Joshua Ellicott
Introduction
Lyric tenor Joshua Ellicott was born in Manchester and read music at York University before continuing his vocal studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. There he won a full scholarship to study on the Postgraduate Vocal Study and Opera courses. A milestone in his thriving international career came in 2006 when he won the prestigious International Vocal Competition in 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. As well as the First Prize he claimed a further three prizes for song, opera and finest all-round musicianship. This puts him in a select band of previous winners which includes Thomas Hampson, Nelly Miricioiu and Sarah Connolly.
His career is now becoming as varied as it is distinguished with interests ranging from early music to contemporary repertoire and from recitals and concerts through to opera, performed with some of the finest ensembles and musicians.
Recent performances include the Evangelist (Matthew Passion) at the Boston Handel & Haydn Society with Harry Christophers, Handel's "Saul" with the Sixteen under Christophers in Versailles, the role of tenor in "Fairy Queen" with the Gabrieli Consort and Paul McCreesh, Schubert’s Eb Mass with Daniel Harding at the Saint-Denis Festival with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France, an opera gala concert with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, a Handel & Bach concert with the English Concert under Harry Bicket, Shepherd and Sailor in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Esa-Pekka Salonen, a staged St Matthew Passion with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the Mozart Requiem in Japan with Daniel Harding and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Future plans include the role of Andres (“Wozzeck”) with the Philharmonia Orchestra touring to Dortmund, Berkeley, Los Angeles and New York; a Monteverdi Vespers European tour with Emmanuelle Haim; and in 2013, he makes his Royal Opera House, Covent Garden debut as Basilio in "Le Nozze di Figaro" with John Eliot Gardiner.
“Deservedly huge cheers at the end of the night went to Joshua Ellicott, who sang the daunting role of the Evangelist with musical distinction, emotional precision, and a keen dramatic urgency that made the Passion tale feel like news of a recent tragedy.”
THE BOSTON GLOBE