Caitlin Hulcup steps in to save the day in The Royal Opera’s The Return of Ulysses. The Australian mezzo takes over the role of Penelope in this new production by John Fulljames, which is conducted by Christian Curnyn and opens at The Roundhouse on Wednesday, 10 January 2018.
Caitlin Hulcup previously appeared at the ROH as Arbaces Artaxerses and as Aristeus at Shakespeare’s Globe in the Royal Opera’s production of Rossi’s Orpheus. An experienced performer of early music, she has performed Diana/Il Destino La Calisto at La Monnaie with René Jacobs, Cyrus Belshazzar with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants, Cesare Catone in Utica with Alan Curtis at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and Dido Dido and Aeneas with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. She has won particular acclaim for her Ariodante, a role she has performed at Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Händel Festival Halle, the Barbican, Teatro Real Madrid, Theater an der Wien, and Scottish Opera.
Also performing in The Return of Ulysses are Francesca Chiejina as Melantho/Love, Nick Pritchard as Amphinomus and David Shipley as Antinous/Time.
American soprano Francesca Chiejina is currently a member of the Jette Parker Young Artists’ Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Her roles at the Royal Opera House so far have included the Voice from Heaven Don Carlo and Ines Il trovatore, in addition to singing the soprano solos in Gorecki’s Third Symphony with the Royal Ballet for the world premiere of a new work by renowned choreographer Crystal Pite and Micaela La Tragèdie de Carmen (at Wilton’s Music Hall). She has also covered Ifigenia Oreste (at Wilton’s Music Hall), Antonia Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Giannetta L’elisir d’amore and Arbate Mitridate, re di Ponto. She recently made her debut with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal as Serena Porgy and Bess.
Nick Pritchard previously appeared with the Royal Opera as Matthew Pleasure at Lyric Hammersmith, a role he also performed with Opera North and Aldeburgh. His operatic engagements include Lysander A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Aldeburgh Festival), Henry Crawford Mansfield Park (Grange Festival), Messiah (Nederlandse Reisopera in concert), Telemaco Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria and Mercurio La Calisto (ETO), Telemaco (Iford Arts), Acis Acis and Galatea (La Nuova musica), Prologue The Turn of the Screw (Opera Holland Park), Aquilio Adriano in Siria (Classical Opera Company) and Albert Herring (Royal College of Music).
British Bass David Shipley is a recent graduate of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where his roles have so far included Arthur and Officer III The Lighthouse, Captain Eugene Onegin, Sciarrone Tosca, Guccio Gianni Schicchi, High Priest of Baal Nabucco, Clerk 3/Policeman 4/ Speculator/Respectable Lady’s Son in Shostakovich’s The Nose, Sergeant Manon Lescaut, Dr Grenvil La traviata, Flemish Deputy Don Carlo, and the Nightwatchman Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Forthcoming engagements include Second Armed Man Die Zauberflöte, Zuniga Carmen (both for the Royal Opera House) and Sandoval Le duc d’Albe (Vlaanderen Opera).
Tickets are available from the Royal Opera House and Roundhouse websites. The performances run from 10 - 21 January 2018.
