Biography
During this time Jack performed a wide range of lyric and character roles (listed below), enjoyed repeat engagements with several UK opera companies, including a long working relationship with Charles Court Opera, debuted with Opera Holland Park as Lensky in Eugene Onegin for which he was described by Opera Magazine as “the epitome of an emerging talent”, performed as the tenor soloist in English National Ballet’s production of Stravinsky’s Les Noces, and signed with Music International.
After five years under his own steam, Jack made the decision to embark upon more training with Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet at the Dutch National Opera Academy, from which he has just graduated. During his time at the academy, Jack performed Singer #6 in Conrad Susa’s Transformations, Eusebio in Rossini’s L’occasione fa il ladro, Lindoro in Haydn’s La fedeltà premiata, and most recently Harlekin in Ullman’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis. In addition to his operatic performances on the programme, Jack was fortunate to be able to return to Opera Holland Park to sing Leonard Meryll in The Yeoman of the Guard and reprise the role of Aubrey in Gothic Opera’s Der Vampyr at the Grimeborn Festival during the intermittent summer. He also made his debuts at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Concertgebouw De Vereeniging in Nijmegen, and the Muziekgebouw in Eindhoven.
Other recently performed roles include Almaviva Il barbiere di Siviglia for Ulster Touring Opera, Tamino Die Zauberflöte and Mr Upfold Albert Herring for Clonter Opera, Rodolphe La Nonne Sanglante (Gounod) for Gothic Opera, his performance earning him a place in the finals of the Off West End Award for best Opera Performance, Nanki-Poo The Mikado for Charles Court Opera, Tolloller Iolanthe for Charles Court Opera’s King’s Head Theatre production and cast recording, Aubrey Der Vampyr (Marschner) for Gothic Opera, Almaviva Il barbiere di Siviglia for Barefoot Opera, Marco The Gondoliers for the Gilbert and Sullivan National Tour, Lensky Eugene Onegin and Don Ottavio Don Giovanni for Opera Loki, Senegabet Kaj Nazar for London Armenian Opera, El Remendado Carmen and First Armed Man/Priest Die Zauberflöte for Oxford Opera, Fé-ni-han Le Bâ-ta-clan for West Green House Opera, Tamino The Mini Magic Flute for Charles Court Opera, Monostatos Die Zauberflöte for GSMD & Opera Anywhere, Edmondo Manon Lescaut, Basilio/Curzio Le Nozze di Figaro, Richard Dauntless Ruddigore for the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival.
On the Oratorio platform Jack has performed, most notably, as the tenor soloist in Pasticcio Passion (Graun), Requiem and Mass in D (Dvořák), Messiah and Ode for St Cecilia’s Day (Handel), The Seasons, Creation, Maria Theresa Mass, and Nelson Mass (Haydn),Ode to St Cecilia (Purcell) and Christus (Mendelssohn).
In addition to his solo work, Jack has performed in the chorus of Royal Opera, Garsington Opera, Grange Park Opera, Longborough Festival Opera and The London Symphony Orchestra.
Jack’s early musical life began with playing guitar and singing in bands as a child in his home town on the Isle of Wight, playing the pits of local musicals and then finally embarking upon what would become a more serious career singing in local musicals and operettas. After a whirlwind year of musical theatre shows, concerts and competitions, he found his classical voice under his first teacher, Samantha Howard. No more than six months after he had learnt his first operatic aria, he was successful in gaining a place on the undergraduate vocal studies programme at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Following a successful first year at the Guildhall under the tutelage of David Pollard, Jack won the Joyce Budd Second Prize of the Kathleen Ferrier Bursary for young singers to whom he is very grateful for having supported him through his degree. After finishing his undergraduate degree in 2018 with a First Class Honours degree, Jack then spent the following five years developing his freelance career in London.