Artistic Director Hamish comes from the performance side of opera. His main goal in co-founding The Opera Story is to contribute to ensuring the future of opera, by commissioning new works to be written and performed.

Executive Director and co-founder Manuel has a professional career in the financial services industry, and is now applying his expertise to the administration of the company and to securing resources for its stable funding.

Lewis is one of The Opera Story’s composers for the 2017 season. He is currently Glyndebourne’s Young Composer in Residence.

Lucie is one of The Opera Story’s composers for the 2017 season. She is currently studying Ethnomusicology, and has had her works performed in venues such as The Southbank Centre and Cadogan Hall.

Tom is one of The Opera Story’s composers for the 2017 season. He has written two chamber operas previously, which were produced by his company, Shadow Opera

James is our director for our first production, and has extensive experience in directing opera. James has worked for Opera North and Sadlers Wells amongst many other opera companies.

Chris will conduct our first production with Multi-Story Orchestra. He conducts and helps to run Multi-Story Orchestra and has previously worked with the BBC Proms, Glyndebourne and Glyndebourne on Tour.

Pierre is a Trustee of The Opera Story, and is the founder and owner of Re-Up , a Marketing & Advertising Company.

Antony is a Trustee of The Opera Story. An economist and consultant, his career has been in management consulting in the UK and Asia and he is currently doing a PhD in Musicology.

Elizabeth is a Trustee of The Opera Story, and is the founder of a crowdinvestment platform for African companies, LelapaFund.

JL Williams’ books include Condition of Fire (Shearsman, 2011), Locust and Marlin (Shearsman, 2014), Our Real Red Selves (Vagabond Poets, 2015) and House of the Tragic Poet (If A Leaf Falls Press, 2016). She was selected for the 2015 Jerwood Opera Writing Programme, plays in the band Opul and is Programme Manager at the Scottish Poetry Library.

Rachel trained at the Motley Theatre Design Course London, and has a first in Fine Art from Glasgow School of Art. Recent productions include Carmen, Idomeneo (Blackheath Halls), l’Ospedale (Wilton’s Music Hall), La Rondine (Go Opera), Semele (Hampstead Garden Opera), and Thousand Furs (Re:sound).

Alice studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal Academy of Music, graduating in 2014. She is a keen recitalist and has been featured on the BBC Radio 3 proms as well as performing at venues such as Leighton House, Kings Place and St Johns Smith Square. Her operatic performances include roles at Opera Holland Park, Garsington Opera, the Aldeburgh Festival and Longborough Festival Opera. She is generously supported by Opera Prelude.

Cliff has been described as a ‘Revelation’ (Daily Express), and as showing ‘exceptional promise’ (Opera magazine). He is a recent Masters in Performance graduate from the RCM generously supported by the Malta Arts Scholarship Scheme and Janatha Stubbs.

Cliff has also been one of the finalists in the Lies Askonas Competition and also made it to the final rounds of the Francesco Vinas and Belvedere International singing competitions. He also performed at the Office of the Prime Minister – Castille, the Royal Albert Hall in London and had the honour of performing in a master class for Robert Sutherland (Maria Callas’ ex- accompanist).

Most recently Cliff has been a part of the Glyndebourne Festival tour 2016, Performed Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah at St.Martin in the fields and was invited to perform alongside Joseph Calleja and global superstar Anastacia during Calleja’s Annual Summer Concert at Luxol, Malta.

Polly graduated from the RCM with a Masters in Vocal Performance (Distinction), where she studied with Amanda Roocroft. Polly was the Theo Max van der Beugel scholar, and was also supported by the Josephine Baker Trust.

Recent operatic roles Tisbe La Cenerentola (HighTime), Angel BEL and the DRAGON & Wife 76 Days (RCM/Tête à Tête), Florence Pike Albert Herring (RCMIOS), Dritte Knabe Die Zauberflöte (RCMIOS), Dorabella Cosi fan Tutte and Hänsel Hänsel und Gretel (Durham Opera Ensemble). For the seven roles she played in Malcolm Williamson’s English Eccentrics (British Youth Opera), she was awarded both the Dame Hilda Brackett Prize and the Basil A. Turner Prize.

Upcoming engagements include Fekluša Kát’a Kabanová (Opera Holland Park), Dritte Dame Die Zauberflöte (Charles Court Opera), and Olga Eugene Onegin (Whitgift School)

Alison trained at GSMD on the prestigious Opera Course, under the tutelage of David Pollard. Last summer she sang in the 2016 Glyndebourne Festival, singing the role of the Bridesmaid in Le Nozze di Figaro Mozart after working with them in both the 2015 festival and the tour.
On the concert platform, Alison recently performed as a soloist in the Mozart Requiem at St Martin in the Fields. Other solo performances have taken her to the Buxton Opera House, Barbican Centre, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Royal Albert Hall and The House of Lords.
Future engagements for 2017 include Musetta La Boheme Iford Arts, Soloist Mahler’s 9th Symphony with the Bedford Symphony Orchestra and Mimi at the Watford Palace Theatre.

Rick began his vocal studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in The Netherlands where he studied with baritone Pierre Mak. He then went on to do his Master of Music and Master of Performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama(London, UK) under baritone Robert Dean and later became a member of their highly regarded opera course.

He has been a guest performer at the Dutch National Opera Academy and Dutch Opera Studio, and is also a distinguished oratorio and lied singer.

He was a prize winner at the 2013 Summer school of the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst “Mozarteum” Salzburg and won both first prize and audience prize in their Humor in Musik competition.

Berrak studied at GSMD and the National Opera Studio. She has worked with Glyndebourne, Opera Holland Park, UCOpera and is the Musical Director for Pop Up Opera.

Ben enjoys a varied career working across plays, musical theatre and opera. Recent lighting designs include Carmen, Idomeneo and Noye’s Fludde (Blackheath Halls), Cabaret (ACT Aberdeen), L’Ospedale (Wilton’s Music Hall), Man of La Mancha and Into the Woods (Bridewell Theatre).