Pegasus Talent Agency
A talent agency to represent opera singers from African and Asian heritage is being launched, billed as the first of its kind in the UK.
Pegasus Opera Company is behind the agency, which will officially launched at an event at the London Coliseum on March 25.
Pegasus Talent aims to address the imbalance of representation in opera productions on the UK’s main stages and will also offer casting services for charitable events, festivals and other performances.
Artists on the agency’s books so far include soprano Melody Compton, mezzo-sopranos Simone Ibbett-Brown, Camille Maalawy, Bernadine Pritchett, Yolanda Grant-Thompson, Josephine Amankwah and Julia Daramy-Williams, contralto Naomi Felix, tenor David Padua and countertenor Joshua Elmore.
Pegasus Opera Company’s executive director Sonia Hyams said: “Pegasus Talent will provide representation for artists and creatives of diverse heritage.
“Having auditioned more than 100 diverse classical artists in the past few years at Pegasus Opera Company, less than 5% were represented by agents.
“We have been championing for diversity in the classical arts for almost 30 years and so Pegasus Talent felt like the perfect way to address this gap.”
Hyams said Pegasus Talent aims to become a “go-to agency” for organisations wanting to work with diverse classical talent.
Pegasus Opera artistic director Alison Buchanan said: “Many wonderful singers of African and Asian heritage struggle to find management and we are pleased to champion those artists.
“Pegasus continues to go from strength to strength as an advocate for our artists and we are thrilled about this new addition to the services we offer.”
