Creative Team
Phil Ypres-Smith (Musical Director)
Phil Ypres-Smith began his musical career studying organ and singing at Birmingham School of Music, where he worked closely with the vocal department as an accompanist. He was also a student at the Opera School and, in following years, was invited to return as a visiting lecturer, coach, repetiteur and Musical Director.
His Musical Direction for the Opera School has included “Don Giovanni”, “Alcina”, “Albert Herring” and many Workshop productions. Phil is a skilled singer with a fine Counter Tenor voice. He is also a singing teacher and vocal coach and and active composer, having a number of first performances. Phil has sung and accompanied for radio and - over the years - has led many musical and choral groups. As well as Musical Director for MMM, he is currently Director of Music at St. George’s church, Edgbaston, and works with a small-scale touring opera group.
Midland Music Makers’ rehearsals are always fun and - more often than not - a little irreverent with Phil at the helm, but his spirit and enthusiasm is infectious, and his knowledge of the voice is a great help to all our singers, both chorus and principal. The difference he has made to our performances is obvious to us and our audiences
Rachel Skinner (2006 Artistic Director)
We welcome Rachel with our usual MMM enthusiasm! She came to know us through this web site, having recently moved to Birmingham from Bristol, and here is a little about her…
Rachel is an experienced classical soprano soloist, equally at home in the concert hall as on the operatic stage. She was born in Cheshire and educated at Bristol University where she read music. Since graduating in 1993 she has established a career as a soloist, singing teacher and producer, based in the Midlands and South West.
Rachel’s operatic roles include Liu (Turandot), Nanetta (Falstaff), Susanna and Barbarina (The Marriage of Figaro), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Pamina (The Magic Flute) and Belinda and 1st Witch (Dido and Aeneas), Annius (La Clemenza di Tito), Amore and Damigella (The Coronation of Poppea), Madame Wanton/Voice of a Bird (The Pilgrim’s Progress), Rowan (The Little Sweep) and Lady Alice (The Green Children). Rachel has also performed in a number of musical theatre productions taking the part of Eliza in My Fair Lady and the role of Aldonza in Man of La Mancha.
She is widely respected as a singing teacher in Bristol and the South West, and has combined her love of theatre and music to produce and direct operas and stage presentations with young people, recently producing Carmen with a group of young singers in Bristol.
Last year, Rachel enjoyed the challenge of the double-bill, ‘I Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana’ and both operas were well-received as some of the best work seen by MMM audiences in mny a year. She is looking forward to developing us for 2007’s ‘The Masked Ball’ by Verdi.
Source: www.rachelskinner.com