Directors and soloists this season include:
• Maite BeaumontMezzo-Soprano • Pavlo BeznosiukViolin • Robin BlazeCounter-tenor • Ian BostridgeTenor • Catharine BottSoprano • James BowmanCounter-tenor • Rachel BrownFlute • Frank de BruineOboe • Wilke te BrummelstroeteMezzo-soprano • Colin CampbellBaritone • Michael ChanceCounter-tenor • Giuliano CarmignolaViolin • Stephen CleoburyDirector of Music, Choir of King’s College, Cambridge • Joseph CrouchCello • Iestyn DaviesCounter-tenor • Neal DaviesBass • Julia DoyleSoprano • James GilchristTenor • Susan GrittonSoprano • Andrew KennedyTenor • Choir of King’s College Cambridge • Dame Emma KirkbySoprano • Stephen LaytonConductor • Sandrine PiauSoprano • Renata PokupicMezzo-soprano • Rodolfo RichterViolin • James RutherfordBaritone • Carolyn SampsonSoprano • Masaaki SuzukiDirector and keyboard • Andrew TortiseTenor • Simon WallTenor • Roderick WilliamsBaritone
Renata Pokupic
Mezzo-soprano

Croatian mezzo-soprano Renata Pokupic is known internationally through her acclaimed performances of baroque, classical and other coloratura-mezzo repertoire as well as solo songs.

In 2003, she made her successful debut at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, where she sang Anna in Berlioz Les Troyens with Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducting (DVD by BBC Opus Arte). Her London debut followed in 2004 during the London Handel Festival, when she sang Dejanira in Handel’s Hercules with Laurence Cummings and the London Handel Orchestra. Renata sang the solo part in Bach’s Mass in B minor during the BBC Proms in August 2004, with Sir John Eliot Gardiner and joined him and his ensembles, the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, on their European and Far East tour in December 2004 singing Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.

She performs regularly with Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort (Bach’s St John’s Passion, Mass in B minor and Christmas Oratorio, Mozart’s Mass in C minor). She has sung across France with Emmanuelle Haïm and Le Concert d’Astree (Irene / Tamerlano, Messagera / Orfeo) and in Halle with Alessandro de Marchi.

Renata has appeared in concerts during the De Doelen Festival, Rotterdam, where she performed with Federico Sardelli and Modo Antiquo in the world premiere of Vivaldi’s Montezuma. During the baroque festival in Beaune, she sang with Antonio Florio and Capella della Piet´ de’Turchini, (Arsace / Partenope), Jeremy Rhorer and Le Cercle de l’Harmonie (Idamante / Idomeneo) and with Ottavio Dantone and Accademia Bizantina (Medoro / Orlando). She also performed during the Prague Spring and Wroclaw Festivals.

Renata Pokupic holds numerous awards among which are the Le Cercle International des Amis et Mecenes du Chatelet, International Circle of Friends and Patrons of Théâtre du Châtelet (CIAM) award and Orlando for the best performance at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival 2004 with the Purcell Quartet. She graduated and obtained her MM from the Music Academy of Zagreb, whereshe studied with Zdenka Zabcic-Hesky. Renata holds two first prizes from The 36th Antonin Dvorak International Voice Competition in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, as well as two special prizes from the same competition. She reached finals of the 8th International Mozart Competition in Salzburg and Competizione dell ’Opera in Dresden.

Future engagements include collaboration with pianists Stephen Kovacevich and Roger Vignoles, performances with Laurence Cummings and London Handel Players during the London Handel Festival, concerts with Jeremy Rorher and Le Cercle de l’Harmonie, Messiah with the Halle Orchestra, Il Trionfo del Tempo with the Akademie fur Alte Musik, Berlin, Irene Tamerlano, Teatro Real, Madrid under Paul MCreesh, Teodata, Flavio, Academy of Ancient Music, Statira Vivaldi’s L’Incoronazione di Dario, Garsington Opera and Cherubino Le Nozze di Figaro in Beaune and Paris.