AUF DEUTSCH

Jenny Miller

TOSCA June 2003

Jenny Miller studied as a mezzo-soprano at the London National Opera Studio, having won the prestigious Peter Stuyvesant Award. In 1983-84 she understudied and performed the title-role in Glyndebourne Festival Opera’s production of La Cenerentola. This led to her official Festival debut as Pallade in L’Incoronazione Di Poppea the following year, and she sang Cherubino in Glyndebourne Touring Opera’s Le Nozze Di Figaro that autumn.   

In 1985 she won both the first prize for mezzos and the Erna Spoorenburg Opera Prize at the ‘s-Hertogenbosch International Singing Competition. In 1986 she sang Amneris for the Brighton Festival’s production of Aida, and performed the role of Mercedes and Carmen for Scottish Opera. Numerous roles since have included the title role in Rinaldo and Agrippina by Handel, both for Midsummer Opera, the principal role in Le Roi D’Ys (Bloomsbury Theatre London), the heroine Clarice in Pietra Della Paragone and Jeannie in Robin Orr’s Full Circle.

She has sung Dorabella in Cosi Fan Tutte for the Bermuda Festival and the title role in Carmen again for Regency Opera. She has won two further prizes, the First Prize in the Maria Canals International Singing Competition and the Jurarez Cabello Prize for outstanding interpretation at the Rio Di Janeiro International Opera Competition, and she has created the role of Nell by Alison Bauld, (premiered at the London International Opera Festival at the Donmar Warehouse).

Recent work has included performing as the Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas, Marcellina in Le Nozze Di Figaro, Rosmira in Handel’s opera Partenope and Maddelena in Rigoletto. She understudied the roles of Venus and ‘second Norn’ in Arianna and Gotterdammerung respectively, for the Royal Opera House, and sang the title role in Mrs Fraser’s Frenzy, by George Newson, premiered at the Canterbury and Cheltenham International Festivals. She has performed in Hotel, a new ‘jazz opera’ by Orlando Gough, with Second Stride, and sang the role of Mother in Hansel and Gretel at the Festival Hall.

She made her debut as a dramatic soprano with Longborough Festival Opera, singing Brunnhilde in the Vick/Dove version of Wagner's Ring Cycle, starting in 2000 and touring to the Cambridge Arts Theatre in 2002. She has also performed Tosca (Visible Music Theatre) and is singing the Witch in Hansel and Gretel this summer, as well as premiering/touring the new opera Abraham on Trial by Andrew Lovett. She has recently returned from an opera concert tour of Thailand and will be returning there next year.

Last updated Saturday December 10, 2005