Adjudicator

Adjudicator: Melanie Armitstead

Melanie Armitstead has enjoyed an international career as a Soprano soloist in both Opera and Concert.  Early in her solo career she sang under the baton of Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Sir Charles Groves and Andrew Parrott with the BSO, in Kent Opera and Scottish Opera-Go-Round. She was a soloist for ENO, Opera North, Scottish Opera and Opera Northern Ireland singing Tatiana in Eugene Onegin, Micaela and Frasquita in Carmen, 1st Lady in The Magic Flute, Venus in The Return of Ulyses, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, Maria in West Side Story and YumYum in The Mikado.  Melanie understudied the roles of Hero in Beatrice and Benedict, Cleopatra in Jiulio Cesare and Atalanta in Xerxes for ENO and the Paris Opera, returning to sing Mitridate and Le Chevalier Imaginaire at The Chatelet.  She performed in Oratorios and Concerts with many of the leading UK orchestras.

Melanie sang in a number of established ensembles including The Menagerie with Nicholas Daniel and Julius Drake and in Classic Cocktail enjoying a heady mixture of Classical and Jazz repertoire.  Her degree from Durham in Russian and French led her to specialize in French and Russian Song Recitals.

Teaching and adjudicating at Competitive Festivals and Competitions has become the focus of Melanie's career.  She was the Senior Singing Teacher at Sherborne Girls for 21 years and has a number of private advanced students.  She adjudicates at Competitive Festivals around the UK and in Hong Kong.