Bradley Smith
Tenor
Bradley Smith
Tenor
"A ringingly good voice" - The Evening Standard
About
Welcome to the website of British operatic and concert Tenor Bradley Smith.
​
Bradley studied at St John’s College, Cambridge, and the Royal Academy of Music. While at the Academy he was a prize-winning finalist in the Joan Chissel Prize for Schumann Lieder, winner of the Blythe-Buesst Aria Prize, and winner of the Tom Hammond Opera Prize.
His career has enabled a comfortable balance between the theatre and the concert platform. In his oratorio work he is regularly engaged to sing the Evangelist and tenor solos in the Bach passions, Handel’s Messiah, and other repertory staples with major orchestras internationally including the Hanover Band. Recent venues include St John’s Smith Square, the Cadogan Hall, King’s Place, the Birmingham Symphony Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, Theater an der Wien, the Barbican, the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, and the Théâtre Champs-Élysées. Recent performances include Britten’s Serenade for Tenor and Horn, Schumann’s Liederkreis Op. 39, Fauré’s La bonne chanson at King’s Place, Britten’s War Requiem, and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio for the Odensee Symphony Orchestra.
Operatic highlights include Damon in Handel's Acis and Galatea (English National Opera), Mr Denham in Jeffrey Ching's The True Story of King Kong (Theater Magdeburg), Arsete in Cesti's La Dori and Lelio in Cesti's le nozze in sogno (Innsbruck Festival of Early Music), Oduardo in Handel's Ariodante (with the English Concert for their European tour), Albert Herring in Britten's Albert Herring (Buxton International Festival), le Prince Charmant in Isouard's Cendrillon (Bampton Classical Opera), Tamino in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (LFO Young Artists’ Tour), and Peter Quint in Britten's The Turn of the Screw (Young Artist Opera Holland Park). With Royal Academy Opera he played Tom Rakewell in Stravinsky's The Rake’s Progress, the Male Chorus in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, le Prince Charmant in Massenet's Cendrillon, and le petit vieillard in Ravel's L’enfant et les sortileges (with the BBC Symphony Orchestra).
Recent engagements include concerts in the Netherlands and Scandinavia, as well as UK performances at, St John’s Smith Square, Bristol St George's, Birmingham Symphony Hall, King’s Place, and the Presteigne Festival in North Wales.
​
Future engagements include song recitals with Angela Hewitt in Italy, Steven Devine in London, as well as concert performances with major orchestras around the UK.
Media
Three video excerpts from a recital given for the Presteigne Festival. With Oliver Wass, Harp.
"Albert the Good", from Albert Herring by B. Britten.
Recorded live at the Wigmore Hall, accompanied by Nigel Foster.
"Ach! Mein Sinn" from The St John Passion by J.S. Bach. Recorded live, accompanied by Richard Leach.
Gallery
Credit: Simon Richards
With Federico Sacchi as Arteserse.
Reviews
Cesti's La Dori, Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, Summer 2019
Sipario Italia
The tenor Bradley Smith in the role of the serious character Arsete exhibited beautiful fullness of timbre and voice for the predominantly central texture of the score, for which the English tenor confirmed both the timbre and technical quality of the voice, and the qualities of elegance expressive, drawing a character lyrically adherent to writing.
Classique News, France
The rhythm changes are plentiful in the many short tunes of this opera. Evidenced by "Non scherzi con amor" of the tutor Arsete, superbly defended by the tenor Bradley Smith, whose valiant and very well projected timbre gives effective assurance to a role otherwise quite conventional.
Opera Click
Arsete, ancient tutor of Dori, is also a serious person; the tessitura is mainly central and requires a beautiful fullness. In 1657 it was probably sung by Cesti, today he has the voice of Bradley Smith. The English tenor confirmed both the timbre and technical quality of the voice, and the qualities of elegance that we remembered from the final of the 2015 Cesti Competition and from his participation as Lelio in Le nozze in sogno the following year.
Blu Arte
The British tenor Bradley Smith in Arsete, draws a portrait lyrically adherent to the character.
Olyrix, France
Endowed with more lyrical means, the British tenor Bradley Smith befits Arsete, undoubtedly the most traditional character in the opera.
