Charles Cunliffe

Charles Cunliffe is a bass-baritone studying with Giles Underwood and Joseph Middleton at the Royal Academy of Music Opera School. In April he performed in the final of the 67th Kathleen Ferrier Awards, and is also a Leeds Lieder Young Artist for 2022. In 2019, he was put forward as a RAM outstanding student, and was awarded the Silver Medal by the Company of Musicians, of which he has now become a Young Artist.

He began singing as a chorister at Peterborough Cathedral under Andrew Reid, and continued singing until he rejoined the cathedral choir as a choral scholar in 2014 under Steven Grahl. He then commenced his studies at the RAM in 2016 as an undergraduate, and then completed a postgraduate before joining the Opera School. 

As well as opera, Charles has an affinity for song. In the summer of 2019, he recorded the baritone solos in both Vaughan Williams’ 'Love bade me welcome' and Finzi’s 'In terra pax' for BBC Radio 3, alongside the Ulster Orchestra, conducted by David Hill. Charles also performed alongside Dame Sarah Connolly at last year’s Oxford Lieder festival, performing Butterworth’s 6 songs from a Shropshire Lad. He is a member of the Song Circle at RAM, and has performed in a number of recitals with them to date, a highlight being in Spring 2021 where he performed the world premiere of ‘I Wake’ by Roderick Williams. In opera, he has performed the role of Guccio in RAO’s production of Puccini’s ‘Gianni Schicchi’, and is now preparing Keeper for this Autumn’s production of Stravinsky’s ‘The Rake’s Progress’. In January, he will perform Strauss’ ‘Letzte Blätter’ at The Wigmore Hall. 

Charles is generously supported by the Thompson Family Trust, the Drake Calleja Trust and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust.