KINGHAM Hill School’s Music department and pupils welcomed international opera star Simon Keenlyside CBE for a vocal masterclass.

Mr Keenlyside has been performing opera across the globe since the late 1980s and has joined the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera House and Metropolitan Opera in New York for some of their biggest works.

He brought his wealth of knowledge and experience to the masterclass which saw six pupils from Years 7 to 12 singing solo or duet pieces accompanied by head of music Dan Chambers.

Kingham Hill pupils sang a variety of operatic arias including ‘La ci darem la mano’, ‘O mio babbino caro’, and ‘Sebben, crudele’.

Each singer then had the opportunity to speak with Mr Keenlyside and get expert advice on vocal technique and feedback on their performances.

Mr Mark Glanville, peripatetic vocal teacher at Kingham Hill School, said of having Mr Keenlyside at the school; “Simon is one of the outstanding classical singers of his generation, acclaimed equally as a superlative opera singer who brings the detail of a great theatrical actor to his roles, and as one of the foremost recital singers of our day.

“These qualities make him the ideal person to pass on a vast reservoir of experience and knowledge to the next generation. It was a privilege to have Simon give a masterclass at Kingham Hill.”