Fair Oriana are a London based soprano duo, known for the purity of their voices and trade-mark vocal blend. They specialise in singing historical repertoire, and perform chamber concerts with a hint of theatre.
Sopranos Angela Hicks and Penelope Appleyard joined forces in 2018 to form Fair Oriana, a duo that mixes their passion for early music with a hint of theatre and, in certain programmes, a dash of folk, medieval and jazz influence. The two singers have a natural rapport on stage, a love of musical creativity and ornamentation, and a mutual penchant for doing things a bit differently! In 2019 they have launched their 'Trials & Triumphs of Oriana' and 'Silver Baroque' chamber programmes in concert series around the UK and in Europe, have recorded a disc of Thomas Morley's Canzonets to Two Voices and have recently featured in Early Music Today. Additionally they have commissioned and recorded new works that set Elizabeth 1’s own words to music. In the autumn of 2019 they collaborated with Opera Settecento on an historically informed performance of Handel's Aminta e Fillide, supported by the London Handel Friends, for which they have enjoyed learning the art of baroque gesture. They are rapidly building a reputation as an innovative and outstanding ensemble.