rhiannon llewellyn
soprano
biography
Welsh soprano Rhiannon Llewellyn completed her training on the opera course at the Royal Academy of Music having gained her BMus at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She now studies with Carlos Conde González. Rhiannon has been First Prize winner of Patricia Routledge National English Song Competition, the John Kerr Award for English Song, MOCSA Young Welsh Singer, Dunraven Young Welsh Singer and Maggie Teyte competitions and received the 2013 Garsington Opera Leonard Ingrams Award for Most Promising Young Artist. In addition to her singing Rhiannon is Music Director of the South London Military Wives Choir and an experienced Early Years and Primary workshop leader. She was founder and Artistic Director of Opera’r Ddraig which won her the Quality in Wales Future Entrepreneur Award 2010
Rhiannon made her professional opera début as the Sandman Hänsel und Gretel for Garsington Opera, for whom she has also sung The Lace Seller Death in Venice and made her Glyndebourne début as Frantik The Cunning Little Vixen. She has performed Arminda Rinaldo for Longborough Festival Opera, Cesare in Vivaldi Catone in Utica at the Dartington Summer School, Mauxalinda in Lampe’s The Dragon of Wantley and Countess in Salieri La Scuola de’ gelosi for Bampton Classical Opera. Her repertoire includes Anne Trulove The Rake’s Progress, Nella Gianni Schicchi and Dalinda Ariodante. Rhiannon was an Iford Arts New Generation Artist 2017.
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Concert appearances include the Eva Turner part in Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music with the London Philharmonic Orchestra /Vladimir Jurowsky; Bernstein Mass at The Proms with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Kristjan Järvi; Handel Duets and Arias with the Royal Academy Baroque Orchestra / Laurence Cummings; Haydn Creation with the London Youth Choir / Suzy Digby and Carmina Burana with the National Children’s Orchestra / Howard Williams. Amongst her repertoire are Messiah, St John Passion, Rossini Petite Messe Solenelle and Poulenc Gloria.
Rhiannon has given solo recitals at the Royal Opera House Crush Room, Real Academia de belles Artes, Madrid; Albert Long Hall, Istanbul; St John’s Smith Square and the Gower and Cardiff Music Festivals working with accompanists Paul McKenzie, Finnegan Downie Dear, Manon Fischer-Dieskau, William Vann and Edwige Herchenroder.
Rhiannon recently sang Countess Le Nozze di Figaro on tour with The Merry Opera Company, Tytania The Fairy Queen for Waterperry Opera and covered Euridice Orfeo ed Euridice for English National Opera.
March 2021
Rhiannon Llewellyn is represented for General Management. For all enquiries please contact Caroline Phillips cphillips@caroline-phillips.co.uk
reviews
The Merry Opera Company – The Marriage of Figaro
The jewel of the piece is a magnificently proud, sincere yet sassy Countess from Rhiannon Llewellyn, her soprano perfectly fitted for this luscious music, from elegant delicacy to poised, regal strength. Llewellyn’s exceptionally fine acting gives us a Countess who loves her husband deeply enough to want to rekindle their marriage, but who is also deeply hurt by his betrayal.
8 February 2018, Operissima
Bampton Classical Opera – Salieri The School of Jealousy
Rhiannon Llewellyn captured the nobility of the Countess’s slow cavatina with legato loveliness.
October 2017, Opera
As Fisher’s Countess, a poised Rhiannon Llewellyn radiated tense anxiety here, sassy authority there… the notes her voice can leap up to reach are simply stunning. Generally exhibiting impressive vocal control …Llewellyn and Fisher made a supremely matched pair in duets, their voices truly complimenting one another in tone and colour.
25 July 2017, Bachtrack
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Rhiannon Llewellyn expresses appropriately greater aristocratic composure in characterising the part of the Countess, depicting her outrage at her husband’s flirtation with Ernestina, and in the longer, lyrical lines of her self-pitying outpouring which look ahead to the two great arias for the Countess in Figaro.
