Dr. Giles Underwood

Biography

Giles Underwood is a distinguished bass-baritone, voice teacher, and vocal coach based at the University of Oxford. He began his musical training as a chorister at Westminster Abbey and later studied Biology at Magdalen College, Oxford. Following this, he pursued a postgraduate opera course at Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he studied under Professor Susan McCulloch. In 2016, he became a Professor of Singing at the Royal Academy of Music. Giles has taught at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for several years, focusing primarily on opera students who have progressed to young artist programmes across cities like Helsinki, Vienna, Zurich, Florence, and with organizations like the National Opera Studio. His teaching practice in Oxford serves a diverse group of students from various colleges. He has also shared his expertise at institutions such as Cambridge, where he taught from 2004 to 2013. In addition to his teaching, Giles has been active in leading workshops and educational projects, collaborating with major orchestras and vocal ensembles. He founded the Martlet Ensemble in 2014 and the Martlet Voices in 2017, providing student musicians opportunities to perform alongside professionals. His extensive performance career includes roles in operas by Britten, Mozart, and Puccini, among others.

Research Interests

Experience