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The Australian-born soprano, Margaret Field, is a graduate of Melbourne University. She began her career in Australia as a principal soprano with Victorian State Opera and was a regular broadcaster for the ABC. She now lives in England.
Margaret Field has given over 80 recitals for BBC Radio Three. She has had solo appearances at most major music festivals, including the Bournemouth International Festival, Exeter Festival, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the "Towards the Millennium" national concert series and several Three Choirs Festivals in Hereford, at one of which she was the soloist in the Te Deum by Paul Patterson, who wrote the solo part especially for her. She has sung as soloist with many of Britain's foremost orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Concert halls where she has performed as a soloist or recitalist include The Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, St David's Hall Cardiff, Symphony Hall Birmingham.
Margaret Field sang many roles as Principal Soprano with the Victoria State Opera, Melbourne, Australia. She sang Susanna in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro at the Queen Elizabeth Hall London, Alice Ford in Verdi's Falstaff and Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme with English National Opera at the London Coliseum. She was cast in a principal role in the BBC Artium release of Delius's opera Margot la Rouge, and in Baroque opera at the Barber Institute, Birmingham.
On the international scene Margaret Field gave a highly acclaimed performance of Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs with the Turku Philharmonic in Finland, conducted by Frank Shipway. She undertook a much praised UK tour with the Polish State Philharmonic singing Gorecki's Symphony of Sorrowful Songs (Symphony No. 3) at the composer's express invitation, and also a tour of Israel (also singing Gorecki's work) with the Haifa Symphony Orchestra. She has given Oratorio performances in Switzerland and Norway, and performed Gustav Mahler's Fourth Symphony with the Melbourne Symphony Orchesta under Hubert Soudant in Melbourne and Canberra.
Described in the British press as "this golden-voiced Australian soprano", Margaret Field is an extremely versatile singer and is highly regarded as an interpreter of 20th century music. She has given first performances of many works by contemporary composers, several of whom have written pieces especially for her. She gave the first broadcast performance of Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and premiered his Dobra Noc (Good Night) with the London Sinfonietta at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Notable engagements include a performance of Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire under the direction of Peter Hill at the Firth Hall in Sheffield. For full repertoire list, please click on 'Margaret's repertoire'.
Margaret Field made her first record "Cabaret Songs of the Jazz Era" for the ABC. Her CD of British Song was released in 1995 by Redcliffe Recordings. She is the soloist in Borodin's Prince Igor Suite with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for Cala Records. Her CD of rose songs "A Garland of Roses" was released in 1995 on the Walsingham Classics "Voice of Australia" label.
Margaret Field enjoys a high reputation as teacher. She A member of the Birmingham Conservatoire’s Vocal & Operatic staff since 1985, and currently Visiting Tutor there. She was Visiting Teacher of Singing at Sheffield University from 1973 to 1994. She conducts regular master-classes in solo singing and frequently gives workshops in singing technique for choirs and choral societies, including the National Youth Choir, the International Choral Summer School, the North Wales Summer School for Solo Singers, and courses organised by the Association of British Choral Directors. For six consecutive years (1999-2005) she was invited to give master-classes at the Austrian-American Mozart Academy (now the Franco American Vocal Academy) in Salzburg, Austria, then organised under the auspices of Austin University, Texas. She gives private tuition at her home in Ledbury, Herefordshire, England. In 2007 she gave a demonstration lecture at the AOTOS (Association of Teachers of Singing) annual conference. |