21 July 2017, Classical source
Stravinsky The Rake’s Progress – Royal Academy Opera – Anne Trulove – March 2015
Rhiannon Llewellyn had all you could want – clear, accurate high notes especially – as a tender but spirited Anne Trulove.”
22 March 2015, The Observer
…Rhiannon Llewellyn sang Anne delectably – the way she managed transitions into the chest register was a special and unusual pleasure.”
April 2015, Opera Magazine
…Anne was sung, with radiant intensity, by Rhiannon Llewellyn…
21 March 2015, The Spectator
Rhiannon Llewellyn’s Anne combined grace and beauty to a properly euphonious degree; her first act aria was very fine indeed.
20 March 2015, Seen And Heard International
Rhiannon Llewellyn as Anne Trulove brought a lovely tenderness to the role that peaked in the Act III lullaby. She possesses a warm tone quality and the voice really shone when she let it go… she is certainly an artist to follow.
19 March 2015, Bachtrack
Lampe The Dragon of Wantley – London Handel Festival – Mauxalinda – April 2015
The four singers attacked every word with gusto… As maidens Mauxalinda and Margery, Rhiannon Llewellyn and Susanna Fairbairn stole the show, their extended cat-fight an exuberant expression of unsisterly conflict.
8 April 2015, Evening Standard
Rhiannon Llewellyn made a fine contrast, playing Mauxalinda the standard opera seria trope, the woman scorned and bent on revenge. Llewellyn has a vibrant soprano voice which was used with skill. She was delightfully vituperative and her scene where she has it out with Fairbairn’s Margery was a great comic delight, being a lovely send-up of such moments in opera seria.
8 April 2015, planethugill.com
Puccini Gianni Schicchi – Royal Academy Opera – Nella – November 2014
Again, the ensemble performance was terrific, but particularly memorable were the silky diction of Rhiannon Llewellyn as Nella, and the imposing sounds made by Tristan Hambleton as Simone and the two Bettos, Božidar Smiljanić and Alistair Ollerenshaw.
February 2015, Opera Magazine
Handel Rinaldo – Longborough Festival Opera – Armida – July 2014
As Armida, demon sorceress and secret weapon of Rinaldo’s opponent, the tiger-taming King Argante (soprano Rhiannon Llewellyn) is vocally nuanced while appearing brazenly sexy.
25 July 2014, The Guardian
Rhiannon Llewellyn was excellently cast as the sorceress Armida, with bold dramatic choices in her acting which portrayed the fiery, passionate and capricious nature of her character, as well as performing some terrific singing. She had an easy agility for the runs and a wonderful control to her voice, able to diminuendo to pianissimo with expression, which was well demonstrated in the second half of Act II.
Early Music Review
Musically and dramatically this production was tremendously satisfying, and such was the standard it was difficult to tell the newcomers and more experienced singers apart… haughty Rhiannon Llewellyn frightened the life out of me as the domineering and threatening Armida.
25 July 2014, Seen And Heard International
Handel Ariodante – Royal Academy Opera – Dalinda – March 2014
Rhiannon Llewellyn gives a subtle, delightfully sung performance as the easily swayed Dalinda.
24 March 2014, The Times
The cast was stunning. There was real maturity in these young voices, with strength and control and astonishing technique all round… Rhiannon Llewellyn sang Dalinda with art.
Opera Now
Rhiannon Llewellyn’s Dalinda was at once sensual and maternal, and wonderfully animated throughout. Polished and mature, she acted with sophisticated emotion and engaged the audience from the start with her beguiling soprano.
25 March 2014, Bachtrack
Rhiannon Llewellyn as Dalinda (Ginevra’s lady-in waiting) was the most consistently satisfying role in terms of musical projection and interpretation, by no means becoming a mere foil for her mistress.
