Singing 1

Håkan studied at Malmö Musikhöfskola, Sweelinck Conservatiorium and Conservatoire de Metz, in Karlsruhe, then at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has performed throughhout Europe and is especially appreciated for his intimate musicianship. He has appeared at venues including Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Sibelius Academy and Aldeburgh, and with the symphony orchestras of the BBC, Jerusalem, Birmingham, Barcelona, Gorthenburg and Malmö. His recordings include Bach's B minor Mass, songs by Finzi, Barber, Schumann and Schubert, Elisabeth Maconchy's opera "The Departure" and Panufnik's "Private Joe." Operatic roles include Aeneas, Don Alfonso, Don Giovanni, Figaro, Macbeth, Marcello, Eugen Onegin and Papageno. Håkan created the roles of Axel in Anna Meredith's "Tarantula in Petrol Blue", Carl in Coleridge-Taylor's "Thelma" and Pascoe in Huw Watkins' "In a Locked Room". Most recently he toured with Kentish Opera, Swansea Opera, Diva Opera and Opera Brava. Håkan teaches at City Lit and at the International Lied Masterclasses at Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussels.

Siobhan is a classically trained Soprano teaching at the City Lit since 2006. She has performed extensively during her career including several years singing with the A Cappella trio ‘The Madrigirls’, at the Thursford Christmas Spectacular and with Paul Daniel conducting the Dartington Festival Orchestra. Her operatic roles include Euridice (Orfeo ed Euridice), Suzanna (Marriage of Figaro), Ginevra (Ariodante), Frasquita (Carmen) and Venus (Orpheus in the Underworld) as well as Maria (West side story), Velma (Chicago) and Mabel (Pirates of Penzance) on the lighter side. She has appeared as a soloist in many Oratorios as well as numerous recitals, most recently performing at Blackheath Halls, Pushkin House and the Swiss Church. Her favourite recital to date: Spanish song exploring the relationship between Joaquin Rodrigo and his contemporaries. She has a degree in Classics from King’s College London and a Diploma in Opera studies from Birkbeck University London and has trained with Sybil Michelow, Justin Lavender and Linda Hutchison. Her teaching expertise extends from Singing technique (including accent method) through to music theatre, planning recitals and teaching.

Trevor Alexander studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has worked as a professional singer for over 30 years. Alongside his performing he has run vocal workshops and taught singing, and joined the teaching staff at City Lit in 2005. He began working with City Lit Opera on stage craft, performance skills and directing their scenes, and is thrilled that some of those students are now carving out a career in the profession. In 2006 Trevor joined the vocal teaching staff and began to teach the foundation level classes and has always found it extremely rewarding helping students to develop vocally, and enable them to explore the wealth of wonderful repertoire. Outside City Lit Trevor has worked professionally with many opera companies and travels all over the country singing in oratorio and concerts. He has just started a year's contract with the Royal Opera House Chorus and is preparing to sing The Marquis de la Forse for Midsummer Opera’s production of Dialogue of the Carmelites in November 2019.

Katherine is a music director, actor, singer, and vocal coach based in London and Brighton. She has appeared in theatre productions across the U.S. and internationally, and as a concert vocalist with Opéra de Rennes, Pasadena Symphony-Pops, Seattle Symphony, and acclaimed pianist Peter Nero. She has taught singers of all ages and at all stages of learning for nearly two decades, and was a musical theatre instructor, singing teacher, and music director at Cornish College of the Arts before relocating to the UK. Katherine holds a Master of Science in Performance Science from the Royal College of Music.

Shachar (Shar) Shamai is an Israel-born, London-based musical theatre creative and vocal coach. He holds an MA in Classical Singing from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and an MA in Musical Theatre from Guildford School of Acting (GSA). Shar has taught at notable musical theatre academies like PPA, ICMT, Urdang Academy, and LSC, as well as lecturing in Israel, the Netherlands, and Italy. As a bookwriter and lyricist, Shar is involved in two major Israeli musical theatre projects: "Sonia" (premiered in 2023) and "Exposed" (in development). Shar recently worked as a vocal coach on the Israeli production of "Waitress" at The Cameri Theatre in Tel Aviv. He is also the founder and artistic director of The JEWish CABARET, a collective that explores identity through original works. The group’s inaugural production, "Cafe named Desire," was acclaimed in London and later invited to tour Israel. As a poet, Shar's work has been featured in a large number of books and magazines.