Biography The soprano Felicity Hamilton began her singing career in The National Youth Choir of Great Britain and was a member of it's prestigious Chamber Choir. She attended Birmingham Conservatoire Junior School, where she studied with Coral Gould and won The Frank Richards Memorial Prize for solo voice. Felicity graduated from The Royal Academy of Music in 2007, obtaining a first for her Final Recital, her BMus (Hons) and LRAM teaching qualification. Early on in her time there, Felicity represented the Academy in her second year for the Junior Kathleen Ferrier Award.
Felicity is fortunate not only to have taken solo roles in the established repertoire, including Bach's St Matthew Passion under Sir Colin Davis, Mendelssohn's Elijah and Hear my Prayer, Vivaldi's Gloria, Haydn's Nelson Mass and Creation and Handel's Messiah with various choral societies, but also to have premiered new works. Three Wessex Pictures is a song cycle of settings of Thomas Hardy poems written for her by Christopher Meux and performed both in Germany and her native Nottingham. She also created the lead role in a new operetta by Meux, Mai 1849, in Germany in May and October 2009. Felicity also performed as a backing singer for the band Elbow on their "Seldom Seen Kid - Live at Abbey Road" CD, with a solo on the "Mirrorball" track.
Felicity's operatic experience includes the roles of 'Diane', Hippolyte et Arie, Rameau, 'Drusilla', L'incoronazione di Poppea, Monteverdi (Royal Academy opera scenes) and 'Adele', Die Fledermaus, J Strauss (LOC) and 'Frog', The Cunning Little Vixen, Janacek (RAO) under Sir Charles Mackerras.
For the last few years I have focused on my passion for music education: conducting and teaching singing at Saffron Centre for Young Musicians, St. Edmund's College, Ware and Magna Carta Primary Academy, Stansted Mountfitchet, and working as a singing teacher and section leader with The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, the Ulster Youth Choirs and the London Youth Choirs. I am also a deputy singing teacher at The Royal College of Music Junior Department. I have over a decade of experience teaching singing to people from primary school age to adults, focusing mostly on secondary school age. I am also trained in the Kodály approach to music education and am loving incorporating these ideas into my teaching - especially at primary level. I enjoy teaching complete beginners as well as singers with much more experience. I recognise that vocal health is paramount, and my membership of The British Voice Association and The Association of Teachers of Singing enables me to maintain and build my expertise in all aspects of vocal teaching. I am very proud that my students have a 100% pass rate at exams for which I have entered them, with most achieving distinctions or merits, including at Grade 8. Many of my exceptional students over the years have attained places in The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, gained choral scholarships at universities such as Royal Holloway and Cambridge and at Music Conservatoires.
Teaching Style I provide all my students with a grounding in classical vocal technique, which provides a healthy and effective foundation for any style of singing. I am happy to support them to sing in a range of genres suited to their voice and personality. I have also had a few people come to me with vocal problems and am experienced at helping students to overcome these. I encourage and support my students to challenge themselves by seeking performing opportunities or taking singing exams if they wish, as well as simply to sing for the love of it.
I recognise my role as a singing teacher as comprising three necessary and interdependent elements: teaching appropriate technique to keep my students' voices healthy and developing at their natural rate; nurturing a sense of fun and love of music and singing; and caring for them as an individual. I do my utmost to tailor my teaching to each student by prioritising these elements as appropriate. I look forward to getting to know you and helping you to achieve your vocal ambitions - whatever they may be. It is important to me to have a productive working relationship with you, so I would be happy to respond to any queries you have.