BiographyWelsh mezzo-soprano Samantha Price read Speech and Language Therapy at the University of Reading before gaining a Distinction for her MA in Opera Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, assisted by the Dame Shirley Bassey Scholarship, the Jenkin Philips Memorial Scholarship and an Advanced Study Award in Music from the Arts Council of Wales. In 2018, she became an Honorary Associate of the RWCMD.
A Samling Artist and a Finalist at the Young Welsh Singer of the Year Competition, she furthered her studies on the ENO Opera Works Programme, supported by a Countess of Munster Award, and at the National Opera Studio, supported by English National Opera, the Arts Council of Wales, the Robert Vivian Memorial Trust and Christopher Ball. Samantha Price made her debut at English National Opera as Third Gentleman Julietta, subsequently becoming a Harewood Young Artist. For ENO, she has subsequently sung Mercédès Carmen, Second Lady The Magic Flute, Cherubino The Marriage of Figaro, Kate Pinkerton Madam Butterfly and the title role in Iolanthe, as well as creating Perdita in Ryan Wigglesworth’s The Winter’s Tale. She made her debut with The Royal Opera, London, as Clare 4.48 Psychosis and her engagements have further included L’Innocente L’Arlesiana, Cherubino Le nozze di Figaro, Prince Orlofsky Die Fledermaus and Tweedle Dee Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland for Opera Holland Park, Lucienne Die tote Stadt for the Nederlandse Reisopera, Cherubino Le nozze di Figaro with the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra, Rosina The Barber of Seville for Charles Court Opera at Iford Arts, Clare 4.48 Psychosis at the Prototype Festival, New York, and the Opéra national du Rhin and Flora Bervoix La traviata for Longborough Festival Opera, as well as appearing on the Opera Highlights Tour for Scottish Opera. She appeared in Shakespeare Live! at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon (now available on BBC DVD) and her concert engagements have included Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahler in Miniature at the Norfolk & Norwich Music Festival, Mozart Requiem for Raymond Gubbay Ltd, Mozart’s London for The Mozartists, Verdi Requiem at Snape Maltings, Vivaldi Gloria at London’s Royal Festival Hall and Birmingham Bach Choir’s Centenary Concert in Lichfield Cathedral. Recent engagements have included the title role in Carmen for Waterperry Opera Festival, Second Lady Die Zauberflöte for the Royal Opera, London, Clare 4.48 Psychosis for her debut at the Semperoper Dresden, Katharina Schratt Mayerling for the Royal Ballet, London, and Verdi Requiem in Truro Cathedral. With BBC National Orchestra of Wales, she appeared in Celebrate 100 years since the first radio broadcast in Wales. During 2023 / 2024, she returned to English National Opera for further performances in the title role of Iolanthe and to Opera Holland Park to sing Phoebe Meryll The Yeomen of the Guard, as well as singing Rosina The Barber of Seville for Charles Court Opera at Wilton’s Music Hall. Her recordings include Stanford’s Te Deum with BBC National Orchestra & Chorus of Wales, now available on Lyrita CD, and her engagements for 2024 / 2025 currently include Romeo in English Touring Opera’s new production of I Capuleti e i Montecchi. If you would like an up to date biography please contact James Black Management Operatic roles include: Alisa Lucia di Lammermoor (Royal Opera House - cover) Cherubino Le Nozze di Figaro (English National Opera, Opera Holland Park, Xi'an Symphony Orchestra) Carmen Carmen (Waterperry Opera Festival, English National Opera - cover) Clare 4.48 Psychosis (Royal Opera House) Flora La Traviata (Longborough Festival Opera) Hänsel Hänsel und Gretel (NOS, Pimlott Foundation) Iolanthe Iolanthe (English National Opera) Kate Pinkerton (English National Opera) Katharina Schratt Mayerling (Royal Ballet, London) Lucienne Die Tote Stadt (Nederlandse Reisopera) L'Innocente L'arlesiana (Opera Holland Park) Mercédès Carmen (English National Opera) Perdita The Winter's Tale (English National Opera) Phoebe The Yeoman of the Guard (Opera Holland Park) Prince Orlofsky Die Fledermaus (Opera Holland Park, RWCMD) Rosina The Barber of Seville (Iford Arts, Charles Court Opera, English National Opera - cover) Second Lady Die Zauberflöte (English National Opera, Royal Opera House) Sonya War and Peace (Welsh National Opera) Sorceress Dido and Aeneas (Dartington International Summer School, Advanced Baroque Opera) Third Gentleman Julietta (English National Opera) Tweedle Dum Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Opera Holland Park) Solo oratorio performances include: Adventlied Schumann Alexander Nevsky Prokofiev (Reading University, RWCMD cover for Leah-Marian Jones) Christmas Oratorio Saint-Saëns Creation Haydn (BBC National Chorus of Wales at St. Paul’s Cathedral) Child of Our Time Tippett (Bath Minerva Choir) Christmas Oratorio Bach (Bath Minerva Choir & Southern Sinfonia Baroque) Gloria Vivaldi Gruss an Die Heilige Nacht Max Bruch Lauda per la Natività del Signore Respighi (Cardiff University) Missa Sancti Nicolai Haydn (Eynsham Choral Society) Mass in C Beethoven Magnificat Schubert (Perth Choral Society) Mass in C Mozart Missa Sancti Nicolai Haydn (Cor Dewi Sant) Missa Solemnis Beethoven (Ealing Choral Society @ Cadogan Hall) Missa in tempore belli (Mass in time of war) Haydn Messe Basse Faure (Cor Dewi Sant) Messe de Minuit de Noel Charpentier (Reading University). Nelson Mass Haydn (Côr Caerfyrddin) Requiem Duruflé (Three Choirs Festival, Gloucester Cathedral) Requiem Mozart (Raymond Gubbay Ltd.) Requiem Verdi (Winchester Cathedral, Snape Maltings) Symphony No.9 Beethoven (Dresden Philharmonic) The Snow Maiden (extracts) Tchaikovsky (Reading University) |