TWO of the UK’s up-and-coming opera stars will give a recital in the elegant setting of Merley House, Wimborne on Sunday 27th September. The two singers, a tenor and a counter-tenor, were selected by the Dorset-based arts charity Hurn Court Opera, from its prestigious 2025 Singer of the Year Competition.
The recital follows the success of the company’s heartbreakingly beautiful production of Verdi’s La Traviata, which played to packed houses in Christchurch, Blandford and Winchester this spring.
“Our September recitals are always incredibly popular with audiences,” says Hurn Court Opera’s musical director and founder Lynton Atkinson. “They provide a unique opportunity to hear a beautiful programme of music sung by two prizewinners of the HCO singing competition. The competition is well-known as a springboard for the careers of young opera singers – many of them go on to appear in productions with HCO or other opera companies and festivals across the UK and around the world.”
This year’s recitalists are Quito Clothier and Will Prior. Clothier, a 27-year-old tenor from Hampshire, won the HCO’s Sarah Harrison Prize last year. This summer he covered the role of Lensky in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin at the Grange Festival in Alresford, where he made his debut in 2025 covering Gastone in Verdi’s La Traviata. He is one of the 2026 Rising Stars of Voice at the Edinburgh International Festival.
Countertenor Will Prior won the 2025 Anthony Lowrey Audience Prize and Roger Higgins Second Prize at the 2025 HCO Singer of the Year Competition. He recently graduated with distinction in his Master of Performance at the Royal College of Music and will join the Royal Academy of Music’s opera course in the autumn. This summer he joined Garsington Opera as an Alvarez Emerging Artist, performing in their production of Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse and has just performed the title role in Ralph Bridle’s production of Rinaldo at the Grimeborn Opera Festival.
The duo will be accompanied by London-based pianist Matthew Clemmet for the recital at Merley House.
Hurn Court Opera, which was founded by Lynton Atkinson and Joy Robinson, artistic director, in 2017, provides performance and training opportunities for the opera stars of the future. Through an annual programme of recitals, operas and masterclasses, it gives young singers a performance platform and access to the guidance of people at the top of the profession.
Audiences enjoy affordable, local opportunities to hear the next generation of vocal stars, supported by professional orchestras and ensembles. Since its inception HCO has produced eight fully-staged operas, providing much-needed paid performance opportunities to many young singers.
The Singer of the Year competition is run in collaboration with The Grange Festival. HCO is a charity, and receives no public funding, relying on ticket sales, fundraising, donations and the support of Friends and Patrons to provide these career-changing opportunities. To find out more visit www.hurncourtopera.org
Tickets for the Prizewinners’ Recital at Merley House can be booked at https://www.ticketsource.com/hurn-court-opera. There is also a recital at St Paul’s Church, Winchester, on Saturday 26th September.
Pictured: Quito Clothier, Will Prior and Matthew Clemmet.