Siobhan Stagg & Nico de Villiers

Siobhan Stagg

With her "angelic" voice (Kölner Stadt Anzeiger, 2023) and "ethereal stage presence” (Sydney Morning Herald), Australian soprano Siobhan Stagg has become one of the most sought-after lyric artists of her generation.

A member of Deutsche Oper Berlin’s ensemble from 2013-19, her roles included Pamina Die Zauberflöte, Sophie Der Rosenkavalier, Tytania A Midsummer Nights’ Dream, Gilda Rigoletto, Micaëla Carmen, Adele Die Fledermaus, Musetta La bohème, Contessa di Folleville Il viaggio a Reims and Waldvogel and Woglinde in The Ring Cycle conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.

Appearing on some of the most prestigious stages worldwide, Siobhan has enjoyed success as  the title role in Cendrillon for the Lyric Opera of Chicago; Pamina and Susanna Le nozze di Figaro for the Royal Opera House Covent Garden; Sophie Der Rosenkavalier and Eritea Eliogabalo for the Opernhaus Zurich, Sophie Der Rosenkavalier in two successive seasons at Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin; Mélisande for Opera de Dijon and Australia's Victorian Opera (for which she received the Green Room Award for Best Female Lead in an Opera); Gilda, Blonde and Cordelia in Aribert Reimann’s Lear for the Hamburgische Staatsoper; Najade Ariadne auf Naxos for the Bayerische Staatsoper; Blonde for the Dutch National Opera; staged performances of Mozart’s Requiem at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and Morgana Alcina and Marzelline Fidelio for the Grand Théâtre de Genève.

A prized concerts performer, Siobhan’s highlights of recent seasons include Shéhérazade with Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks / Tugan Sokhiev; Mahler’s Symphony No.2 with London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle; Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln with Wiener Symphoniker / Ingo Metzmacher; Berg’s Sieben frühe Lieder with Rundfunk- Sinfonieorchester Berlin / Vasily Petrenko; Das Paradies und die Peri with both Gürzenich Orchester Köln / François-Xavier Roth and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra; Mozart’s Requiem with Cleveland Orchestra / Franz Welser-Möst;  Brett Dean’s In This Brief Moment with NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester / Alan Gilbert as well as a celebrated return to her native Australia for concerts with Sydney Symphony Orchestra / Simone Young and as soloist in residence with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. 

The 2023/24 season sees Siobhan make her role debut at Opéra national de Lorraine as Ilia Idomeneo before making her return to Deutsche Oper Berlin for Pamina, Hamburgische Staatsoper for Gilda, Bayerische Staatsoper for Lady Magnesia, the Komische Oper for Susanna and to the Opéra Comique and Opéra de Dijon for L’Autre Voyage – a new opera showcasing the forgotten vocal scores of Franz Schubert.

In concert, Siobhan revisits her relationship with Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks for Schubert’s G major mass conducted by Riccardo Muti; opens the season with Gürzenich Orchester Köln / François-Xavier Roth in Mahler’s Symphony No.4; embarks on a multi-concert tour with Pygmalion Ensemble in Mendelssohn’s Elijah; makes her debut with Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne in Fauré’s Requiem and returns to Australia for multiple solo recitals across the country and solo collaborations with Melbourne and Queensland Symphony Orchestras.

In recognition of her international achievements in the arts, the Mayor of Mildura awarded Siobhan the Key to the City in 2023; the third recipient of this honour in the city’s history. Siobhan is passionate about education and talent development and recently created a series of scholarships for young singers called the Siobhan Stagg Encouragement Awards. She sits on the Board of the Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust.

Nico de Villiers

Nico de Villiers is a South African pianist, coach, and author who has been based in the United Kingdom for more than two decades. He holds degrees from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, the University of Michigan, as well as the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Nico was the recipient of the ABRSM International Undergraduate Scholarship, a University of Michigan Teaching Assistant Scholarship, and scholarships from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama scholarship fund.

He performed as soloist, accompanist, and chamber musician in the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall and Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican, and St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London; Birmingham Symphony Hall; the Rudolf Oetkerhalle in Bielefeld and the Kammermusiksaal in Bonn, Germany; the Mozarteum Grosser Saal in Salzburg, Austria; the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Netherlands, and the Terrace Theatre at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Recital partners have included sopranos Chen Reiss, Siobhan Stagg, Barbara Bonney, baritone William Berger, and bass Matthew Rose. Festival performances include the Salzburg Festival, Edinburgh Festival, Oxford Lieder Festival, Chopin Birthday Festival in Warsaw, Poland, and the International Johannesburg Mozart Festival in South Africa. His performances have been broadcast live over BBC Radio 3, Dutch National Radio, and Polish Radio.

Nico holds the post of Deputy Head of Vocal Studies in the School of Vocal Studies and Opera at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. He previously served as a vocal coach on the vocal faculties of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Royal College of Music, Trinity Laban Conservatory in London, and the University of Michigan School of Music. Nico’s research focuses on the life and music of Dutch-American composer Richard Hageman. In addition to publishing articles in Classical Singer and Opera Magazine, Nico co-authored Richard Hageman: From Holland to Hollywood (Peter Lang, 2020), the first critical biography on Richard Hageman, with co-authors Kathryn Kalinak and Asing Walthaus. In 2022, he collaborated with Australian soprano Siobhan Stagg in recording Voices: Songs by Richard Hageman (Aliud Records), the first album solely dedicated to Hageman’s songs. Nico’s forthcoming monograph on Richard Hageman — Song Composer (Peter Lang) is due for release in December 2024.