Handel's Acis and Galatea, English National Opera, Summer 2018
Bachtrack
Bradley Smith's Damon, who sang with fulsome melancholy, is the only voice of reason in the opera.
The Evening Standard
Thoughtful sidekick Damon, tenor Bradley Smith with a ringingly good voice.
Isouard's Cendrillon, Bampton Classical Opera, Autumn 2018
Classical Source
Bradley Smith’s Prince is quietly expressive as befits the fact that during the all-important ball scene, he keeps his real status hidden as he searches for true love.
Bachtrack
Bradley Smith’s charming, tender Prince struck just the right note of humility and courage with his flowing, expansive tenor. Smith’s compulsive, magnetic attraction to his Cinderella was a delight, scarcely able to tear his eyes from hers, their mutual infatuation palpable.
Planet Hugill
Bradley Smith displayed a pleasing lyric tenor and easy public school charm as the Prince.
Music OMH
Bradley Smith was possessed of an aesthetically pleasing tenor as Prince Ramir
Britten's Albert Herring, Buxton International Festival, Summer 2017
The Spectator
At its heart is Bradley Smith — warmly believable as the timid Albert, who just needs a little push to break loose from his mother’s apron strings. He gilds a character comedy with some really excellent singing, giving Britten’s satire the weight of something real and human. When he returns from his adventures, mud-stained and blissfully hungover, to face the wrath of the village it’s a revolution more powerful than any military coup.
The Guardian
Excellent acting and some good singing... Best of the lot was Bradley Smith’s Albert Herring, who managed a convincing transition from painfully awkward mummy’s boy to man of the world, via a genuinely poignant dance scene and whose tenor gained expressive heft as his character’s confidence grew.
The Times
Bradley Smith - A likeable Herring.
Mark Ronan
Bradley Smith was sheer perfection as Albert Herring.
The Daily Telegraph
In the title role, a promising young tenor Bradley Smith combines solemn, stolid goofiness with stubborn determination.
The Arts Desk
A dishevelled but beaming Albert is a new man, and it was an impressive feature of Bradley Smith’s performance that the earnest young lad of the earlier scenes was still plausibly the same character. Smith’s clear, conversational tenor projected an integrity that made his confusion touching and his final transformation wholly life affirming.
Teaching
Alongside his singing career, Bradley has maintained a full schedule of teaching and choral directing. He holds the position of singing teacher at Clifford Chance LLP, as well as Musical Director of their choir which he founded and opened up to their 35 Global offices. The choir comprises those who participate both live and online in 11 countries. He also runs two choirs in London for whom he composes, writes arrangements, and instructs on vocal technique. He is currently writing a book on the Adult Voice which focuses on the importance and relevance of singing and music-making in an ever increasing corporate world. Bradley trained for a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music in Vocal Teaching while at conservatoire and was awarded a high distinction for his efforts.
Bradley’s experience as a performer lends itself to a comprehensive vocal pedagogy. He works technically and anatomically to ensure that his students understand the fundamental components of their vocal structure. This leads to a more stable, reliable and automatic vocal process, which then allows for a focus on drama and musical interpretation. Bradley only works with adults, and specialises in methods which are designed to help individuals with high-powered and high-stress jobs in the city. He has developed an array of tailored exercises which use the voice in order to release stress, provide creative distraction, and ensure a more rounded artistic singer by the end of a lesson or rehearsal. His years in the choir stalls and on stage help put these ideas into action and bring the voice to life, helping to make relevant that which can sometimes be an abstract process.
Bradley also teaches at Cambridge University with students from many of the colleges. He holds a teaching position at Selwyn College where he instructs, coaches, and advises the choral scholars. He is also the teacher and vocal coach for the Lay Clerks of Southwell Minster, and teaches a large number of professional singers who can regularly be found on opera and concert stages internationally, touring with world-famous consorts, or singing with cathedral choirs in London.
Bradley holds lessons in Central London, Cambridge, Peterborough, and online. He teaches students in nine countries and is happy to work in English, French, German, or Italian. He is an excellent keyboard player, and is happy to coach repertoire as well as instruct.
​
Bradley is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Fellow of the Guild of Musicians and Singers.
For further information, or to arrange a lesson with Bradley, please get in touch.