JASON DARNELL

After winning the Rae Woodland Scholarship to study 20^th century song at the Britten-Pears School, Jason Darnell went on to read music at the University of York, gaining his B.A.Hons and an M.A. in vocal performance practice. Jason has performed extensively both at home and abroad, including early music in Versailles, Leipzig, Warsaw, Corfu, Czechoslovakia, Athens, Florence, Tirol and Frankfurt.

He has recorded and broadcast for ITV, Channel4, Radio3, Radio4, Polish Radio2 and EBU. For the latter he gave the world premier of Zebrowski ‘Magnificat’ and Wanski  ‘Missa de Nativitate Domini’  with Concerto Polacco. He also performs and records with the ensembles ‘Corona Colloniensis’ for WDR, ‘Vocalsolosten Ratisbona’, ‘Red Bird’ and ‘Yorkshire Baroque Soloists’. CD releases include Monteverdi ‘Vespers’ for Yorkshire Bach Choir and two programmes of sacred and secular music by Gobert with ‘The Sound and the Fury’ for ORF.

Jason performs all the standard oratorios and Passions. Recent performances include: Elgar ‘Dream of Gerontius’ at Durham Cathedral, Bach ‘St. Matthew Passion’ at Lincoln Cathedral, Purcell and Turner ‘St. Cecilia’s Day Odes’ for the York Early Music Festival, the title role in Monteverdi’s opera ‘Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria’ at the temple of Octavia for the Opera Festival of Ancient Corinth and ‘Vitaliano’ in Vivaldi’s opera ‘Giustino’  at the Megaron, Athens. Last summer Jason performed odes by Purcell and Blow with the Yorkshire Baroque Soloists at the Leipzig Bach Festival.