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The English lyric tenor, Joshua Ellicott, read Music at the University of York before continuing his vocal studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. There he won a full scholarship from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust to study with Adrian Thompson on both the Postgraduate Vocal Studies and Opera courses. In 2006, Joshua took four of the top prizes at the International Vocal Competition in s'Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, including the overall first prize. He won overall First Prize as well as the Arleen Auger Prize for 'all round skill and technique', the Heijmans Prize for Dutch Song for 'the exceptional performance' of the specially commissioned song by Dutch composer Robin de Raaf and the Opera Engagement Prize for 'the finalist who stands out in performing opera repertoire'. He was also a finalist in this year's Royal Overseas League Singing Competition.
In demand at home and abroad as a concert singer, Joshua Ellicott has sung at London’s Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Purcell Room and Barbican Hall among others and works regularly as a concert soloist with many of the British leading orchestras and ensembles. These have included the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields and Northern Chamber Orchestra; I Fagiolini, Ex Cathedra, Tenebrae and the Binchois Consort.
His operatic roles performed include Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore, Ferrando in Cosi fan Tutte, Albert in Albert Herring, Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Pedrillo in Die Entfuehrung auf Serail, Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro, Pang in Turandot and Filch in The Beggar's Opera, all for for English Touring Opera.
A versatile singer who is comfortable in song, oratorio or opera, Joshua Ellicott has been described by the Times as singing with "assurance and beautiful tone" (Acis and Galatea at Queen Elizabeth Hall) and his starting point for any performance of vocal music is the text and how it can be communicated to the audience. This is particularly apparent in his acclaimed and thought provoking interpretations of song and in the role of the Evangelist in J.S. Bach's Passions.
2008 saw Joshua Ellicott make his debut at La Monnaie in Brussels where performed Der Narr in Wozzeck. He will also make his debut as a soloist at the BBC Proms in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music.
Joshua Ellicott has made numerous recordings for the BBC including a live broadcast from the Barbican Centre of Copland's opera The Second Hurricane under Leonard Slatkin. He also recorded J.S. Bach’s Johannes-Passion (BWV 245) and Mass in B minor (BWV 232) with Peter Seymour and Yorkshire Bach Choir for Signum Classics. |
