Sarah Richmond, mezzo-soprano
Mezzo Soprano Sarah Richmond is known for her vocal warmth and versatility, with Opera Magazine remarking “Her voice was bright and clear, her acting wholly convincing” and Online Musik Magazin praising her "kraftiges Timbre und grosse Strahlkraft" (strong timbre and great radiance).
Her operatic roles encompass Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia to Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte, span epochs from Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas to Gwendolen in Gerald Barry’s The Importance of Being Earnest throughout genres from Willie in Mascagni’s Guglielmo Ratcliff to Peep Bo in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado. Collaborations include Irish National Opera, Wexford Festival Opera, The Belfast Ensemble, Spark Opera, Pavilion Opera, Iford Arts, Lyric Opera and Opera Collective Ireland.
Amongst others, recital appearances incorporate Oxford Lieder Festival, UK Strauss Society, Chester Music Festival, and Dublin Song Series with Finghin Collins and the RTE Contempo Quartet. Prominent conductors of solo engagements include Vasily Petrenko with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Gergely Madaras and Sir Mark Elder. Extensive UK and Ireland concert performances include Elgar Sea Pictures, Brahms Alto Rhapsody, Britten Rejoice in the Lamb, Jenkins The Armed Man and Rossini Petite Messe solennelle. International concert credits include Monte Carlo and Soriano nel Cimino. She has performed regularly on Radio Ulster and has broadcast on RTE, BBC Radio 3, PBS and worldwide as a soloist for the Irish Rugby Football Union.
An advocate of contemporary music, she has premiered works by Andrew Synnott (Lucrece in What Happened to Lucrece at Wexford Festival Opera), Conor Mitchell, Éna Brennan and Sarah Murphy. Notable successes include Dame Janet Baker bestowing her The Joyce and Michael Kennedy Award for the Singing of Strauss, Premio Speciale Mozart at Concorso Lirico Arturo Toscanini, Best Performance in German at Donauwelle International Music Competition and winning the 2021 Toronto Mozart Vocal Competition.
This week as part of our Artist Development Programme, Horizon Project, we had two closed Masterclasses at Clapham Omnibus.
Why closed (with no-one else watching)? - So that both the artists and Gary and Jo could feel they could speak candidly, take more risks and allow themselves to be more vulnerable. Thanks to the great insights, tips and guidance from Gary and Jo, they were both really valuable and insightful sessions!