We are pleased to have the following as Patrons of the Society.

Sue Black
Soprano

Opera Worcester are delighted to welcome Sue Black as the latest Patron of Opera Worcester.
Sue was previously the Musical Director for the society and wielded her baton over the last five years conducting 4 operas and numerous concerts. 
Sue has considerable experience as a professional opera singer and singing teacher Consequently, she ran singing workshops for Opera Worcester and was able to offer advice and support to the range of singers who have sang with the society over the last five years.
In addition Sue has also assisted on numerous occasion with fundraising, including donating the proceeds of a performance of her one-woman show.
We are extremely grateful to Sue and delighted that she has accepted our invitation to become a Patron.

Jane Faulkner (Jane Dodd)
Soprano
After graduating from Leeds University and with a PGCE at the Roehampton Institute, Jane taught and sang in the Worcestershire area for a few years, playing most of the Gilbert and Sullivan and light opera soprano roles with GWOS, WODS, the Norbury Theatre and many others.
She made her professional debut with the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1993, where she understudied/played the roles of Celia (Iolanthe), Adele (Die Fledermaus), Gabrielle (La Vie Parisienne), Juliette (The Count of Luxembourg), and chorus and dance captain in Pirates, The Mikado and HMS Pinafore, either on tour or at The Savoy Theatre London.
Other work includes playing Tracey/Mabel(The Parson’s Pirates) with Opera Della Luna, Michaela (Carmen), and Cherubino (The Marriage of Figaro) with Opera Severn, The New London Savoyards, The Players’ Theatre Company(National Tour of The Boyfriend), and the QE2 World Cruise (Concordia Theatre Company) and Swan Hellenic Cruise lines (Off the Cuff Productions).
After completing the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera (understudy Mme Giry) for Cameron Mackintosh she was invited to join the West End Production, where she was Swing and played/ understudied the role of Wardrobe Mistress/Confidante for three years.
She completed a tour of the UK and Eire with Theatre Production’s Strauss Gala as joint principal soprano, and recently sang solo soprano in Vivaldi’s Gloria with the RPO.
Although she is currently taking a break from full-time theatre to bring up her children, she takes part in oratorios, concerts, leads workshops and teaches singing privately and in schools.

RACHAEL TOVEY

Rachael Tovey was born in Worcester. After studying for A levels, she gained a place at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, graduating in 1991. During her time at the Guildhall she won several prestigious awards, including the Woolfson Foundation Scholarship and the Anna Instone Memorial Award.

On completion of her studies, she went on to perform with many British opera companies including Glyndebourne Festival Opera and tour, English National Opera and Scottish Opera.

In 1995 Rachael was invited by conductor Anthony Bramall to take up a position in Germany in Theater Krefeld/Mönchengladbach. She has since been a permanent soloist in Theater am Goetheplatz in Bremen, Staatstheater Hannover and Staatstheater Nürnberg.

Her freelance engagements have taken her worldwide with engagements at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Washington State Opera, The Volksoper in Vienna, The Royal Opera House in Sweden and houses in Italy.

She still appears regularly as a guest artist in Germany, and has recently completed Wagner’s Ring Cycle singing Brünnhilde for the Staatstheater in Nürnberg.

Aside from performing, she is a private singing teacher and gives Masterclasses.