Heritage Opera is delighted to have the internationally acclaimed soprano ROSA MANNION as one of its patrons. Like Heritage Opera, Ms Mannion's roots are the North West of England as she was born in Liverpool.
Rosa Mannion, patron of Heritage Opera
Rosa Mannion, soprano
Rosa Mannion was born in Liverpool, and studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
She made her operatic debut as Adina/L’Elisir d'amore with Scottish Opera in February 1984 after winning The Shell International competition. After spending two seasons with Scottish Opera as a principal soprano, she was then invited to sing with The English National Opera and became a company principal. She began an international career shortly afterwards after being invited to sing Dorabella/Così fan tutte for John Elliot Gardner in 1992 and she made her debut at Covent Garden as Pamina in a new production of Die Zauberflöte in November 1993. She has sung with all the main British companies in Constanze/Di Entf¨u;hrung aus dem Serail; Cordelia/Lear by Albert Reimann; Sophie/Werther; Sophie/Der Rosenkavalier; Oscar/A Masked Ball; Gretel/Hansel and Gretel; Atalanta/Xerxes; the Countess/The Marriage of Figaro; Gilda/Rigoletto; Adina/L'Elisir D'Amore; Pamina/Die Zauberflöte; Susanna/The Marriage of Figaro; Dorinda/Orlando; Magnolia/Showboat; Asteria/Tamburlaine and Minka/Le Roi Malgré Lui; Violetta/La Traviata; Manon/Manon; All the Heroines/Tales of Hoffmann.
Engagements abroad included Pamina/Die Zauberflöte in Jonathan Miller's production with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Tel Aviv; Dorabella/Cos&gravei; fan tutte with John Eliot Gardiner in Lisbon, Paris, Amsterdam, Ludwigsburg, and Ferrara; Sophie/Der Rosenkavalier at Deutsche Oper Berlin; Dorinda/Orlando and Pamina/Die Zauberflöte at the Aix en Provence Festival with William Christie; and Constanze/Di Entf¨u;hrung aus dem Serail with Sir Charles Mackerras in Istanbul, and also at Glyndebourne.
Rosa Mannion’s many recordings include Dorabella/Cos&gravei; fan tutte with John Eliot Gardiner (Deutsche Grammophon; also on DVD); Pamina/Die Zauberflöte and Dorinda/Orlando with William Christie (Erato); Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music and Symphony No. 3 (Decca); Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis (Harmonia Mundi); Rutter’s Requiem (Hyperion); Nedda/I Pagliacci (Chandos); and Constanze/Di Entf¨u;hrung aus dem Serail (Erato).
Rosa Mannion’s concert career has included appearances with the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, The Hallé, The Nash Ensemble, working with Gardiner, Leppard, Hickox, Tate, Marriner, Mackerras, Menuhin, Järvi, Mehta, Christie and Maag. She has also given numerous recitals in venues including Aix-en-Provence, Paris, New York and London. Her concert performances have included Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis under the baton of Phillipe Hereweghe with La Chapelle Royale; Di Entf¨u;hrung aus dem Serail with Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; The Liverpool Oratorio with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Constanze/Di Entf¨u;hrung aus dem Serail with Les Arts Florissants and William Christie on tour in France; Dorinda/Orlando also with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants in Montpellier and New York USA; a revival of Di Entf¨u;hrung aus dem Serail in Istanbul with Richard Hickox; and her debut as Anne Trulove/The Rake's Progress in Madrid.
She was a regular recitalist at the Wigmore Hall, working with the pianist Julius Drake, performing Schubert, Mozart Lieder and Britten. She also worked with Roger Vignoles on a programme of Mendelsohn Lieder at the Royal Festival Hall and Jeffrey Tate at the Barbican performing a programme of Brahns Lieder. With her regular coach and accompanist, Gerald Martin Moore, she regularly performed Strauss, Schumann, Brahms and Mozart in recitals throughout Britain and Europe.
She now teaches and regularly runs master-classes and courses for singers. She has instigated The Opera Project at Bath Spa University. She is a member of the British Voice Association and regularly speaks at conferences and study days about Vocal problems encountered by singers.