20 March 2014, Classical Source
Humperdinck Hänsel und Gretel – Garsington Opera – Sandman – June 2013
…Rhiannon Llewellyn is even younger, being still on the post-graduate programme at the Royal Academy, but she sings the important cameo role of the Sandman with great confidence and clarity.
The Mail On Sunday
Both delivering their cameo appearances with perfect neatness, Rhiannon Llewellyn’s Sandman – with an eerie suggestion of Nosferatu in her makeup and costuming – and Ruth Jenkin’s Dew Fairy, more saccharine in her appearance – complete a strong cast.
25 June 2013, The Guardian
…Fuchs depiction of the Sandman at the end of act two (finely sung by Rhiannon Llewellyn) had been genuinely creepy and avoided the cutesy… Both Rhiannon Llewellyn, as the Sandman, and Ruth Jenkins as the Dew Fairy, contributed beautifully poised accounts of their arias.
24 June 2013, Opera Today
The Sandman (Rhiannon Llewellyn) and Dew Fairy (Ruth Jenkins) were both beautifully sung and suitably magical.
23 June 2013, Classical Source
Two operatic newcomers impress in smaller roles: Rhiannon Llewellyn, currently at the Royal Academy of Music, is a Nosferatu-like Sandman, and Ruth Jenkins a perk Dew Fairy in tartan tutu.
Sunday Express
They were supported by an exceptional cast, finely characterized by this imaginative and sensitive director… Rhiannon Llewellyn was a sweet-toned Sandman, the bringer of nightmares rather than dreams in this version…
24 June 2013, Music OMH
“There is fine singing from Rhiannon Llewellyn as the Sandman…”
4 July 2013, Oxford Times
“The supporting cast is excellent in Rhiannon Llewellyn’s eerie Sandman and Ruth Jenkins’ sugar sweet Dew Fairy.”
28 June 2013, Daily Info, Oxford
Guest soloist with the Waverley Singers, Farnham – June 2013
A sell-out audience of 270 enjoyed a sumptuous celebration of music at the Waverley Singers Summer concert at St. Thomas-on-the-Bourne Church on Saturday, June 15. Unfortunately, the choir’s guest soprano was forced to withdraw less than 24hrs before the concert, but her replacement, Rhiannon Llewellyn, who is currently singing at Garsington Opera, proved more than equal to the task and delighted the audience with her charm, musicality and humour in singing arias from La Bohème, Manon, Summertime (Porgy and Bess), as well as Handel’s Let the Bright Seraphim and Mozart’s Laudate Dominum.
Petersfield Herald
Guest soloist with the London Welsh Male Voice Choir, Romsey Abbey – April 2013
The concert experience was enhanced by our principal soloist Rhiannon Llewellyn who showed her vibrant personality as well as her superb soprano voice.
6 April 2013, LWMVC
Song recital with Matthew Fletcher at the Colston Hall – March 2013
Richard Strauss… beautifully sung with great control… Rhiannon chose the poignant Summertime which she sang with heartfelt feeling… The soloist gave a masterly display ably accompanied by Matthew Fletcher on the piano throughout.
27 March 2013, The Bristol Post
Handel Messiah – Welsh Sinfonia under Mark Eager – Llandaff Cathedral – December 2012
Soprano Rhiannon Llewellyn was quite possibly the star of the night. Her pure angelic sound was mesmerising, and by the end of But Who May Abide the interaction between her high notes and the strings was stunning. There Were Shepherds was also a clear highlight, with Llewellyn’s voice filling the cathedral.
4 December 2012, Wales Online/Western Mail
The Nightingale and the Rose – 2011
There were, however, powerful performances in both acts – particularly from Dorothea Herbert as the mad Scarlett and Rhiannon Llewellyn as The Nightingale…
6 July 2011 Buzz Magazine
Afrodisiac Tour – 2010
…Rhiannon Llewellyn delivered the vocal lines to bewitching effect.
18 October 2010, The Guardian