Viola da Cunha, born in India, first studied singing with Hyacinth Brown in Bombay. At the Trinity College of Music, where she obtained the FTCL performer’s diploma, she won the Elizabeth Schumann Lieder Prize, the French Song Prize and the Worshipful Company of Musicians’ Silver Medal for most outstanding student. After a stint of study in Freiburg, Germany, she returned to London to make her Wigmore Hall debut as a winner in the Young Musicians Series. Although mainly a concert artist, her operatic roles have included that of Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, Mercedes in Carmen and Nancy in Albert Herring. She has had numerous concert appearances in Britain, India, Germany, Canada, USA and South America. Viola sings regularly with Amici del Arte, of which she is a founding member. Amici del Arte specialise in operetta and give regular concert performances of works by Lehar, Novello, Coward, Monkton, Kern and other composers of that genre.
Alan Peach, born in Yorkshire and also a graduate from Trinity College of Music, London, has shared a successful partnership with Viola as accompanist, winning the Lieder and French Song prizes in their final year at college. On graduating, Alan became a school teacher and taught mainly in the north of England but also spent a year in Seattle, U.S.A. and two years in Nairobi, Kenya. While abroad, he conducted several choirs, arranging music for special performances. He now uses his choral conducting experience in a church where he is the regular organist.
The programme will include works by Schubert, Wolf, Faure, Rachmaninov, de Falla, Villa Lobos and others.
In collaboration with The Stop-Gaps Cultural Academy and supported by Furtados in the service of the arts.
A limited number of admission passes can be collected by Members from the Box Office from January 26.
