marian Anderson, Donna Summer, Nina Simone and the great Billie Holiday. Andrea is joined by the highly acclaimed pianist Richard Lewis.

Sing Sistah Sing! has been performed internationally to great critical acclaim. This CD, recorded in Edinburgh at Stockbridge Parish Church, is a selection of excerpts from the show. It is the ideal opportunity to experience these two great artist in a completely new artistic format performing an astoundingly wide range of musical styles. Whether these celebrated singers chose opera, jazz or blues to express their inner truth, the heart of the Sing Sistah Sing! story is that all of us, as African American women, carry in our souls and voices the sounds of our ancestors’ songs of the plantation.