Guitar Festival Thursday Concert – Bibi Heal and Amanda Cook

Performer background

Bibi Heal (soprano) & Amanda Cook (guitar)

Bibi Heal graduated from the University of East Anglia with a First Class degree in Music and completed her postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music. She has studied with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, and currently studies with Sena Larard.
Operatic engagements include Mary Turner in Gershwin Of Thee I Sing, its sequel Let ‘Em Eat Cake and Masha in Shostakovich Paradise Moscow, all for Opera North and Bregenz Festival. Bibi also performed Princess Sofie in the premiere of Jonathan Dove The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi for Opera O.T. Rotterdam, Barbarina (Marriage of Figaro) for Gstaad Festival directed by Barbara Bonney, Will Tuckett’s Wind in the Willows for ROH2, and Gretel (Tansy Davies Elephant and Castle) for Aldeburgh Festival. Other collaborative projects include Opera North, Kneehigh Theatre, ROH2, The Opera Group, ENO and Forced Entertainment. She toured an award winning Early Years opera for Spitalfields Festival / Early Opera Company, performed extracts of Monteverdi Coronazione di Poppea at Latitude Festival, and sang Cally Spooner’s live installation Damning Evidence for Hayward Gallery / British Art Show 8. She recently sang the role of Semele conducted by Julian Perkins.

Bibi’s numerous concert and oratorio performances span venues including Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Barbican Hall, Ulster Hall, Cadogan Hall, St John’s Smith Square, Sage Gateshead, Glasgow City Hall, and Brighton Dome. Orchestras include the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Orchestra of Opera North, Ulster Orchestra, Tercia Realidad, and the Europaïsches Barockorchester. She sang Mendelssohn The Dream at The Royal Opera House, Mahler 4th Symphony with Royal Northern Sinfonia, Goodall Eternal Light for Ballet Rambert, Mendelssohn Elijah in Barbican Hall, Mozart Mass in C Minor in York Minster, Mahler 2nd Symphony in Southwark Cathedral and Haydn Die Schöpfung in Konzerthaus, Berlin.

An exceptionally expressive performer, Bibi is passionate about performing imaginative recitals in ways that cross the boundaries between performer and listener. She works regularly with accordionist Miloš Milivojević and violinist Harriet Mackenzie of Kosmos
Ensemble, performing Bohemian music from Puccini arias to Parisian cafe songs. Recital engagements include Opera North, Festival of Chichester, Leeds Lieder, Handel Festival Göttingen, Valladolid Festival Spain, Ripon International Festival and the Philharmonia
Orchestra’s Maazel: Mahler series at the Royal Festival Hall.

Amanda Cook, dubbed “The ‘guitar queen’ with a silken touch” by The Independent, has appeared as a soloist in the USA, South America and throughout Europe. In the UK venues include the South Bank, Wigmore Hall, St George’s Bristol, King’s Place & The Sage Gateshead. Her highly acclaimed performances are always noted for their sensitive musicality, fluid technique, and ability to draw the audience in to her world.

Amanda began her studies with Alexander Levtov, continuing at the Royal College of Music Junior Department with Charles Ramirez and supported by a West Sussex music scholarship. A music degree at the RCM followed, with a Foundation Scholarship, studying with Charles Ramirez and then Jakob Lindberg and Gary Ryan. Studies in New York followed with Benjamin Verdery and the help of the Countess of Munster Musical Trust. Whilst at the RCM Amanda won several prizes for her performances, and outside of College she won the 1995 Admira Young Guitarist of the Year, 1997 Ivor Mairants Guitar Award and the 1998 Carol Evershed Martin Award for solo instrumentalists.

She has been broadcast on television and radio, both abroad and in the UK, including BBC Radio 3 on “In Tune” & “Late Junction”, BBC Radio 4 on “Woman’s Hour,” and Classic FM. In addition to solo work, Amanda is a member of the critically acclaimed Vida Guitar Quartet who regularly tour the USA, Europe and China.

Amanda was course director at the International Guitar Festival for five years. She regularly adjudicates music festivals, gives masterclasses and has sat on the jury for several International Competitions including the GFA 2015 in Oklahoma and the 2019 Euro Strings Competition. Amanda is a patron of the Federation of Guitar Societies.