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"...how lovely I thought her solo was, so touching." |
Born in Sussex, Shirley Vaughan graduated in music at Liverpool University and continued her education with postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Having begun her working life as a viola da gamba player, she soon switched her focus onto pursuing a career in singing. Her teachers have included Jeffrey Talbot, Alison Pearce, and Arwel Treharne Morgan. She has also participated in masterclasses with Laura Sarti, Graham Johnson, Richard van Allan, and Ian Partridge. She currently works on repertoire with vocal coach Christopher Gould.
Shirley now enjoys a busy schedule working as a freelance soprano, based in London. Recent solo highlights include Handel Alexander's Feast for The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn, and performances at Westminster Abbey of the world premiere of Cecilia McDowall's Through a Glass, Darkly (commemorating the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht), and Lewandowski's Adonai Mah Adam (in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz). She has appeared as soprano soloist in Mozart Requiem at St Martin-in-the-Fields; Vivaldi Gloria, Handel Messiah, Schubert Mass in C, Fauré Requiem, and Mascagni Easter Hymn at Gray's Inn; and Haydn St Nicholas Mass and Little Organ Mass, Mozart Coronation Mass, and Schubert Mass in G at St George's Hanover Square.
She has appeared in concerts at the London Handel Festival, including JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion and St John Passion, directed by Laurence Cummings; at the Mananan International Festival; and in broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 and 4. Other work includes staged opera performances; concerts with the chamber ensemble 'Exulta Filia', exploring the vocal music of Monteverdi and his contemporaries; performances at Tudor banquets at Hatfield House; and solo recital work.
Shirley is currently a member of the professional choirs of St George's Hanover Square and the West London Synagogue.
Shirley now enjoys a busy schedule working as a freelance soprano, based in London. Recent solo highlights include Handel Alexander's Feast for The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn, and performances at Westminster Abbey of the world premiere of Cecilia McDowall's Through a Glass, Darkly (commemorating the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht), and Lewandowski's Adonai Mah Adam (in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz). She has appeared as soprano soloist in Mozart Requiem at St Martin-in-the-Fields; Vivaldi Gloria, Handel Messiah, Schubert Mass in C, Fauré Requiem, and Mascagni Easter Hymn at Gray's Inn; and Haydn St Nicholas Mass and Little Organ Mass, Mozart Coronation Mass, and Schubert Mass in G at St George's Hanover Square.
She has appeared in concerts at the London Handel Festival, including JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion and St John Passion, directed by Laurence Cummings; at the Mananan International Festival; and in broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 and 4. Other work includes staged opera performances; concerts with the chamber ensemble 'Exulta Filia', exploring the vocal music of Monteverdi and his contemporaries; performances at Tudor banquets at Hatfield House; and solo recital work.
Shirley is currently a member of the professional choirs of St George's Hanover Square and the West London Synagogue.