Piano at 10 - Kate Johnson and Kate Wilmot

The programme will explore different perspectives of love - from the euphoria of true love to the desolation of love lost - through the work of French and American composers of the late 19th and 20th centuries. Repertoire will include arias from Massenet's 'Manon' and Menotti's 'The Old Maid and the Thief', as well as songs by Reynaldo Hahn and Leonard Bernstein.

Soprano Kate Wilmot grew up and studied in Johannesburg, South Africa and has a Master of Music degree from Wits School of Music, University of The Witwatersrand. Kate began her operatic career in South Africa singing as a principle for both Roodeport Promusica Opera (Johannesburg) and Spier Opera Trust (Cape Town).  As a Concert Artist she has performed with a number of South African orchestras such as the Johannesburg Philharmonic and Potchefstroom orchestra, and in 2008 and 2009 respectively sang the premier of two new South African works for Soprano, Choir and orchestra. The third movement of the Gloria for Soprano, Choir and orchestra was written for her by the Johannesburg based composer Hester Eigner. Both these works have been professionally recorded with Kate as the soloist. Kate has also entered singing competitions and in 2005 she became a semi-finalist in the First Unisia Southern African Singing Competition and a finalist in the 2007 Unisia Overseas Bursary competition. Since relocating to Wollongong in August 2009, Kate has performed a number of concerts for musical societies and musical organisations such as Artsong NSW and SHOAG, in the Sydney,  Wollongong and the Southern Highlands regions. Continuing to sing overseas, in August 2011 Kate returned to South Africa in order to perform Mozart’s Requiem. This year Kate will be taking the role of Gianetta in Rockdale Opera’s production of The Gondoliers. In 2011 Kate successfully auditioned for Opera Australia as a casual chorus member.

Kate Johnson received First Class Honours in Piano Accompaniment from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. As a recipient of numerous awards she conducted further studies in the United Kingdom, Paris and the U.S.A. Over the years, this continuing research has encompassed song and operatic repertoire and performance, extensive language studies, harpsichord continuo performance, operatic prompting techniques, and a particular interest in French vocal music.

As a Repetiteur with Opera Australia for 12 years, Kate worked as a vocal coach, pianist and prompter, and assisted in the preparation of a wide range of operas with many talented Australian and international artists. She performed harpsichord continuo for much of Opera Australia's Baroque and Classical repertoire, and also performed solo keyboard parts for such works as The Turn of the Screw and Capriccio. As a prompter, Kate worked on a diverse array of operas including Tosca, Don Carlo, La Traviata, Werther, Peter Grimes, and Wozzeck. She was responsible for the preparation of numerous children’s choruses for Die Zauberflöte and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Kate has performed extensively both in Australia and overseas with some of Australia’s finest singers, including recitals as part of the Sydney Festival, at Saint Martin-in-the-Fields, London, and in Vanuatu. She has been involved in numerous recital series including Seasons of Song and Masterpieces at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and has performed in live broadcast recitals with ABC Classic FM. In 2009 she was pleased to be repetiteur for the world premiere of Richard Mills’ Saint Mark Passion in Hobart and Brisbane, and in 2010 performed at the annual ‘Opera Under the Stars’ event in Broome, Western Australia.

At the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Kate works regularly with opera students, helping them to develop the skills necessary for professional singing careers.

Kate continues to enjoy work in both opera and music theatre as a performer and vocal coach.