patrick dummer sammons trio

 

Yvonne Patrick soprano

Steve Dummer clarinet

Lesley Anne Sammons piano

 

 

Born in South Derbyshire, Yvonne began her professional career with D'Oyly Carte Opera Company performing numerous roles including Elsie, Yeomen of the Guard and Josephine, HMS Pinafore. She joined Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 1994 and made her Festival debut in 1998. Subsequently, Yvonne has performed and understudied many roles for this and other companies. She made her Glyndebourne Touring Opera debut in the role of Despina, Cosi fan tutte and in their production of The Bartered Bride she sang the role of Esmeralda which included training to be a trapeze artist! She sang Musetta, La Boheme for Opera North and understudied Violetta, La Traviata and Fiordiligi, Cosi fan tutte. She has also worked for Welsh National Opera and Garsington Opera. For Kentish Opera, she has performed the roles of Micaela, Carmen and Pamina, The Magic Flute and for Surrey Opera Adina, L’Elisir d’Amore, Violetta, La Traviata, Alice Ford, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Rosalinda, Die Fledermaus, the latter two were also performed at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall. She sang the roles of Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni, and Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola and Musetta, La Boheme for Garden Opera including two tours to Kenya plus a performance of Mozart’s Requiem in Nairobi Cathedral. Yvonne sang the title role in Madame Butterfly and Mimi, La Boheme for Opera Brava, and Rosalinda, Die Fledermaus with Carl Rosa Opera Company at Haddo House in Scotland. For Swansea City Opera she sang First Lady, The Magic Flute and the title role in Madam Butterfly for Opera Box.

 

As a well-known performer of Gilbert and Sullivan, Yvonne was invited to appear as soprano soloist in the Centenary Gala Concert of the Philadelphia Savoy Company, the oldest Gilbert and Sullivan society in America. Yvonne is a regular guest performer on cruises, has appeared on BBC Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night and is an adjudicator for the British & International Federation of Music Festivals.

 

Alongside her busy performing career, Yvonne has worked extensively for the education departments of the major opera companies in the UK.  She teaches privately, at Chichester University and Lancing College in West Sussex.

 

 

Steve trained as a clarinettist under the late, great Jack Brymer at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He subsequently studied conducting at the Royal College of Music, under Christopher Adey and Edwin Roxburgh. He has been described by the French conductor and contemporary music specialist Diego Masson as “one of the best young conductors I have ever met”.

 

As a clarinettist, Steve gives regular concerts throughout the UK and in Europe including Dartington International Summer School, and for festivals in Brighton, Arundel and Adur. He’s had many pieces written for him by composers including Gerald Busby, Alison Kay, Peter Copley, Barry Mills and Paul Carr and will give the first performance of Ric Graebner’s Clarinet Concerto in February 2016. He was a member of Juan Martin’s Flamenco Group featuring on the much-admired CD ‘Musica Alhambra’ and was a founder member of the zany jazz band Itchy Feet.

 

He is director of the wind band course at Dartington International Summer School and regularly conducts concerts there with both amateurs and professionals. These have included a collaboration with Harrison Birtwistle on a programme of his music with the Concillium orchestra, many concertos (David Campbell, Nona Liddell, Andrew Ball and Gerard McChrystal amongst others), and some Pro-Am spectaculars including a late night, open air performance of Beethoven’s Battle Symphony with fireworks. He is also a conductor for the European Youth Summer Music School giving the British premiere of Matthew Hindson’s ‘RPM’ in 2003.

 

He is the founder and musical director of the highly acclaimed group Talkestra, which tries to reach new audiences for concert music, musical director of the Kidenza children’s concerts, a regular tutor and conductor at Dartington International Summer School, director of the Junior Course of the European Youth Music Summer School and conductor of the Horsham Symphony Orchestra.

 

 

Lesley Anne studied Piano and Flute at Trinity College of Music, The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and The National Opera Studio. An invitation from Scottish Opera enabled her to work with their satellite company “Opera Go Round” touring piano accompanied operas round the highlands and Islands of Scotland. Lesley Anne then joined the full time music staff at Scottish Opera, playing for many productions with Sir Alexander Gibson (Madama Butterfly, Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Tosca). Il Teatro Massimo di Palermo offered a contract in Sicily and after just one season she was invited back for a further two years enabling her to fully engage in Italian life and culture.

 

An International career has taken Lesley Anne to Amsterdam as repetiteur and assistant conductor for De Nederlandse Opera, to France as a coach at L’Opera Du Rhin and Opera Studio, Strasbourg, repetiteur in Spain for the Festival Del Azahar and in Ireland for Opera Ireland.

 

Returning to the UK Lesley-Anne continued her career as a freelance musical director, repetiteur and coach and has worked for Glyndebourne Festival & Touring Opera, English National Opera, English Touring Opera, Opera North, Royal Opera House, Grange Park Opera, Opera Holland Park, Longborough Festival Opera, ROH2, European Opera Centre and New Sussex Opera. Lesley Anne has conducted for Opera Box, Opera Holland Park with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Longborough Festival Opera.

 

Lesley Anne has performed live on Radio 3’s In Tune promoting productions including Don Giovanni and Hugh the Drover. She has been a regular vocal coach at The Royal College of Music, The Royal Academy of Music, The National Opera Studio, Dartington International Summer School, The Complete Singer Summer School and the Ardingly International Music Summer school.

 

She is also an Associate Lecturer at Chichester University, teaching, coaching and nurturing young people in Classical Singing, Piano Accompaniment and Musical Theatre.

 

In March 2014 Lesley Anne formed a Cabaret group called The Flaming Galahs with Lucy Mulgan, double bass. They appeared at The Brighton Festival Fringe and The Edinburgh Festival Fringe.