Brian Parsons GRSM ARCM

Brian Parsons began his full-time musical training at the Holland County Music School, Boston, Lincolnshire. He continued his studies at the Royal College of Music where he won the coveted English Song Prize and also scholarships and bursaries from the Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust and the RCM Patrons Fund for post-graduate studies. Two years on the RCM Opera Course followed, where he gained critical aclaim for his performance of Albert in Benjamin Britten's Albert Herring, a role he subsequently worked on with it's creator Peter Pears, performing it at The Maltings, Snape, Aldeburgh.

He was a Finalist in the Richard Tauber Competition, the Royal Overseas League Competition, and the National Federation of Music Societies Award for Male Voices.

Opera credits include over 100 performances of Count Almaviva (The Barber of Seville) with many companies including Opera 80 (now English Touring Opera); Lindoro (Italian Girl in Algiers), Opera 80; Lindoro (La Scala di Seta), Un Theatre pour La Musique (Paris); Un Athlete ( Castor et Pollux), English Bach Festival at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Les Arts Florrisants at the Aix en Provence International Opera Festival; Astérion (Naïs), Theatre Royale, Versailles and Dijon Opera; Ferrando (Cosi fan Tutte), English Chamber Opera and the Gattières Festival (Nice); Ernesto (Don Pasquale) with I Commediante.

In a career that has spanned almost thirty years Brian has appeared as soloist in all the major London concert halls. He has sung in many music festivals in the UK and abroad: Aix en Provence, Saintes, Cuenca, Wexford and also the Maggio Musicale in Florence working with such conductors as Malgoire, Christie, Rousset and Herwegge. Contemporary music has always played an important part in his career; his performances with conductor/composers Luciano Berio, and Heinz Holliger and others have frequently been broadcast by BBC Radio and Radio France.

A special affinity for the works of JS Bach have resulted in many appearances in the major choral works; notably the traditional Good Friday performance of the St. Mathew Passion by the Bach Choir in the Royal Festival Hall, the St.John Passion in St.Paul’s Cathedral and the Evangelist in the St.John Passion recorded for French television and conducted by Bertrand de Billy.

After several years working in France, Brian was invited to become Professeur de Chant at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et Danse in Lyon. This post he has held in conjunction with his appointment to the Guildhall School Vocal Studies Department since 1998.

He is currently a member of Les Solistes de Lyon directed by Bernard Têtu.