Happy Birthday: Amanda Roocroft

"Come Scoglio" 1992

Born on February 9, 1966, in Coppull (Lancashire), England. While a student at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester she sang the role of Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte and the title role in Händel's Alcina. In 1988 she won the Kathleen Ferrier Prize and went on to make her professional debut in 1990 at the Welsh National Opera as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier. Other important debuts include the Royal Opera House (Pamina in Die Zauberflöte - 1991), Glyndebourne Festival (Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte - 1991), Bayerische Staatsoper (Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte - 1993) and the Metropolitan Opera (Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni - 1997). Her repertoire was based on Händel and Mozart, but she expanded it to include Bellini (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), Verdi (Simon Boccanegra, Otello) and Puccini (La bohème). She is also a noted recitalist. Of late, she is best known for her portrayals of Janáček characters in Káťa Kabanová and Jenůfa. She will appear at Wigan Parish Church on February 12, 2011, for a recital. [Source, Source]

FULL BIOGRAPHY:
Amanda Roocroft has secured an international reputation as one of Britain's most exciting singers, in opera, concert, and in recital. She graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music and studies with Paul Farrington. In concert she has appeared with leading orchestras throughout Europe and North America with conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Zubin Mehta, Mariss Jansons, Ivor Bolton, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Daniele Gatti, Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Andrew Davis, Sir Charles Mackerras, Valery Gergiev and Bernard Haitink.She has performed at many of the world's leading opera houses and festivals including the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Glyndebourne Festival, the English National Opera, the Welsh National Opera, the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, the Netherlands Opera and the Salzburg Festival where her roles have included Fiordiligi/Cosi fan Tutte, Countess/Le Nozze di Figaro, Donna Elvira/Don Giovanni, Desdemona/Otello, Amelia/Simon Boccanegra, Mimi/La Boheme, Eva/Die Meistersinger, Elisabetta/Don Carlos, Cleopatra/Giulio Cesare, Jenifer/The Midsummer Marriage, Tatiana/Eugene Onegin, Ellen Orford/Peter Grimes and the title roles in Madama Butterfly, Katya Kabanova and Jenufa. She won the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for her performance as Jenufa with the English National Opera. A noted recitalist she has appeared at London’s Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Musikverein in Vienna, New York’s Lincoln Center, La Monnaie in Brussels and in Munich, Frankfurt, Paris, Valencia and Lisbon. [Source]