Soprano Katie Gilbert graduated with Distinction in 2018 with an MMus in Vocal Performance from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and continues to study with Louise Crane. Following maternity leave, London-based Katie works as a performer, teacher, and community singing facilitator, loving the diversity of her work with many different groups of people. (For more on her teaching work click here). She also regularly sings as a solo church cantor.
In 2021, she will appear at The Globe, Newcastle-upon-Tyne with pianist David Murray performing a French, Russian (and Geordie!) song recital.
Last year Katie performed recitals with regular duo partners Konan Tanaka, piano and Sue Whittaker, guitar - moving online for coronavirus - and sang with Piccolo Concerts for children in London, bringing music to life for the younger generation. In 2019 she co-founded the Oizys Ensemble, dedicated to promoting mental health awareness, and with them performed Schubert and Monteverdi in Schott's Music, London in May of that year. Katie also sang in the London Song Festival Lieder Masterclass in November 2018.
During her studies she participated in numerous stage and concert works both internally and externally, most notably as 'Venus' in Monteverdi's 'Ballo delle Ingrate', 'Pauline' in Offenbach's 'La Vie Parisienne', 'Lady Penelope Rich' in Britten's 'Gloriana' (Act II Sc 2) on the stage, and as a soloist in both contemporary and traditional repertoires: Jonathan Harvey's 'Song Offerings' at the Cheltenham Festival with musicians from Ensemble Court Circuit and Lyon and Birmingham Conservatoires, and in Mozart and Fauré's 'Requiems' with the City of Wolverhampton Choir. Katie also won the 2018 Edward Brooks English Song Prize, and was Specially Commended in the 2017 Ashleyan Opera Prize.
BIOGRAPHY
Katie's versatility as a singer is further evident in the numerous solo, duo, early music and chamber recitals she has undertaken: whether opera duets in Derby Cathedral, art song repertoire with piano as part of, for example, the CBSO Debussy Festival 2018, or performing Monteverdi trios with 2 other sopranos and lute/theorbo continuo in Great Malvern Priory and Old St Martin's, Worcester.
Prior to her studies in Birmingham Katie performed in many solo recitals in Oxford and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and worked as a singing teacher and community singing group leader, both aspects of her music making which greatly enrich her performance life. Katie has a particular strength in musicianship, sight-singing and fast learning of music: during her undergraduate studies at the University of Oxford (BA (Hons) Music, 1st Class), she was a choral scholar at Exeter college, and sang with Schola Cantorum of Oxford as well as one to a part Renaissance masses with the Oxford Unversity Gregorian Chant Society. In addition, she was until the age of 21 primarily a flautist.