• Best new opera production – English National Opera’s Castor and Pollux at the London Coliseum
• Outstanding achievement in opera – ENO, for the breadth and diversity of its artistic programme

Kate is a Harewood Singer at ENO and is delighted to have taken part in two critically acclaimed productions in 2011 – as Countess Almaviva in Fiona Shaw’s The Marriage of Figaro and Helena in David Alden’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The breadth and quality of ENO’s operatic programme for 2011-12 was recognised not only in the Outstanding Achievement in Opera award, but also with nominations for The Passenger, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Castor & Pollux.

Both awards were taken by an emotional John Berry, ENO artistic director, who took time to thank every member of the company. Standing centre stage at Covent Garden, John said “I really do think ENO is the most exciting opera house in the world at the moment”. With upcoming new productions of Billy Budd, Jakob Lenz, The Flying Dutchman and Dr Dee, I think everyone will agree.

You can find out more at their website www.eno.org. A full list of the winners can be seen at www.olivierawards.com

Kate Valentine’s fifth – You now have sorrow; but I shall see you again and your heart shall rejoice was particularly moving…It was the sort of concert I felt it a privilege to have attended.
Barnaby Milne, Edinburgh Guide – Full Review

Nor could we have wished for anything more searingly impressive than the solo pairing of Finley’s and Scots soprano Kate Valentine.
Kenneth Walton, The Scotsman – Full Review

Kate Valentine performed the role of Helena alongside fellow ENO young singers Allan Clayton & Benedict Nelson in Christopher Alden’s critically acclaimed production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This is the second consecutive year that Kate has been part of a nominated production.

The winners will be announced on 15th April 2012.You can watch the awards live using the BBC Red Button from 5pm on the night, or listen to BBC Radio 2. You can find out more about this and the other nominations at www.olivierawards.com.

• Debussy Mandoline
• Debussy Ariettes Oubliées
• Ravel Cinq mélodies populaires Grecques
• Debussy Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé
• Debussy Trois Mélodies de Paul Verlaine
• Hahn Offrande
• Hahn L’heure exquise
• Hahn Fêtes galantes

Originally recorded at the Cowdray Hall in Aberdeen on Thursday 2nd February, 2012, you can hear the broadcast at 1pm on Tuesday 20th March 2012 on BBC Radio 3. You can find out more on the BBC Radio 3 website, where a link to the performance will be available for 7 days afterwards.

Kate Valentine, who, with animation and a fine vocal display, gave a beautifully crafted performance of The Countess
Paul J Guest, The Best of 2011: Classical Music & Opera, Huffington Post – Full Article

In 2010, Kate Valentine recorded interviews and scenes during her run as Countess Almaviva in Sir Thomas Allen’s critically acclaimed new production of ‘Le nozze di Figaro’ for Scottish Opera. This year, Kate is filming a new series of short episodes documenting the process of rehearsing an Opera, and celebrating the skilled individuals who make it all possible.

You can subscribe to the Furtive Figaro twitter feed by following @furtivefigaro , or subscribe to the micro-blogging Tumblr site.

Mimì, a seamstress, and Rodolfo, an impoverished writer, fall in love instantly on Christmas Eve. Their happiness is short lived however. Mimì’s health deteriorates and to make matters worse she must deal with Rodolfo’s growing irrational jealousy. Their friends, Musetta and Marcello rekindle their love for each other. However, they quickly
realise that they can’t live with each other or without each other. By spring both couples will have to come to terms with the fact that love cannot conquer all.

La bohème is one of the best-loved of all operas and is one of the greatest love stories ever sung. Welsh National Opera’s major new production set in the early 20th century, sees internationally acclaimed director Annabel Arden make her company debut. WNO’s former Music Director Carlo Rizzi returns to conduct.

You can find out more and book tickets at the website

“Kate Valentine’s superb Tatyana dominates (it surely won’t be long before we see this performance in one of the big houses)”
Simon Thomas, WhatsOnStage.com – Full Review

“The professional cast is headed by Kate Valentine’s Tanya, radiant with optimistic innocence in the ‘letter scene’”
Graham Rogers, The Stage Online – Full Review

“I particularly liked Kate Valentine’s change from diffident ingénue … to assured princess”
Nick Breckenfield, The Classical Source – Full Review

“New Faces: …Kate Valentine was a fierce and vulnerable Tatiana in the Blackheath Eugene Onegin”
Anna Picard, The Independent Arts Review of 2011 – Full Article

Conducted by Leo Hussain, Christopher Alden’s new production has been described by Andrew Clements of The Guardian as “remarkable”, and Andrew Clark of The Financial Times goes further saying that this is “one of the most intoxicating and disturbing ENO shows in recent memory.”

