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Bridget took up singing whilst reading for a music degree at Trinity College, Cambridge. Being possessed of an extremely dark and rich true contralto voice, after completing her vocal studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal College of Music, she went on to specialise in oratorio and concert work both here in the UK and widely in Germany.
Her comprehensive repertoire includes all the mainstream oratorios; Messiah, Elijah, the Bach choral works, Rossini Messe Solenelle, Dvorak Stabat Mater, Brahms Alto Rhapsody, Elgar Dream of Gerontius, The Kingdom, Music Makers and Sea Pictures, Verdi Requiem, Tippett A Child of Our Time, etc. - many of which she sings on a regular basis with choral societies up and down the country. She has also been a favourite vocalist for Summer Proms concerts at St. Albans (Herts) and Gawsworth Hall (Cheshire), appearing with the Black Dyke band on numerous occasions. An arrangement for her, with the band, of the Elgar Sea Pictures by Philip Wilby was sung as part of a brass festival in Manchester and recorded by BBC radio 3. Due to the lack of contralto roles in opera, operatic work, to date, has played a less prominent role in her career. She appeared as Mamma Lucia with Scottish Opera and covered Sosostris (The Midsummer Marriage), Suzuki (Madam Butterfly) and Jocasta (Oedipus Rex). Recently, she sang the role of Erda (Das Rheingold) in Oxford Town Hall. Bridget has an extensive recital repertoire in addition to which there are specialist programmes on Clara Butt and Kathleen Ferrier. Her particular interest is the history of the contralto and to this end, she works regularly with the brilliant young pianist Jonathan Ellis, in attempting to re-introduce the idea of the true contralto voice to the public. © Bridget Budge |
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