The role of Don Iñigo Gomez, a banker will be played by Dominic Felts.
Dominic is a Bass-Baritone from Lincolnshire, now living in London. He graduated from the University of Hull in 2021 with a First-Class Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in Music and received the Andrew Brown Memorial Prize for academic achievement. Dominic continued his studies at Trinity Laban Conservatoire and in July 2023 he graduated from the Master of Music programme with Distinction, specialising in Vocal Studies. As a budding solo artist, Dominic has recently won both the Trinity Laban English Song and Lillian Ash French Song competitions, as well as making the final of the AESS Dorothy Richardson English Song Prize with duo partner Pietro Iacopini. Together the duo were also selected for the Oxford International Song Festival Mastercourse in October 2023. In Opera, Dominic made his debut performance as Sarastro in Mozart’s The Magic Flute with Leeds Youth Opera. Since then, he has taken on significant roles in Trinity Laban’s Postgraduate Opera Scenes including Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Claggart in Britten’s Billy Budd, Scrooge in Musgrave’s A Christmas Carol, and Sparafucile in Verdi’s Rigoletto.
Dominic also has a keen interest in ensemble performance, singing regularly with London-based groups such as the Philharmonia Chorus, Exodus and Opera Rara Chorus. He has completed young artist programmes with several eminent UK-based ensembles, including The Sixteen and Stile Antico. Dominic is currently a member of the VOCES8 UK Scholars and the Emerging Artists Scheme at St Martin in the Fields. When he is not performing, Dominic enjoys assisting on music outreach and education programmes, most recently working with Gabrieli Roar for a performance of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius.
In the academic year 2023/24, Dominic continues his studies at Trinity Laban part-time on the Artist Diploma course, generously supported by the Morag Noble, Kathleen Roberts and Elliot Rosenblatt Memorial Scholarships, whilst he continues to forge his path in a freelance career.
We caught up with Dominic to find out more:
When did you start singing and what drew you to singing as a career?
I began singing in my local church choir at the age of 7. Weekly football and cricket matches before our Wednesday afternoon rehearsals kept me interested until I realised how much I loved singing! I began having singing lessons at secondary school and was involved in concerts and performances every year. The nerve-racking thrill of performing on stage was something I always thrived in, but the joy of singing with friends and meeting new people through music is what has encouraged me to pursue a career as a professional singer.
What are you up to at the moment?
After graduating from the Masters course at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in the summer of 2023, I am continuing my studies there part-time on the Artist Diploma course. As part of the course I am performing in the Postgraduate Opera Scenes, Masterclasses and weekly Song Classes to further my vocal development and performance. Meanwhile, I continue to build my professional career as part of the Emerging Artists scheme at St Martin in the Fields and one of the VOCES8 Scholars 2023/24. I also give regular recitals with my pianist, Pietro Iacopini, having participated as a duo in the Oxford International Song Festival Mastercourse in October 2023.
What do you feel you might gain from this experience with ERSO?
Working with ERSO presents an opportunity to learn an opera role in its entirety and bring to life my own version of the character Don Iñigo Gomez. I also look forward to working with other young artists at a similar stage in their career, as well as getting the chance to sing as a soloist with a full orchestra behind me.
ERSO 