BIOGRAPHY
Laurence Panter is a British tenor, pianist, and musical director. He studied at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, where he was awarded both an academic scholarship and a choral exhibition. He later graduated with distinction from Trinity Laban Conservatoire, where he was recipient of the Kathleen Roberts Vocal Scholarship.
As a tenor he has worked with companies such as Longborough Festival Opera (eight productions to date, recently including Mosquito/Cunning Little Vixen, cover Victorin & Graf Albert/Die Tote Stadt, chorus/Götterdämmerung), Electric Voice Theatre with whom he appeared live on Radio 3 in October 2023, and Barefoot Opera, for whom he created the part of Mervyn in Orlando Gough's Bloom Britannia. As an oratorio soloist, Laurence has recently performed for Luton Choral Society, Rugby Philharmonic Choir (both for Haydn's The Creation), Coventry Cathedral Chorus and the Hampton Singers (both for Handel's Messiah).
As musical director, Laurence joined Barefoot Opera for Rossini's La Cenerentola in two tours in 2022 and 2023, and he returns in 2024 to MD Verdi's la Traviata. He also joined Merry Opera for their 2020 UK tour of Don Giovanni, leading a small ensemble from the keyboard. Previously, Laurence has M.D.'ed for Opera in the Meantime (Hansel & Gretel) and Grassroots Opera (Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice). Chorally, Laurence has lead the Rugby Philharmonic Choir since 2023 and The Harmoneers since 2020.
As a pianist, he gained his ABRSM performance diploma in 2009 and has accompanied singers for exams, recordings, recitals and competitions. He has accompanied operatic productions such as Puccini's Suor Angelica (Opera in the Meantime), and Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti (Stage Left Project 2018) providing “impressive support” (Hastings Independent Press). He has also worked as a repetiteur for City Lit Opera School (scenes) and Gothic Opera (Marschner's Der Vampyr).
In 2019, he premiered his first operatic composition, 'The Cruel Sister', for the Tête-à-tête opera festival. He has also written numerous choral arrangements for his choirs and for special events, a song cycle, and various stand-alone songs.
