Underground Opera Cast
John Woods
John was born in Stirling, Scotland. After studying
piano and bassoon at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music
and Drama he was awarded scholarships from The Scottish Arts
Council and The Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust to specialise in
piano accompaniment at The Royal Northern College of Music in
Manchester. He has since worked as a guest repetiteur at the R.N.C.M.
and The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
In 1992 he joined the staff of The Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University as an accompanist and vocal coach, preparing many of its operas, including the Australian premiere of Britten’s Billy Budd, as part of the 1993 Brisbane Biennial Festival.
Engagements have taken him throughout Great Britain, Europe and
Australia, accompanying singers and instrumentalists on the concert
platform and in radio and television broadcasts. He has worked with some
of the finest singers of the present generation including Joan Rodgers,
Amanda Roocroft, Simon Keenlyside and in particular, Jane Eaglen.
In Australia he has appeared in concert with Lisa Gasteen, Jeffrey Black,
Joanne Cole, Miranda Keys and Rosario la Spina.
He has accompanied master classes given by several distinguished singers including Dame Joan Sutherland, Dame Janet Baker, Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Sir Peter Pears and Luigi Alva, whom he has also accompanied in recital.
As a Musical Associate for Granada Television John Woods has credits on a wide range of arts and drama programs which include The Dame Joan Hammond Master classes, Coronation Street, Sherlock Holmes and Lost Empires - the eight-hour serialisation of the J.B. Priestley novel in which he worked with the late Sir Laurence Olivier.
John Woods works regularly as a guest artist with Opera Queensland’s Young Artist Program.
