KISMARA PESSATTI - contralto

Kismara Pessatti performed under the baton of great conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Lorin Maazel, Nella Santi, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Marek Janowski and Helmuth Rilling. With a formidable warm low range, she sung contralto parts such as Erda (Wagner's Rheingold and Siegfried) in Essen, Mary (Flying Dutchman) in Luxembourg, Geneva, Bari, Caen and Zurich, Gluck's Orfeo in São Paulo, Maddalena in Verdi's Rigoletto in Saint-Etienne and Ms. Quickly (Falstaff) in Bogota. On the concert stage, El Amor Brujo by Falla at the Concertgebouw, Ruckert Lieder by Mahler in Montevideo and Parsifal at the Berliner Philharmonie are some of her highlights. Along her well-established career, Ms. Pessatti has collaborated with worldwide well-known orchestras such as Berliner Philharmoniker, Geneva Chamber Orchestra, The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Berlin RadioRadio Symphony Orchestra, having pertormed in some of the most important stages in Europe featuring Berliner Philharmonie, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Royal Festival Hall in London, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Teatro La Fenice in Venice and Teatro del Liceu de Barcelona. Among her several recordings, Der Ring des Nibelungen under Janowski, Hartmann's Symphony No. l under Stenz among some DVDs for the Zurich Opera House (Rigoletto, Tiefland) merit to be mentioned. www.pessatti.com

SARAH HATCH - persussion

Based in London, as a freelance percussionist Sarah has played with a number of leading ensembles including the Philharmonia, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, London Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic & Concert Orchestras, RTE Concert & National Symphony Orchestras, London Mozart Players, The Ulster Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, The Holle, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Opera North ond CHROMA.

In addition to numerous live performances and BBC broadcasts she has also participated in several CD recordings released by Signum Classics and Hyperion. Sarah has a keen interest in historical performance and plays regularly with period ensembles. She is a member of medieval and renaissance ensemble The Artisans, and other past performances and recordings include the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Hanover Band, St James' Baroque, London Early Opera and Ex Cathedra. Sarah studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Manchester, completing the prestigious 'Joint Course' and graduating with an RNCM Gold Medal.