Biography
Job Title: Senior Lecturer
Courses Taught: BA (Hons) Music (Classical)
Specialisms: Classical Voice, Opera, Oratorio, Art Song, Voice classification
Mezzo-soprano Adriana Festeu has recently performed Rosina Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Charlotte Werther, a Rossini Opera Gala and the recording of a song recital in eight languages for the Romanian National Opera in Cluj.
Her other roles include Candida Emilia di Liverpool for the European Opera Centre in Liverpool and Bremen, Marcellina Le nozze di Figaro for the Hungarian National Opera in Cluj, Komponist Ariadne auf Naxos & Endimione La Calisto both for Royal Academy Opera, Isolier Le comte Ory for Opera South, Priestess King Arthur & Juno The Judgement of Paris for New London Consort in Manchester and Paris, Marianna Il Signor Bruschino for British Youth Opera, cover title role Cenerentola, cover Calbo Maometto secondo, cover Megacle L’Olimpiade & cover Rustena La verita in cimento all for Garsington Opera, as well as Giovanna/Page Rigoletto and cover title role Xerxes for Longborough Opera.
Her song cycle performances include Mahler Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen and Kindertotenlieder, Respighi Il Tramonto, Enescu Sept chansons de Clement Marot, Dvořák Cigánske melódie, Korngold 5 Lieder, Op. 38 and Pauline Viardot-Garcia Cinque canti popolari toscani. Her many oratorio performances include the major works of Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Mahler, Dvorak and many others, taking her to venues such as St. Martin-in-the-Fields, King’s Place, Wilton’s Music Hall, Gloucester Cathedral, St David’s Cathedral, The Bridgewater Hall and Cité de la Musique in Paris. Adriana recorded Romanian art songs for the BBC Radio 3 dramatisation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and was invited back to record Greek songs for The Oresteia: The Libation Bearers and The Mysteries of Udolpho.
Adriana trained on the opera course of the Royal Academy of Music where, in 2016 she also completed her PhD, Exploring Zwischenfach: Understanding vocal classification and its professional significance. She is now Programme Tutor at the Royal Academy of Music as well as Senior Lecturer at Leeds Conservatoire, where she teaches classical voice. In 2010, Adriana co-founded Opera Prelude, a charity that delivers lecture-recitals, masterclasses and concerts at the Cadogan Hall and throughout the UK. Adriana is grateful for generous bursaries and awards from the International Opera Awards, AHRC, Josephine Baker Trust, the Lucille Graham Award, the Patricia Kriss Wolf Prize, Emmy Destinn Competition and Opera Prelude.
