Deborah Roberts (soprano)
Deborah Roberts | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 May 1952 Croydon, London, England |
| Died | 9 September 2024 (aged 72) Brighton, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | University of Leicester University of Nottingham |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, musicologist, conductor, teacher |
| Partners | James Erber Maurice Shipsey |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | bremf |
Deborah Roberts BEM (10 May 1952 – 9 September 2024) was a British soprano. She sang with The Tallis Scholars for 30 years and co-founded the Brighton Early Music Festival (BREMF) and Musica Secreta.[1][2]
Personal life and education
[edit]Roberts was born in Croydon to Mollie Weaver and Edwin Roberts. She was one of four children. She attended Lady Edridge Girls High School, Croydon, after which she took a music degree at the University of Leicester, studying with David Munrow. She went on to gain a master's degree in Renaissance and Baroque music from the University of Nottingham in 1975.[3]
She married composer James Erber in 1981. The marriage produced one son and ended in divorce.[4] She moved to Brighton in 1996.[5] Roberts was awarded a British Empire Medal for contributions to music weeks before she went into hospice care. She died of breast cancer on 9 September 2024.[6] She asked for donations to be made to BREMF in her memory.[7] An interview with Roberts appeared on BBC Radio 4's Last Word programme on 27 September 2024.[8]
Performing career
[edit]Tallis Scholars
[edit]Roberts joined the Tallis Scholars in 1977. She was known for singing the soprano solo line in Allegri's Miserere with its high Cs, recording the part for the choir's 1980 and 2007 albums.[9][10] She also sang it at the Sistine Chapel for the unveiling of Rosselli's Last Supper.[11] She appeared in over 1,200 concerts with Tallis Scholars and sang on over 60 recordings with the groups.[12]
Musica Secreta
[edit]Together with Tessa Bonner, Roberts co-founded Musica Secreta, a vocal group dedicated to the music of "early modern women" in 1991.[13][14] The group released nine albums, including Dangerous Graces (2002), Sacred Hearts, Secret Music (2009)[15] and Lucrezia Borgia's Daughter (2016).[16][17]
Other ensembles
[edit]As well as the Tallis Scholars, Roberts performed with many other ensembles including The Consort of Musicke, The English Concert, London Baroque, the Deller Consort,[18] the Taverner Choir,[19] and The King's Consort.[20]
Brighton
[edit]Roberts became director of the Brighton Consort in 1998.[21] She co-founded the Brighton Early Music Festival (BREMF) with Clare Norburn in 2002.[22] Through BREMF she also created several new ensembles: BREMF Consort of Voices,[23] Celestial Sirens, BREMF Community Choir and the BREMF Players. Notable productions included 1589 Florentine Intermedi (2012), Feast of ols (2019), The Whispering Dome (2020) and La Liberazione di Ruggiero (2022).[24]
References
[edit]
- ^ Andrew Connal (2024-09-30). "Deborah Roberts obituary". thelatest.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Wilson, Nick (2014). The art of re-enactment: making early music in the modern age. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p. 131. ISBN 9780199939947.
- ^ Laurie Stras (2024-09-30). "Deborah Roberts obituary". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Laurie Stras (2024-09-30). "Deborah Roberts obituary". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ "New consort director". Mid Sussex Times. Sussex, England. 1998-06-18. p. 73.
- ^ Laurie Stras (2024-09-30). "Deborah Roberts obituary". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Patrick Barlow (2024-09-19). "Brighton Early Music Festival founder Deborah Roberts dies". www.theargus.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ "Last Word". bbc.co.uk. 2024-09-27. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Joyce Morgan (1997-10-16). "The scholar behind Tallis". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. p. 17.
- ^ David Vernier. "Allegri/Palestrina: Miserere; Mass / Tallis Scholars". www.classicstoday.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Anna King Murdoch (1995-07-07). "A vocation of intoxication". The Age. Melbourne, Australia. p. 18.
- ^ Christine Gevert. "Deborah Roberts obituary". bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Deller, Toby (2010). Rhinegold Art Festivals 2010. London, UK: Rhinegold Press. p. 117. ISBN 9781907447075.
- ^ "Music: Nicholas Williams". The Independent. London, UK. 1991-11-16. p. 26.
- ^ Richard Lawrence (May 2009). "Sacred Hearts + Secret Music". Gramophone (Vol. 87 No. 1050 ed.). London, UK: Mark Allen Group. p. 113.
- ^ Laurie Stras (2024-09-30). "Deborah Roberts (soprano, choral conductor)". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Edward Breen (May 2017). "Lucretia Borgia's Daughter". Gramophone. London, UK: Mark Allen Group. p. 88.
- ^ "New consort director". Mid Sussex Times. Sussex, England. 1998-06-18. p. 73.
- ^ "The choir and the Vespers". Uttoxeter Newsletter. Uttoxeter, England. 1989-02-03. p. 20.
- ^ "The Dyfed Choir". The Daily Telegraph. London, England. 1988-10-15. p. 44.
- ^ "New consort director". Mid Sussex Times. Sussex, England. 1998-06-18. p. 73.
- ^ Carter, Annabel (1992). British Music Yearbook 1992. London, UK: Rhinegold Press. p. 156. ISBN 9780946890422.
- ^ "Radio 3". The Telegraph. London, England. 2010-11-13. p. 257.
- ^ "Powerful transformations". The Argus. Brighton, England. 2019-10-22. p. M22.
- 1952 births
- 2024 deaths
- Alumni of the University of Leicester
- Alumni of the University of Nottingham
- Deaths from breast cancer in England
- British performers of early music
- British sopranos
- English classical singers
- Recipients of the British Empire Medal
- Singers from the London Borough of Croydon
- Singers with The Tallis Scholars
- Women performers of early music
- 20th-century English women singers
- 20th-century English singers
- 21st-century English women singers
- 21st-century English singers