Catherine Harkin

Catherine was bitten by the G & S bug at the age of 6 when taken to see her auntie perform in Princess Ida with Glasgow’s Orpheus Club, and has never recovered. She commenced her stage career as an organ-grinder’s monkey in a school production and has never looked back, pausing only to acquire more letters after her name than Lady Blanche herself and take a few years out to knock the flu viruses of Edinburgh into submission as a GP.

Her sub-speciality in performing-arts medicine, and her role as medical adviser to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, has brought her in contact with many performers both amateur and professional, and the perks have included both free tickets and getting to lay hands on at least one celebrity tummy.

Catherine has sung with many choirs and amateur opera companies including the St Peter’s Singers, the Edinburgh Singers, Edinburgh University Musical Society chorus, the Chapter House Singers, Jubilo, The Kempsey Singers (New South Wales), Edinburgh Gilbert & Sullivan Society and Opera Camerata. She appeared as Cherubino in Bravo’s 2006 production of The Marriage of Figaro for the Haddington Festival, and as Katisha and Iolanthe with Old St Paul’s Reduced Opera Company in 2008. She is delighted to be playing the role of Lady Blanche, and will be racing back to Count Almaviva’s chateau immediately afterwards to reprise the role of Cherubino with Aria Alba on this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Appearances with Dunfermline Gilbert & Sullivan Society

2012

Princess Ida

Lady Blanche