Ruth Hopkins is an accomplished soloist and Artistic Director with a passion for bringing music to life.

Ruth read music at Somerville College, Oxford, and won the Dame Felicity Lott Bursary at Royal Holloway for her postgraduate Vocal Studies. During the pandemic, she has returned to Merton College, Oxford, to undertake postgraduate studies to support her work with K’antu Ensemble sponsored by the SBS Alumni Scholarship.

Active as a solo soprano, recent performances include St Martin-in-the-Fields, Beethoven Society of Europe’s Tippet Festival, Opera Ridotta, and a residency at the Banff Centre (Canada). She also enjoys collaborating with composers and has premiered works by Kerry Andrew, Phillip Venables, George Holloway and Robert Szymanek.

In 2012, Ruth founded K’antu Ensemble, a group that explores the lesser-known territories of early music, blending it with elements of folk and world music through historically-informed performance techniques. Under Ruth’s direction, K’antu Ensemble has performed extensively across the UK, including at renowned venues such as Bridgewater Hall and King’s Place. The ensemble’s work has been featured on BBC Radio 3 and in Early Music Today Magazine, and they have been invited to perform internationally, including at the Göttingen International Handel Festival in Germany, and tours in Hungary, Romania, and Egypt in collaboration with the British Council.

Since winning the Live Music Now Fellowship to undertake specialist training in working with children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), she has developed an extensive education and outreach programme . She has spoken at conferences about her work in SEND settings and provides training for musicians and school staff through Live Music Now and the Amber Trust. As director of K’antu Arts CIC, the social-impact arm of K’antu Ensemble, Ruth’s outreach work includes delivering inclusive music and dance programmes across schools, early years settings, and community organisations.