Recital by soprano Una Barry and pianist David Knowles
Hong Kong Chamber Music Society
proudly presents
Recital by soprano Una Barry and pianist David Knowles
Date and time:
Thursday 28 April, 2011
(Concert at 7:15pm)
Location:
Central
Admission:
Concert only: $330
Concert and Dinner: $400
Programme:
Mozart:
- Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte
- Abendempfindung
- Un moto di gioja
Strauss:
- Zueignung
- Morgen
- Allerseelen
Purcell (Arr. Tippett & Bergmann): The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation
Intermission
Fauré:
- Automne
- Après un rêve
- Mandoline
Warlock:
- Sleep
- Rest Sweet Nymphs
- Pretty Ring Time
Seiber: Four Greek Folksongs (Sung in English)
About the musicians:

UNA BARRY (soprano)
Soprano Una Barry pursues a very successful career whereby her extensive repertoire from the baroque right through to the present day, her outstanding musical ability, her vocal versatility and love of words have enabled her to accept solo engagements and broadcasts all over Britain, Ireland and Continental Europe as well as in Australia, Finland, Hong Kong, New York and Kenya.
As the Daily Telegraph reported, Una has a “strong, true lyric soprano voice which is the expression of a marked intelligence and a vivid response”, and her lyric repertoire covers the operatic stage with her time at Kent Opera and Scottish Opera in roles such as The Governess in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, First Lady and Pamina in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Aminta in Mozart’s Il Re Pastore and The Priestess in Gluck’s Iphigenie in Tauris at the Edinburgh International Festival as well as covers of more major roles and working for independent opera companies and operatic concerts.
Una has been the guest soprano for numerous performances abroad of Purcell, Bach and Handel with Pro Cantiones Antiqua, and has also given many well received and interesting song recital programmes, ranging from Purcell to Messiaen through to specifically commissioned contemporary music works, the most recent being Psalm 100 by Colin Mawby for operatic soprano and organ, commissioned for the Centenary of Bradford Cathedral in 2019. But it is now in oratorio and concert repertoire for which Una is best known and continues to be in demand in works from Bach’s Passions to Verdi’s Requiem. In fact, she has sung all the major and the more obscure oratorio works in most British major concert halls and cathedrals.
In Chester Cathedral it was Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis where “her quality of tone resulted in a thrilling performance”. Una also gave performances of Verdi’s Requiem in Glasgow, Hull, Chester Cathedral and Malvern Concert Hall, Bach’s St John Passion at King’s College Cambridge with Stephen Cleobury, and then Rutter’s Requiem and Chilcott’s Requiem with the Hong Kong Choir and Chamber Orchestra in St John’s Cathedral where she also gave song recitals with David Knowles for the Red Square Gallery and two live radio interviews for RTHK’s Radio 3 and Radio 4.
Most recently she sang Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle with the Northampton Bach Choir and pianist David Owen Norris as well as Hendrik Andriessen’s Miroir de Peine with the international concert organist, Benjamin Saunders, at both Bradford and Leeds Cathedrals.
For twenty years, Una studied with the celebrated mezzo soprano, Josephine Veasey, until her retirement, and then a period of time with the soprano, Heather Harper, and with David Jones in New York, all of which was invaluable. With moving to West Yorkshire in the north of England in 2012, Una has been studying regularly with the retired international baritone, teacher and voice researcher, Neil Howlett, who opened her eyes and voice even further. She teaches singing privately both in London and in the north and is also becoming increasingly known as an adjudicator and an examiner.

DAVID KNOWLES (piano)
A naturalised Icelander of Welsh and German ancestry was born in Bath, England. He began studying piano at the age of 8 and cello at the age of 12. In 1976, he entered the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, England with piano as first study. He decided to concentrate on piano accompaniment and graduated in 1980. He was awarded two scholarships to further his studies on the professional performer course. In 1982, David moved to Iceland to take up a teaching position and gradually became involved with performance work. He was the Director of Music at the Catholic Cathedral in Reykjavik, coach and accompanist at the Reykjavik School of Singing, as well as teaching piano and cello at the Icelandic Suzuki Association School. David performed and recorded frequently for Icelandic radio and television, as well as making television appearances in many other countries, including Norway, Sweden, Italy and Romania. Since moving to Hong Kong in 1994, he has performed with instrumentalists, vocalists and choirs at most public performance venues in the City, as well as making a number of recordings for Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK). He has worked as an accompanist at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in both the vocal and wind/percussion departments of the Academy. Apart from his work as an accompanist, David also teaches and coaches on a freelance basis, often working with and accompanying students up to diploma level for examinations and competitions. In his free time he is an enthusiastic cook.