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Ann Atkinson - Mezzo Soprano

http://www.fronchoir.com/Ann.htm
Ann was born in N. Wales. After gaining her B.Ed from the University of Wales she pursued a teaching career before winning a scholarship to study singing at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Since then she has sung with many of Britain’s leading Opera Companies including Scottish Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Wexford Festival Opera, Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Mid Wales Opera, Central Festival Opera and Opera Box.

Operatic roles have included the title role in Carmen, Azucena and Ines (Trovatore) for Scottish Opera, Solocha (Cherevichki) for the Wexford Festival, Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus) for Scottish Opera , Niklausse (Tales of Hoffmann), Larina and Filipyevna (Onegin) and Annina (Traviata) for Glyndebourne, as well as Maddalena (Rigoletto) and Marcellina (Le Nozze di Figaro).

Ann's wide repertoire has also embraced several contemporary works. She created the role of Mrs. Baines in 'The Basement Room' by Andrew Gant; that of Ann Clwyd M.P., in the world premier of Alun Hoddinott’s new opera ‘Tower’ along side Robert Lloyd’s Tyrone O’Sullivan; and most recently she added to her repertoire the role of the Mother in a new opera by Sally Beamish entitled "Monster" for Scottish Opera.

On the concert platform her repertoire includes the Verdi Requiem, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Bach's Mathew Passion, Brahm's Alto Rhapsody and Mozart’s Requiem. She has sung Mendelssohn’s Elijah at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Handel’s Messiah at St. James’s Piccadilly and Ely Cathedral.

Ann's career has taken her to many different parts of the world,including Europe, the U.S.A., Asia and Australasia. During the summer of 2005 she toured New Zealand and Australia as the soloist with the Lions Choir. The culmination of the tour was a gala concert at the Sydney Opera House.

In addition to her singing career Ann is the Artistic Director of the North Wales International Music Festival and the St.Asaph City of Music initiative. She has been Musical Director of the Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir since 2002 and Musical Director of the Bro Glyndwr Male Voice Choir since 1998.