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The English soprano, Katherine Watson, graduated in 2008 from Cambridge University where she was a choral scholar at Trinity College Choir of Cambridge under Richard Marlow and Stephen Layton. Whilst at university she studied Anglo-Saxon History and Literature at Trinity College, Cambridge and in addition to solo work she sang with the Charpentier Consort, the Cambridge Clerkes and the Cambridge University Baroque Ensemble.
In 2008 Katherine Watson won a place in Le Jardin des Voix, and in Spring 2009 performed with Les Arts Florissants under the direction of William Christie at the Barbican in London, Alice Tully Hall in New York, Auditorio Nacional, Madrid, Cité de la Musique, Paris, and elsewhere across Europe and America. Operatic roles include Phani in Les Incas du Pérou, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, and Anna Maurrant in Street Scene. Her repertoire includes W.A. Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate (Westminster Abbey), George Frideric Handel’s Solomon (under Stephen Cleobury in Kings College Chapel), the Requiems of Johannes Brahms, W.A. Mozart and Gabriel Fauré, J.S. Bach’s St John Passion (BWV 245) and St Matthew Passion (BWV 244) Francis Poulenc’s Gloria, and Edward Elgar’s Spirit of England.
Katherine Watson has also performed as a soloist in recordings of Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols with Stephen Layton, and J. Brahms’ Sechs Lieder und Romanzen with the Consortium Choir, London. Other engagements have included 2nd Woman in Dido and Aeneas and Diana in Actéon with Les Arts Florissants in New York, and Virtue/Damigella in L’incoronazione di Poppea at the Teatro Real, Madrid with William Christie, Haydn’s Nelson Mass conducted by Stephen Layton at Trinity College, a concert with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Nicholas Kraemer, performances of G.F. Handel’s Messiah for the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra, a concert with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Nicholas Kraemer and performances of G.F. Handel’s Messiah for the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra and Stephen Layton, J.S. Bach’s St John Passion (BWV 245) and J. Brahms’ Requiem both in the Barbican with David Temple. Recent engagements have included Lutoslawski Songs and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in St John’s Smith Square, Purcell’s Indian Queen with Paul Agnew, Purcell’s Dido in Dijon with Jonathan Cohen a concert for the Cheltenham Festival, Recitals and Concerts in Hungary, W.A. Mozart’s Requiem and Vespers in the Barbican, Cassandra in Cavalli’s Didone with William Christie in Caen, Luxembourg and Paris, G.F. Handel’s Jephtha with William Christie in Moscow, Paris, Brussels, Caen and Vienna and performances of G.F. Handel’s Messiah and J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) and St John Passion (BWV 245) with Stephen Layton in London. She also sang Celia in W.A. Mozart’s Lucio Silla and Hyacinthus in Apollo et Hyacinthus with Classical Opera at the Cadogan Hall.
Recent and future engagements include her Glyndebourne Festival Opera début in Purcell’s The Fairy Queen with Laurence Cummings in 2012, Charpentier’s Medee with Emmanuelle Haïm in Paris and Lille and Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie with William Christie in 2013. She will also sing in performances of Messiah in Denmark and J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) with Stephen Layton in London which will also be recorded.
Katherine Watson is an Associate Artist with Classical Opera. Katherine is the winner of the William Christie Award at Glyndebourne for 2012. |
