Deborah Roberts graduated from Nottingham University with an MA in the editing and interpretation of Renaissance and Baroque music and has since combined singing with a variety of activities including teaching, researching and conducting. She sang for many years with the Tallis Scholars, with whom she gave over a thousand concerts.
A research fellowship at the university of Southampton gave her the chance to work on female vocal ensembles in 16th –17th century Italy. She founded the ensemble Musica Secreta to perform much of this rare music, and the group has now released 7 ground breaking and award winning CDs . The most recent, Sacred Hearts, is being released in the summer of 2009 in conjunction with a novel of the same name by the renowned historical novelist Saran Dunant. Set in 16th - century Ferrara, the story tells of the plight of a young girl forced into a convent against her will. The CD features music referred to in the book, including the beautiful Lamentations for Holy Saturday by Palestrina. This will be the first ever recording of Palestrina sung as nuns might have performed it. Music from the recording will be featured when the novel is serialised on BBC Radio 4 during July 2009. The singers of Musica Secreta will be joined by a female voice choir, Celestial Sirens, comprising student and semi professional singers which Deborah founded both as a choir to sing with Musica Secreta, and also to perform in its own right. (www.musica-secreta.com)
Deborah regularly directs courses at various universities, colleges and summer schools, and in 2005 founded the organisation Triora Musica (www.trioramusica.com) to run courses in the Ligurian town of Triora, Italy.( where she is also trying to restore part of a ruined palace!). She has now developed the project to set up courses elsewhere, including one in her home town of Brighton in August 2008.
For ten years she has directed the choir Brighton Consort (www.brightonconsort.org.uk), and she co founded Brighton Early Music Festival in 2002 - now the 2nd largest festival of its type in the UK. As one of its artistic directors she is very busy helping build up its programme of concerts, workshops and outreach sessions. The festival has pioneered a number of ground breaking projects aimed at breaking down barriers in music, and is now embarking on a 3 year campaign (Sing Brighton!) to promote singing in the region. www.bremf.org.uk As part of Sing Brighton! Deborah has set up a ‘Starter Choir’ aimed at singers with little or no experience. This is enabling them to gain the skills to join a regular choir.
In October 2007 she was appointed as a visiting singing teacher at University College Cork, Ireland, and has now developed a passion for Guinness and large Irish breakfasts!
What little spare time she has is devoted to enjoying life in Brighton: the sea, the downs and lobsters straight from the boats!
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