Biog

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Described as an ‘exceptionally gifted artist’ (BBC) - Indian American tenor Sandeep Gurrapadi is a classically trained tenor, composer, theatre maker and educator who has worked extensively throughout U.K, Europe, India, China and America.

Performing Career:

As a performer Sandeep has been featured on many international platforms ranging from the Beijing National Stadium, the Royal Opera House of Mumbai, to the Southbank Centre in London and Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. He has also been featured on the BBC One Show - Feb 2021 and has been the winner/finalist of various competitions [Finalist in International Boosey and Hawkes Finzi Competition (2022), Winning the Gladys Puttick Improvisation Competition - London (2019), 2nd Prize winner and Art Song prize winner of the Western Classical Voices of India Competition (2018).]

In 2022, Sandeep took the stage in the opera The Aspern Papers (composed by Philip Hagemann, Pegasus Opera Company) performed at the Royal Academy of Music’s Susie Sainsbury Hall, after which Sandeep went on 6 week UK wide tour portraying the role of ‘Narrator’ in the musical ‘Meal One’ (produced by 509 Arts) culminating in Sandeep’s debut at the Southbank Centre, London. He then originated the role of ‘Dodi Fayed’ in the opera ‘Silver Spoon’ at the Beaumaris Festival by composer Lisa Logan (Keynote Opera) and over the summer he covered the role of ‘Clockkeeper’ in the highly acclaimed production ‘Violet’ by composer Tom Coult - produced by the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Britten Pears Foundation for the Aldeburgh Festival. Most recently, in Oct 2022 Sandeep made his debut with the Welsh National Opera portraying the role of Roberto in the opera ‘Shoemaker’. In Dec 2022, Sandeep joined the acclaimed Idrisi Ensemble as an artist in residence at the prestigious BrittenPears Foundation in Snape Maltings - Aldeburgh, UK.

Sandeep’s previous performances have included leading roles in Haydn’s  ‘La Fedelta Premiata’ - Lindoro (Royal Opera House - Mumbai) , Britten’s ‘The Rape of Lucretia’ - Male Chorus (TL Opera Company), Thea Musgrave’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ - Bob Cratchit (TL Opera Company) , Odaline De-la Martinez’s Slave Opera Trilogy – ‘Imoinda’ - Oko (premiered at 7th London Festival of American Music), Mozart’s Idomeneo - Idamante (Blackheath Halls) and Verdi's Falstaff - Fenton (TL Opera Company). Sandeep has also extensively performed leading roles in New - Opera festivals in London such as the Grimeborn, Tète â tète and Beaumaris festivals. In 2020 Sandeep was an opera mentoree with the Pegasus Opera Company and in 2021, premiered in roles in major operatic works by composers Felix Cross [MBE] - Meal One (produced by 509 Arts), Dr. Amy Mallett - Witchfinder (produced by Cohere Arts), Philip Hagemann - Passion, Poison and Petrifaction (produced by Pegasus Opera Company at the Royal Academy of Music) and Martin Riley & Stephen Deazley’s Nightmare Scenario ( Produced by Operasonic, Wales).

Internationally - just before the pandemic, Sandeep was invited to perform as the featured soloist representing India at the Dialogue of Asian Civilisations for the Chinese President in Beijing’s National Stadium [Bird’s Nest stadium - An event that involved 6000 artists from 48 countries] and broadcast to an audience of over 1.1 billion viewers, which also featured artists such as Andrea Bocelli and Jackie Chan.]

Composing:

As a composer Sandeep has written and worked on creating pieces that aim to challenge conventional methods of performance using methods of devising, graphic scores, thematic improvisation and process pieces.  He directed and co-wrote his first opera Mumukshutva (premiered in 2015), then went on to create a large scale interdisciplinary work (involving dancers, music and theatre practitioners) named Out in the City in 2016, both to great success.

He then embarked on a new compositional avenue in India where he went on to direct and write the musical Stories about Us - a 60 min fully-staged musical composed collectively through improvised devising methods with 50 members of his group (Nonsense Ensemble) - Chennai 2017. More recently, Sandeep co-wrote and successfully premiered his third staged production, ‘Chance-The Opera’ (Dec 18’) at the Deptford Art Gallery - London, which then had further performances at the Old Royal Naval College - London (2019).

Educator:

Also a passionate educator, Sandeep has facilitated numerous workshops working with institutions such as Streetwise Opera (facilitating for their performance at Buckingham Palace for the Royal Collections Trust.), KM Music Conservatory (As a faculty member he premiered the musical “Stories about us” co-written by the students and Sandeep) , English National Opera (Baylis), Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Royal Opera House Mumbai, Singapore Raffles Music College (Designing their Musical Theatre Bachelors Program). Until recently Sandeep ran and co-directed a choir consisting of Filipino domestic workers in London and has always shown keen interest in facilitating artistic workshops for marginalized communities.

Although predominantly a classical singer, Sandeep is also an accomplished pop and jazz singer, having performed throughout India and Europe with many prominent artists.

Educational background:

Initially studying Bio-technology engineering from the National Institute of Technology (Warangal, India) - Sandeep then switched gears to pursue his classical vocal training from the KM Music Conservatory (Chennai, India – Founded by Oscar winner A.R Rahman) under Gilles Denizot in 2011. He then went on to receive a First-Class Degree in Music and also the Turton Prize for Musical achievement from Middlesex University, London in 2014 studying voice under Mark Oldfield.

Following this, he went on to complete his Master's degrees in both Vocal Performance (Studying under Patricia Rozario and Dominic Natoli) and Music Education from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London with Distinction -  where he was the Kathleen Roberts Vocal Scholar, Kathleen Creed Vocal Scholar and also the GREAT - India British Council Scholar. Sandeep was then offered a full Trinity College London (TCL) scholarship to continue on at Trinity Laban to pursue their professional certificate degree in 2019 (which he completed with distinction).

Currently, Sandeep is a Doctoral Researcher (Phd Candidate) at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under the supervision of Prof. Biranda Ford, Dr. Preetha Narayanan and Dr. Joanne Gibson. His research involves an auto-ethnographical study of navigating the ‘Third Space’ within workshop facilitation and the post-colonial implications that arise in transnational institutional collaborations as a result of such endeavors.