- Die Meistersinger – Walther von Stolzing
Born in London, Charne Rochford is gaining a reputation as one of Britain’s most promising Heldentenors – praised for the ‘baritonal qualities in his voice that give him an almost Otello-like stature’ (Opera Magazine). His wide range of rôles include Siegmund (Die Walküre), the title rôles in Tristan und Isolde and Tannhäuser, Achilles (King Priam), Cavaradossi (Tosca), Bacchus (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Siegfried (Siegfried and Götterdämmerung).
Last season’s highlights include singing Siegfried for Longborough Festival Opera’s production of Der Ring des Nibelungen; Elgar’s Gerontius (The Dream of Gerontius) with the Philharmonia at the Royal Festival Hall, an Opera Gala with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Chorus at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Wagner’s Tristan (Tristan und Isolde) in concert with Ealing Symphony Orchestra, the New Year’s Day Prom with the Manchester Camerata at Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool and a concert series with The Hallé Orchestra.
Other highlights include Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus) with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Lyonel (Martha) for Volksoper Zürich, Cavaradossi (Tosca) for Mid-Wales Opera, First Armed Man (Die Zauberflöte) with Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Glyndebourne Touring Opera and Opera North and Bacchus (Ariadne auf Naxos) for The Mastersingers. For English Touring Opera he has performed Adorno (Simon Boccanegra), Luigi (Il Tabbarro) originally in 2014 with a revival in 2018, and Achilles in their Olivier award-winning production of Tippett’s King Priam at the Royal Opera House Linbury Theatre. Charne also covered Siegfried in Melbourne Opera’s production of the Der Ring Des Nibelungen.
He is equally experienced on the concert platform. Engagements include the Verdi Requiem with Orchestre Symphonique Genevois at Victoria Hall and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde for The Fifth Door Ensemble at Opera Holland Park. He was a soloist in Mahler’s Das Klagende Lied and Korngold’s Wunder der Heliana with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski and recently gave a recital at the Chelsea Arts Club with composer Howard Blake.
He made his cinematic debut at the Venice Film Festival as Second Officer in The Magic Flute directed by Kenneth Branagh, conducted by James Conlon. In 2014 he was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM).
Current and future engagements include: Mahler’s Symphony No 8 at the Bridgewater Hall, Puccini’s Le Villi with the Chelsea Opera Group, The Dream of Gerontius at Southwark Cathedral, an opera gala with the City of Birmingham Symphony Oorchestra, Beethoven’s Symphony No 9 at the Royal Festival Hall with the London Philharmonic Oorchestta and Calaf (Turandot) for Festival Opera, New Zealand. This is his début with Saffron Opera Group.