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The English soprano, Joan Rodgers, graduated from the University of Liverpool with an Honours degree in Russian. She then entered the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester for vocal studies and in 1981 she won the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship.
Joan Rodgers is among the leading English sopranos of her generation, and is equally established in opera, concert, and as a recitalist.. She has received international praise for her interpretations of Russian songs, particularly large sets of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninov, and others, and in operas by W.A. Mozart and George Frideric Handel. But she is also effective in a broader range of repertory, both in opera and in concert. Her attractive, somewhat gentle voice has evolved over the years, gaining more power without darkening.
Joan Rodgers made her professional debut in 1982 as Pamina in a new production of W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte at the Festival of Aix en Provence as a replacement for soprano Judith Blegen, receiving to overwhelming critical acclaim; following which she rapidly established herself throughout Europe. International operatic engagements have included Paris (Pamina and Zerlina with Daniel Barenboim and Ponnelle, Mélisande, Susanna, and Donna Elvira with Georg Solti); Munich (Ginevra in Ariodante); Florence (Susanna with Zubin Mehta); Vienna (Mitridate with Nikolaus Harnoncourt), Zürich, Lyon, Turin, Brussels (Fiordiligi, and Hero in Beatrice et Benedict), Amsterdam (Countess in W.A. Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro), Vancouver, The Metropolitan Opera New York, where she made her debut as Pamina, and Blanche (Francis Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélities) for Netherlands Opera. In the UK she sings regularly for all the principal opera companies, including the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, English National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Opera North, Welsh National Opera and Scottish Opera. She appeared on British television in 1988 at the BBC Proms on the Last Night concert. By the early 1990's Rodgers had become highly respected not only on the major opera stages, but for her work in the recording studio, as well. Her appearance as Susanna in the 1991 recording of Le nozze di Figaro was the first of several successful Mozart recordings on the Erato label she made with conductor Daniel Barenboim.
Joan Rodgers' debut at the Met was belated, coming only in 1995, but in one of her favorite and most successful roles, that of Pamina. In 1998 she appeared in the Chandos English-language version of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, led by her husband, conductor Paul Daniel. That same year at the Scottish Opera, she sang the Marschallin from Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier for the first time and drew enthusiastic responses from critics and audience alike; she reprised the role there in 2002, reportedly with even greater success. She has remained active in the new century, both in live performance and on recordings: her 2004 recording of Russian Songs on Hyperion, featuring songs by Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, S. Rachmaninov, and Benjamin Britten, was a critical success, and her appearances the following year in Tokyo with the Bavarian State Opera in G.F. Handel's Ariodante scored a major triumph. In 2010, she was named International Chair in Singing at the Royal Northern College of Music and continued recording, with efforts such as Wekerlin: La Laitière de Trianon (2008), Pushkin Romances (2009), and Strauss: Don Juan; Metamorphosen; Songs for Soprano (2011).
Joan Rodgers enjoys an equally successful career as a concert and recital singer and engagements have included regular appearances with such conductors as Daniel Barenboim, Frans Brüggen, Sir Andrew Davis, Mark Elder, Christoph Eschenbach, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Sir Charles Mackerras, Zubin Mehta, Sir Simon Rattle, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. She appears regularly in London with all the leading orchestras and has been a frequent guest at the BBC Proms, including the internationally televised Last Night in 1988. She returned to the Proms in 2001 for Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony conducted by Leonard Slatkin. Overseas engagements have included tours of the USA and Spain with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen and a nationwide tour of Australia. Her London recitals have attracted the highest critical acclaim and other recent recital engagements have included the Musikverein in Vienna, Paris, Budapest and New York.
Her recent engagements include Ginevra in Ariodante in Munich, Pélleas et Mélisande for Opéra National de Paris, G.F. Handel's Alcina at the Montreux Festival, Countess in Figaro for La Monnaie in Brussels and Les Illuminations with the Nash Ensemble at the Wigmore Hall and repeat of her award-winning performances of Governess in B. Britten's Turn of the Screw at Covent Garden.
Joan Rodgers has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Decca Records, Hyperion, Erato and more.
Joan Rodgers received the Royal Philharmonic Society award as Singer of the Year for 1997, and the 1997 Evening Standard Award for outstanding performance in opera for her performance as The Governess in the Royal Opera's production of The Turn of the Screw.She was awarded the CBE in the 2001 New Year’s Honours List. She was married to the conductor Paul Daniel |
