ABOUT
About
British lyric soprano Lucy Farrimond has performed at esteemed venues throughout the UK and abroad, including: The Royal Albert Hall, The Bridgewater Hall, Snape Maltings, The Stoller Hall, St. John’s Smith Square and The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Paris. Featuring on both major television and radio (BBC, ITV, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 3), Lucy has been described as a “rising star soprano”. In 2019, at the age of 21, Lucy made her ‘BBC Proms’ solo debut in Haydn's 'The Creation' at The Royal Albert Hall, with the ‘BBC Philharmonic Orchestra’; a performance which earned her a glowing review in ‘The Guardian’ Newspaper. Hailing from the North West of England, Lucy is an alumna of the ‘Royal Northern College of Music’, where she studied under the tutelage of internationally renowned soprano Jane Irwin.
INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCES
Having developed international acclaim, Lucy has toured both the UK and Europe, performing in: Malta - ‘Ministry of Gozo’ (Gaulitana Festival), Italy - ‘Teatro Eleonora Duse’ (Melofonetica Arte Lirica Festival), Portugal - (Verão Clássico, Lisbon), Austria (International Haydn Competition), Luxembourg (Sequenda Opera), Germany (Konz Musik Festival) and Southern France - (Musique Cordiale International Festival) to name a few. The 2024/25 season will see Lucy give performances in both Europe and Central America (details to be announced soon).
OPERA
Lucy has performed as ‘Eleonora’ in Wolf-Ferrari’s ‘Le donne curiose’, ‘Bianca’ in Puccini’s ‘La Rondine’, ‘Erste Dame’ in Mozart’s ‘Die Zauberflöte’ and ‘Dorinda’ in Handel’s ‘Orlando’ (RNCM Opera Scenes). Recently, Lucy returned from Bertrange, Luxembourg, where she worked with ‘Sequenda Opera’, covering the role of ‘Berta’ in ‘Il barbiere di Siviglia’. Further operatic highlights include performing opera gala extracts as 'Mimi' (‘La Bohème’), 'Zerlina' in (‘Don Giovanni’) and 'Gilda' ('Rigoletto’) with ‘Musique Cordiale International Festival’, France.
During the 2022/23 season, Lucy was selected to join Opera North’s ‘Chorus Mentor Scheme’, where she worked on core operatic repertoire alongside professionals of the company. Chorus credits include; ‘Suor Angelica’, ‘La Bohème’ and ‘Tosca’ (Puccini), ‘Don Giovanni’ (Mozart), ‘Carmen’ (Bizet), ‘The Bartered Bride’ (Smetana), and ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ (Vaughan Williams).
Equally at ease with contemporary repertoire, Lucy has premiered principal roles with ‘Manchester Contemporary Youth Opera’ (2018) - a company she continues to support, having also featured on their audition panel for the 2023 intake.
CONCERT REPERTOIRE
Soloist oratorio work includes; ‘MASS’ - Bernstein (Bridgewater Hall), 'Messiah’ - Handel (All Saints Chorus and Orchestra, London), ‘Requiem in D minor’ Fauré, ‘Nelson Mass’ Haydn, (Philharmonic Choir of Manchester), Vivaldi's 'Gloria' (All Saints Orchestra, London), 'Coronation Mass' - Mozart (Musique Cordiale International), ‘Requiem in D minor’ - Mozart and ‘Mass in G’ - Schubert (Louth Choral Society), 'The Creation' - Haydn (All Saint's Orchestra, London).
Symphonic soloist highlights include 'Symphony No.4' - Mahler (Stockport Symphony Orchestra 2024 / Musique Cordiale International Festival 2023). Lucy has performed as the soprano soloist for ‘Raymond Gubbay Live’, with notable sold-out venues including ‘Birmingham Symphony Hall’ and ‘Sheffield City Hall’.
Upcoming performances of the 2024/25 season include; ‘Nelson Mass’ Haydn, (Stafford Choral Society), ‘Messiah’ Handel, (Salford Choral Society), ‘Recital: Enchanting Serenades’ (Knighton and District Music Society), ‘Guest Soloist: Classical Favourites’, (Morecambe Promenade Orchestra). Lucy is also very excited to be working on her debut album, which will feature her own compositions for voice, piano and string quartet.
RECITAL | CHAMBER MUSIC
Performing frequently as a recitalist to great acclaim, Lucy has given performances at: Manchester’s 'C. Bechstein Centre', The Royal Northern College of Music’s ‘Concert Hall/Carole Nash Hall’, ‘Parbold Douglas Music’ and the recital series' of Manchester, Blackburn, Chelmsford, Wakefield, Southwark and Shrewsbury Cathedrals.
Recently, Lucy premiered her new self-accompanied recital programme ‘Harmony and Heritage’ at Wrexham’s ‘Tŷ Pawb’ - for which she received a standing ovation. This unique new style of performing - combining both her love of piano and singing - is something Lucy looks forward to pursuing further.
A keen lover of chamber music, Lucy created ‘RESPIRA’ in 2024 - a project aimed at exploring works for voice and woodwind. Recently, Lucy showcased such repertoire, (including her own arrangements) at Manchester’s iconic ‘Stoller Hall’ for ‘Manchester Chamber Concert Society’. Lucy has also performed chamber works for ‘The Hallé’ as part of their ‘Mellor Concert Series’ alongside colleagues Jim Muirhead and Martyn Parkes.
ORCHESTRAS | CONDUCTORS
Lucy has worked with renowned conductors, including Sir Mark Elder, Omer Meir Wellber, Sakari Oramo, David Parry, Lee Reynolds and Martin Andre, alongside acclaimed orchestras including: ‘The Hallé’, ‘BBC Philharmonic’, ‘BBC Symphony Orchestra’, ‘Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’, ‘Manchester / London Concert Orchestras’ and the ‘Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg’.
COMPETITIONS
Competition success has included; the 'Amanda Ira Aldridge Honourable Mention Prize' at the RNCM ‘Williams-Howard Competition’ (2023), the ‘First Prize’ of ‘The George Shirley Vocal Competition’ international category (2022), the ‘First Prize’ (Lieder, French Song, Oratorio, Vocal Solo) at the ‘Chester Competitive Festival of Performing Arts’ (2022) and the 'Judith and Henry Tankel Memorial Prize for Singing Excellence' (2017).
OUTREACH
Lucy has been the Event Manager of the 'National Student Opera Society UK' since March 2020 and is passionate about sharing her love for opera with fellow young musicians globally. Lucy has hosted interviews and masterclasses alongside top industry professionals worldwide, with her work being nominated for a '360° Opera Award'. 2022 saw Lucy become a trustee of Wigan Music Society, a position enabling her to assist in the promotion of classical music in her hometown, which is incredibly important to her.
Lucy works as a supporting actress for television and film alongside her busy musical schedule. She has worked with the UK’s leading broadcasting television networks, 'ITV' (inc; 'Archie' 2023) and 'BBC'. A keen polyglot, Lucy speaks English, Spanish, French, Italian and German - her linguistic skills pairing wonderfully with her singing.
An accomplished composer, Lucy won first prize in Chetham’s Biennial Carol Competition (2016) with her piece ‘A Saviour’s Lullaby’, which received its premiere in Manchester Cathedral, and appeared on BBC Primetime television.