Biography
Bibi graduated from the University of East Anglia with a First Class degree in Music. After completing her postgraduate diploma at the Royal Academy of Music, she studied with Graeme Danby and Jonathan Papp, going on to study privately with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.
She currently studies with Sena Larard and Barbara Bonney.
Operatic engagements include Mary Turner in Gershwin Of Thee I Sing and its sequel Let ‘Em Eat Cake, and Masha in Shostakovich Paradise Moscow, all for Opera North and at Bregenz Festival. Bibi also performed Princess Sofie in the world premiere of Jonathan Dove The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi for Opera O.T. in Rotterdam, Barbarina (Le Nozze di Figaro) for Gstaad Festival directed by Barbara Bonney, Handel Saul and Street Child (The Pied Piper) for Opera North, the title role in Schumann Genoveva for UCOpera at the Bloomsbury Theatre, Susanna (Marriage of Figaro) and Gretel (Hansel & Gretel) for Eastern Opera, Euridice (Orfeo ed Euridice) and Dorinda (Orlando) for Ryedale Festival, Will Tuckett’s Wind in the Willows in the Linbury Theatre and on tour for ROH2, and Gretel (Tansy Davies Elephant and Castle) for Aldeburgh Festival.
She has taken part in many collaborative projects, including Opera North, Kneehigh Theatre, ROH2, The Opera Group, ENO and Forced Entertainment. She toured an award-winning Early Years opera for Spitalfields Festival / Early Opera Company, performed extracts of Monteverdi Coronazione di Poppea at Latitude Festival, and sang Cally Spooner’s live installation Damning Evidence for Hayward Gallery / British Art Show 8.
Bibi’s numerous concert and oratorio performances span venues including Konzerthaus Berlin, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Barbican Hall, Ulster Hall, Cadogan Hall, St John’s Smith Square, Sage Gateshead, Glasgow City Hall, and Brighton Dome. Orchestras include the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Orchestra of Opera North, Ulster Orchestra, Tercia Realidad, and the Europaïsches Barockorchester.
She sang Mendelssohn The Dream for the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Mahler 4th Symphony with Royal Northern Sinfonia, Mahler 2nd Symphony with London Mahler Orchestra, Goodall Eternal Light for Ballet Rambert at Sadler’s Wells, Mendelssohn Elijah in Barbican, Mendelssohn Lobgesang in King’s College Cambridge, Mozart Exsultate Jubilate for Henley Festival, Mozart Mass in C Minor in York Minster, Poulenc Gloria in Chichester Cathedral and Brahms Requiem in Arundel Cathedral.
Most recent concerts include Mahler 2nd Symphony at Southwark Cathedral and Huddersfield Town Hall, Opera North’s Monteverdi installation I Am Yours, Yours I Am in the V&A Museum London, Mozart concert arias with Royal Northern Sinfonia, and Haydn Die Schöpfung in Konzerthaus, Berlin.
An exceptionally expressive performer, Bibi specialises in imaginative recitals that bring listeners to the very heart of the music. In 2019, Bibi and pianist Stephen Barlow formed a duo and co-founded Song Surgery, now known as Songs That Move. Bibi also performs regularly with guitarist Amanda Cook, and accordionist Miloš Milivojević.
Recital engagements include Opera North, Festival of Chichester, Salisbury Festival, Leeds Lieder, Handel Festival Göttingen, Valladolid Festival Spain, Cardiff Guitar Festival, Ripon International Festival, Cranleigh Arts and the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Maazel: Mahler series at the Royal Festival Hall.