FIO UK Fundraising Events

FIO UK regularly put on fundraising evenings that feature talent from across the world. Please browse below for our upcoming events, and sign up to our newsletter to be kept up to date.

Ticket price includes light refreshments.
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Programme to follow

Artists' Biography

Soprano Katerina Mina

A prizewinning British soprano, Katerina Mina commands an impressive operatic repertoire. She studied voice and piano at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama after moving to England from her native Cyprus, and now makes her home in London. She has appeared at leading venues across the UK, Europe, and worldwide, often in concert with national symphony orchestras.

In 2018, she released her debut album, Angel of Fire, on the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s own label and accompanied by the RPO and conductor Grzegorz Nowak, featuring works by composers including Verdi, Puccini, Wagner and Beethoven.

Mezzo-Soprano Victoria Simmonds

Victoria Simmonds began her career as a Young Artist and then Company Principal at ENO, roles including Cherubino/Figaro, Pitti-Sing/The Mikado, Rosina/The Barber of Seville, Dorabella/Così fan tutte and Zerlina/Don Giovanni. In 2008 she created the title role in Jonathan Dove and Alasdair Middleton’s The Adventures of Pinocchio for Opera North, and this summer she performed in the world premiere of their latest work, Itch, at Opera Holland Park.

She has sung for major festivals around the world including Grange Park Opera, Garsington Opera, Opera Holland Park, Mostly Mozart Lincoln Centre New York, Buxton, Aix-en-Provence, Salzburg, Edinburgh, and the BBC Proms, as well as singing the title role in Carmen in the Albert Hall. In 2012 Victoria created the role of Marie/Angel 2 in George Benjamin’s multi award winning Written on Skin, which she went on to tour all over the world. Recent roles include Minsk Woman/Flight by Jonathan Dove, Angelina/La Cener- entola, Donna Elvira/Don Giovanni, Meg Page/Falstaff, Mother & Witch/Hansel and Gretel, Brangäne/Tristan und Isolde, Marcellina/Figaro and Alma March/Little Wo- men – Adamo.

Tenor Luis Chapa

Mexican tenor, Luis Chapa, a Metropolitan Opera artist is praised for his ‘mellifluous, stupendously powerful voice’ and is known for the depth and charisma he imprints in the dramatic repertoire. Luis studied opera at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Pinkerton in Anthony Minghella’s production of Madama Butterfly. He built his career in famous opera houses like the Shanghai Opera, Seattle Opera, Oldenburg State Theater in Germany, Opera North, Essen Theater and Theater Freiburg in Germany, Swiss National Theater in Bern, Polish National Opera in Warsaw, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Hong Kong City Hall in China. He collaborated with famous conductors such as A. Allemandi, M. Bosch, D. Callegari, S. Dinich, A. Fischa, R. Frizza, A. Joel, G. Kuhn, C. Montanaro, PG Morandi, D. Renzetti, S. Soltesh and others. He sang numerous roles, such as Radamès (Aida), Andrea Chenier (Andrea Chénier), Don Jose (Carmen), Don Carlo (Don Carlo), Otello (Otello), Pollione (Norma), Maurizio (Adriana Lecouvreur) & Don Alvaro (La forza del destino).

Baritone Mark Stone

Baritone Mark Stone was born in London and studied Mathematics at King’s College, Cambridge and singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 1998 he was awarded the Decca Prize at the Kathleen Ferrier Awards. He is an international artist and is in demand all over the World.

His recent operatic performances have included acclaimed Wagnerian role debuts as Gunther in Götterdämmerung at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Alberich (Das Rheingold and Siegfried) at the Longborough Festival and Wotan (Die Walküre) with Trondheim Opera and Grimeborn Opera Festival (for which he won the 2022 Offie Award for Best Opera Performance). He also recently sang Sharpless (Madama Butterfly) for Welsh National Opera.

Pianist Andrew Sackett

Andrew Sackett has had a wide and varied musical career which has included genres from classical to jazz and musical theatre to rock and pop. He was born in Sheffield and at an early age had piano lessons from Fanny Waterman. He studied the organ at Lichfield Cathedral and later at the Royal Northern College of Music and has held organists posts at Manchester Cathedral, Carlisle Cathedral and Tewkesbury Abbey.

During his time at Tewkesbury his choir made several CDs, broadcast on BBC Radio and TV and toured extensively throughout Europe and USA. In September 2000 Andrew decided to move into a rather different field of music and was appointed Musical Director for ‘Holland America Cruise Line’. Having visited every corner of the world, and after several thousand nautical miles, Andrew is now based in London and is in great demand as a freelance musical director, pianist, organist and repetiteur. Through his work with City Music Services Andrew conducts several city firm choirs, is Music Director of South West Essex Choir and Assistant Director of Music at St Peter’s, Eaton Square.