Globally renowned countertenor Michael Harper has joined the Board of Directors at Buxton International Festival. In addition to being a celebrated opera singer, having performed throughout Europe, the US and China, Michael is a vocal consultant and teacher. He has given workshops, lectures, and master classes for Asolo Song Festival (Italy), the British Library (Edison Fellowship), Den Norske Oper (Norway), and Westminster Choir College (Princeton) to name but a few. Alongside this, he has been at the forefront of numerous projects that ensure musical opportunities are provided to children and young people of all backgrounds and he is a patron for National Opera Studios Diverse Voices programme. More recently he became Principal Study Vocal Tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music.
Michael’s first introduction to BIF was through his own teacher and mentor Malcom Fraser, who founded Buxton International Festival in 1979. Due to this connection he describes joining the BIF Board as a “coming home!”
Felicity Goodey, chair of BIF’s board of directors says “we are delighted to welcome Michael to Buxton International Festival. His extensive experience both as a singer and a teacher will be invaluable as we emerge from the current COVID pandemic. We are looking forward to delighting our audiences in 2021 and are working hard to reach out to new friends too”.