Guildhall School - Gold Medal 2015 winners

 Gold Medal 2015 joint winners
Marta Fontanals-Simmons (L) & Jennifer Witton

Soprano Jennifer Witton and mezzo-soprano Marta Fontanals-Simmons were announced as joint winners of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama's Gold Medal for 2015. The Gold Medal is celebrating its centenary, the first medal being awarded by the school in 2015. Since 1950 it has been open to singers and instrumentalists in alternate years. Previous winners include William Primrose (1922), Jacqueline du Pré (1960), Patricia Rozario (1979), Tasmin Little (1986) and Bryn Terfel (1989).

This year's final took place at the Barbican with performers giving a short programme with piano accompaniment, and a programme of arias accompanied by the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra, conductor Dominic Wheeler. Jennifer Witton’s performance included Poulenc's Fêtes Galantes with piano accompaniment from Ben-San Lau and Bellini’s Ah! non credea mirarti…Ah! non giunge uman pensiero from La Sonnambula with the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra. Marta Fontanals-Simmons’ performance included Britten’s A Charm from A Charm of Lullabies with piano accompaniment from Timothy End and Rossini’s Nacqui all’affanno…Non più mesta from La Cenerentola with the orchestra.

We caught Marta Fontanals-Simmons in the title role of Jonathan Dove's Pinocchio at the Guildhall School last year (see my review). Jennifer Witton was in the vocal ensemble for the Royal Opera's production of Monteverdi's Orfeo at the Roundhouse earlier this year (see my review)