Come and hear the fairy tale storytelling of Hansel and Gretel as told in the opera by Humperdinck!

Condensed into 25 minutes, this performance contains carefully chosen songs from the opera to guide you through the story of Hansel and Gretel. Soprano, alto, and tenor vocals are accompanied by piano played by Yoshie Kawamura and narration from tenor Austin Gunn.

Narrator - Austin Gunn

Soprano - Rachel Dyson

Alto - Tamsin Davidson

Tenor - Austin Gunn

Piano - Yoshie Kawamura

Yoshie Kawamura

Yoshie Kawamura was born in Japan, Nagoya and moved to the UK when she was 11. She was awarded a scholarship to study at Wells Cathedral School with Sanae Nakajima, before receiving Bachelor and Master of Music at Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Joan Havill. A year later she won an auditioned to study with Prof. Gilead Mishory at Musikhochschule Freiburg in Germany.

She has given many performances worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician in England, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and Japan. Her most notable appearances include; performing Schumann’s Piano Quintet with the Berlin Philharmonic Quartet on their tour of Japan; performing as a soloist with the Poznan Philharmonia in Poland; 200th year of celebration for Chopin at Freiburg Musikhochschule in Germany; Chamber Music Concert at Luzern Marianischer Saal in Switzerland; Berlin Chamber Music Festival Lunchtime Concert Series at Berliner Philharmoniker, and Netherlands International Stichting Apeldoon Festival.

In 2013 Yoshie moved to Newcastle to study Cultural Management at Northumbria University where she received her second Master’s degree. This lead in co-founder of Brundibar Arts Festival with Alexandra Raikhlina in 2016. Yoshie is one of the festival’s administrator as well as a performer. Since 2016, she has been actively involved each year in the festival’s organisation, management of the artists and audience, venue coordinator and as a performer.

Along with the festival, Yoshie is a dedicated performer, piano teacher and an accompanist. She performs regularly in the North East at Lit&Phil, Newcastle University, Northumbria University, The Glasshouse, Durham university, St. James and St. Basil’s church, Jesmond URC. She has also appeared in Richmond Music Society and Long Newton Music Society with Alison Gill playing 4 hand/ 2 pianos.

Some recently performances were at Full Circle in Brussels performing series of songs with Alex Aldren, BBC 3 In Tune program and Jewish Community of Japan in Tokyo with Alexandra Raikhlina performing violin and piano duo.

Yoshie is currently teaching and accompanying at Centre for Advanced Training at The Glasshouse ICM, Durham University, Newcastle University and privately at her home.

Austin Gunn

Austin Gunn, Tenor, made his professional operatic debut as Vorsinger Zaide with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras in the Edinburgh International Festival. Other notable EIF performances include 1st Tenor Soloist Curlew River and Zweite Lehrbube Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

His Scottish Opera debut was Don Ottavio cover Don Giovanni directed by Sir Thomas Allen and conducted by Speranza Scapucci also performing the role in the unwrap performances throughout Scotland.

His English National Opera debut was Guest John Cage Dinner Party for ENO MusiCircus, and he has returned to ENO many times since including covering multiple roles in A Pilgrim's Progress and Dantine cover The Perfect American, Gizmo 3 The Way Back Home and Security Guard Between Worlds in preproduction workshops and showcases between ENO, The Barbican and the Young Vic, Tamino Magic Flute and Alfredo La Traviata for ENO Baylis Know the Show events, Nanki-Poo The Mikado, Don Ottavio Don Giovanni and Don Basilio Le Nozze di Figaro for ENO Opera Squad in schools performances, and an ENO Late Shift Recital at the National Portrait Gallery of music by Handel and Purcell.

For Tete a Tete Opera Austin has appeared in Lucie Treacher’s The Fisherman’s Brides and Zad Moultaka’s Hummus at King’s Place, London, as well as the three community opera projects Home, Gala and Quest and made his Portuguese debut in 2017 at the Musica Na Fabrica Festival in Lisbon and his Swiss debut in 2018 as the Spectre in Dvorak's Die Geisterbraut in Zürich and he has appeared in concert tours of Sweden, France and Italy.

Austin performed roles in every season of Berwick Festival Opera including Don Jose in Carmen, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Beppe in Donizetti Rita, Dormont in Rossini La Scala Di Seta and Aubrey in Marschner Der Vampyr as well as roles in many Savoy Operas and he has also appeared in roles for Black Cat Opera, Opera Anywhere, InterOpera, Impromptu Opera and various roles for the William Shield Festival and he has a extensive repertoire in oratorio and recital appearing regularly with choral societies throughout the UK.

Recording and film credits to date include Montague Joh

Description supplied by the event organiser.