Sera Baines - Soprano
Sera Baines was a finalist in the Young International Singer of the Year competition at the age of 18. She trained as an undergraduate at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and there won the Dolan Evans and Aneurin Bevan Prizes. She studied on ‘The Knack’, Baylis Programame with ENO followed by a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music. Among her many awards and prizes for singing are the John Ireland Prize, Blodwen Cosslett Soprano Prize, Maida Jones Award and Alfred Alexander Award.
While at the Royal Academy of Music, Sera performed a number of roles including Anna (Sir John in Love - Vaughan Williams), Créobyle (ThaŃ—s – Massenet), Zerlina (Don Giovanni – Mozart) and Mimi & Musetta (La Bohème – Puccini).
Since graduating Sera has performed the roles of Serafina in Il Campanello (Donizetti) with Opera Chilmark, Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck) with Barn Opera and Tatyana in Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) with Windsor & Eton Opera.
Sera regularly performs on the concert platform as an oratorio soloist; works include Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Brahms’ Ein Deutches Requiem, Bach’s St Matthew Passion and Vivaldi’s Gloria.
2010 engagements included a recital in June 2010 at Lauderdale House and another in July 2010 with Bryn Terfel at the North Wales Festival; Sera sang the soprano solos in Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony on another occasion at the same festival. In autumn 2010, Sera was a soloist at a Gala Operatic Evening with the Fron Male Voice Choir, she sang a recital of Rossini songs at Lauderdale House and performed as soprano soloist at a Welsh Art Concert at the Barbican Welsh Church. In November 2010 she performed in the World Premiere of Benjamin Till’s The Pepy’s Motet at St Olave’s Church as well as on the premiere recording of the work.
Sera was the winner of the Sickle Foundation Award and her prize includes debut recitals at the Purcell Room and the Wigmore Hall in London during 2011. Also in 2011, she will perform the role of Miss Wordsworth in Surrey Opera’s production of Britten’s Albert Herring.