Biography:
Bonnie Callaghan is currently studying as a Soprano at the Royal Northern College of Music for a PGDip in vocal studies and opera under the tutelage of Yvonne Howard. She looks forward to making her role debut of the Snow maiden in Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera of the same name.
Bonnie commenced her MMus studies at the RNCM in September 2021 and made her role debut as Adele in J. Strauss’ Die Fledermaus at RNCM in December 2022, translated and conducted by David Parry. More recently, Bonnie was a 2023 finalist in the prestigious Joyce & Michael Kennedy award for singing Richard Strauss at the RNCM. She was highly commended in Clonter’s Betty Bannerman Award for french song, and was a finalist in the Dean & Chadlington Music Festival competition. Since starting at the RNCM Bonnie, along with other students, sang with the Edvard Grieg Kor and the Bergen Philharmonic choir in Ryan Wigglesworth’s world debut of his Magnificat with the Bergen Phillharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Edward Gardner. She has also participated in a weekend of workshops with Opera North as a levershulme scholar. In July 2022 Bonnie sang in the chorus of Bellini’s La Sonnambula with Random Opera Company in which she is a covered the role of Lisa.
From 2011 to 2015 Bonnie attended the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she studied the trumpet and piano. Bonnie was named Bromley Young Musician of the Year 2015 both as a vocalist and trumpeter. She studied (as an Alexander Ivashkin Scholar) at Goldsmiths University of London for a BMus and MMus, continuing her vocal studies with Ashley Stafford.
As a soloist, Bonnie has sung in Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Vesperae solennes de confessore, Fauré’s Requiem, Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music and Barber’s Knoxville Summer of 1915. Bonnie has enjoyed performing both as a soloist and as part of ensembles throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. Notable venues include Cadogan Hall, Royal Festival Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields Grieghallen and the Bridgewater Hall. In 2014-20 (for six seasons) Bonnie was professionally engaged as a singer in performances of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker with the English National Ballet at the Coliseum.
In July 2016 at age 19, Bonnie made her international operatic debut as Cis in Albert Herring with Opera di Firenze’s Maggio Musicale Fiorentino at the Teatro della Pergola and reprised this role for Buxton International Festival 2017. Other roles include The Sandman in OperaGold’s production of opera scenes The Flight, La Badessa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Second Woman in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas OperaGold, First Witch in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas for KOFMA, and the role of Holy Tongue One in the world premiere of Trulee Hall’s Toungues Duel the Corn Whores. She has participated in masterclasses at Goldsmiths University including with Dame Felicity Lott.
Bonnie took part in the Easter workshops series with British Youth Opera 2019. In July of 2021 she participated in a short course at the National Opera studio where she explored stagecraft in opera.
(Eye on the lense photography)