Biography

As a soloist Charles Humphries has worked with numerous distinguished conductors and directors including Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Richard Hickox, Paul McCreesh, Robert King, Rinaldo Allessandrini, Nicholas McGegan, James O’Donnell, Trevor Pinnock and Lars Ulrik Mortensen.

Mr. Humphries’ engagements last season and this season have included concerts throughout the UK, Germany, Norway and he continues his relationship with the National Opera of Lithuania performing the Alto role in JS Bach’s “Saint Johannes Passion” (co-production with Le Chatelet, Paris); he made his debut appearance in Beijing singing the solo role in Bach’s B Minor mass. Back in the Baltics, he sang the solo role in the little known opera by Vivaldi “Il Guistino” in Riga, and then appeared at the National Philharmonic Concert Hall, Vilnius, Lithuania, singing the challenging song cycle by Frank Martin “Der Cornet” for solo voice and full orchestra, directed by the distinguished Lithuanian conductor, Donatus Katkus. Throughout the summer he was in great demand by festivals all over Europe and after a return visit to the Haapsalu Festival, Estonia, singing Handels “Theodora” he returned to the UK for the 3 choirs festival at Worcester singing music by Henry Purcell.

Future engagements include Lute song recitals of Spanish and English music throughout Lithuania, Italy, the Seychelles and at Easter, 2009, discussions are in place for this same programme to be performed at London’s Wigmore Hall. Concerts of early Handel cantatas for voice and basso continuo are being toured around Eastern Europe and in May 2009 he will be performing in recitals and solo concerts at the Seychelles International Music festival (SIMF).

Past operatic engagements have included the role of Delfa in Cavalli's Giasone at the Megaron in Athens and the title role of Pompeo in Pompeo Magno at the Varazdin Festival of Baroque Music in Croatia; Lichas in Hercules at the Hans-Otto Theater, Potsdam; Lucio Silla in Lucio Silla at the Händel Festival Karlsruhe; Tamerlano (Tamerlano); The Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas); Ptolomeo in Giulio Cesare with the Norwegian National Opera; and Hamor in Händel's Jephtha with the English National Opera.

Mr. Humphries' discography includes Handel’s Jephtha and Judas Maccabaeus (K & K Verlagsanstalt), Messiah (Capriccio), Vivaldi Cantatas (ASV), Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers, as well as the various Venetian reconstructions with the Gabrieli and King’s Consorts. Archival performances include Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus recorded for Slovenian television, Cavalli’s Pompeo Magna and music by Purcell for Croation television and Buxtehude’s “Membra Jesu Nostra" for Lithuanian television.

As well as his singing, Mr Humphries is the Director of Baroque Music at the SIMF and offers lectures and master classes on the music of his period. Over the past few months he has developed and secured future relationships and master classes with the Conservatoires of the Seychelles and Lithuania and nearer to home, the South West Music School, a specialist music programme for young talented musicians, where Mr Humphries experience and knowledge is passed onto the future generations of artists.