Maria Kesselman

Maria trained at the Arts Educational School, The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and The Royal College of Music, studying singing with Marion Studholme, repertoire with Robert Sutherland and piano with Peter Element, gaining her ARCM and dip. RCM diplomas. Maria maintains a varied performing career spanning musical theatre, theatre, opera, concert, recording, cabaret, and dance.

In musical theatre and theatre Maria’s credits include numerous lead roles including Christine opposite Michael Crawford in The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre; Jenny Lind in Barnum; Maria Vittoria in Which Witch at the Piccadilly Theatre; Ruthie in The Royal National Theatre production of Lady in the Dark; Laundress in Yerma at The National Theatre Studio; Dvora in Golem at The New End Theatre Hampstead; Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (New Zealand tour); Deanna Durbin in Two Smart Girls at The Queen Elizabeth Hall; Maria in The Sound of Music at The Everyman. Maria also received critical acclaim and a Time Out award for her performance of Melinda Coverdale in A Judgement in Stone with Sheila Hancock (Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith).

In opera Maria has also performed widely, including: Musetta in La Boheme and Despina in Cosi Fan Tutti for Music Theatre London, in London and Amsterdam; Musetta in the film version of La Boheme, for Channel 5; Street Scene and Katya Kabanova with The English National Opera; and Bess in Porgy and Bess with the Bath Philharmonia Orchestra.

Maria also featured in The Royal Opera House documentary Trouble at the House for BBC 2 singing Vissi d’Arte.

As an established concert performer Maria has given solo performances at venues across the UK and Europe: including The Royal Festival Hall, The Queen Elizabeth Hall and The Royal Albert Hall. She has sung and recorded with leading orchestras including The Royal Philharmonic, The English National Orchestra and The BBC Concert Orchestra, and has given recitals for The English National Opera at The London Coliseum.

Maria has made numerous TV and radio appearances, and is a regular star singer on Friday Night is Music Night and The Steve Race Show for BBC Radio 2. She also performs as soloist for The Last Night of the Proms open air concerts with The Royal Philharmonic at High Clear Castle, Battle Abbey, Castle Howard, Calke Abbey, Lydiard House and Longleat.

Maria has also starred in national concert tours of A Viennese Strauss Gala and Beyond Phantom. She is the Principal Soloist in David Fanshaw’s African Sanctus at major concert venues around the country and is a regular soloist for Raymond Gubbay at the Barbican, Birmingham Symphony Hall and Manchester, Bridgewater Hall in The Sound of the Musicals. She performed in The Phantom Of The Opera 25th Anniversary concert at The Royal Albert Hall and gives classical recitals around the country, most recently in Lincoln Cathedral.

As a recording artist Maria has released two solo albums, Flight and most recently Dance Me to the End of Love, and has recorded many albums for Carlton Records including: Maria in West Side Story; Leading Ladies; The Love Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber; Showstoppers - Andrew Lloyd Webber; The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber; More Andrew Lloyd Webber Favourites and Mary’s Boy Child Christmas Single with Peter Straker (Masquerade Music); The Word - narration of The New Testament; Phantom of the Opera (original cast recording); Which Witch (original cast recording); and a duet album, Opera Angels with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (New Sound 2000).

As an experienced cabaret artist Maria has performed her one woman show at many of London’s top cabaret venues including: The Pheasantry; The Crazy Coqs; The Café Royal; The Savoy; Grosvenor House; The Dorchester; The Ritz; The Hilton; The Connaught Rooms; Norden Farm Arts Centre and Pizza on the Park.

Maria formed her own production company in 2002, and devised, produced and starred in a new show In a Sentimental Mood - the songs of Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Cole Porter for the Gordon Craig Theatre.

As a dancer Maria has played the role of The Russian Girl in Death in Venice at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and The Aldeburgh Festival; and in The Nutcracker at The Royal Festival Hall with The Festival Ballet. Maria is also a leading Argentinean Tango dancer.