Stephen Jay-Taylor of Opera Britannia comments that “Kate Valentine [was a] vocally game Helena”, and Barry Millington, writing for Evening Standard, thinks that “The quartet of lovers was superbly sung by Allan Clayton, Tamara Gura, Benedict Nelson and Kate Valentine”

Shows will be running at the London Coliseum until the end of June. To find out more about this production and to book tickets, click here.

To watch a video trailer, click here.

[ Original Posting taken from www.rayfieldartists.com ]

“Allan Clayton and Kate Valentine are stylish as Lysander and Helena.”
Warwick Thomson, Bloomberg – Full Review

“Allan Clayton, Benedict Nelson, Tamara Gura and Kate Valentine deliver handsomely as the quartet of lovers.”
Sam Smith, Londonist – Full Review

“Tamara Gura and Kate Valentine made an impressive pair of female lovers.”
Mark Berry, Seen and Heard – Full Review

“…and with the four lovers (Tamara Gura, Kate Valentine, Allan Clayton and Benedict Nelson) all in fine voice, this was a good advertisement for the ENO policy of nurturing young talent.”
William Hartson, Express – Full Review

“Kate Valentine and Allan Clayton (as Helena and Lysander respectively) are the pick of the lovers”…”impressively sung “
Mike Valencia, Classical Source – Full Review

“with Kate Valentine as Helena, the four lovers produced a well-balanced quartet, with excellent dramatic interplay.”
Lottie Greenhow, Music OMH – Full Review

“The quartet of lovers, superbly sung by Allan Clayton, Tamara Gura, Benedict Nelson and Kate Valentine.”
Barry Millington, This is London – Full Review

“…the four lovers (Tamara Gura, Kate Valentine, Allan Clayton and Benedict Nelson, all excellent)”
Richard Morrison, The Times

“the quartet of lovers showed they could act as well as they trilled”…”The fawning Helena (Kate Valentine) was particularly entertaining as she stalked rugby boy Demetrius”
Natasha Hotson, Tottenham & Wood Green Journal – Full Review

Audio Review

Music Matters BBC Radio 3, Saturday 21st May, 2011

Tom Service is joined by conductor Riccardo Chailly and actor/director Simon McBurney on the 100th anniversary of Mahler’s death. And the latest on ENO’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Click HERE to listen to the show

This fascinating lineup, in which Kate stars as Countess Almaviva in a new production of The Marriage of Figaro, features of host of established and new British talent.

You can read more on the English National Opera website by clicking here

ENO 2011/2012 Season

The Elixir of Love, Donizetti , opens 15 September 2011

The Passenger, Weinberg, opens 19 September 2011

The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart, opens 5 October 2011

Castor and Pollux, Rameau, opens 24 October 2011

Eugene Onegin, Tchaikovsky, opens 12 November 2011

Tosca, Puccini, opens 26 November 2011

Der Rosenkavalier, Strauss, opens 28 January 2012

The Tales of Hoffmann, Offenbach, opens 10 February 2012

The Death of Klinghoffer, John Adams, opens 25 February 2012

Jakob Lenz, Wolfgang Rihm, opens 17 April 2012, Hampstead Theatre

The Flying Dutchman, Wagner, opens 28 April 2012

Madam Butterfly, Puccini, opens 8 May 2012

Caligula, Detlev Glanert, opens 25 May 2012

Billy Budd, Britten, opens 18 June 2012

Doctor Dee, Damon Albarn, opens 25 June 2012 (press night 26 June)

As Elisabeth Zimmer, Kate enjoyed critical acclaim for her performance alongside a ‘terrific cast’ (Hugh Canning, Opera) and she and her colleagues are thrilled that the production has been recognised in this way.

Keep everything crossed on March the 13th, when the winner will be announced! You can find out more about this and the other nominations at www.olivierawards.com