- Der fliegende Holländer – Mary
- Le nozze di Figaro – Marcellina
Mezzo-soprano Yvonne Howard was born in Stafford. She became a member of the Staffordshire County Youth Choir and continued with her studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with Joseph Ward and David Johnston .
Yvonne embarked on a busy career in international opera houses and concert platforms. Her work has taken her to Japan, USA, Argentina, Brazil, France, China, Denmark as well as the UK and she has worked with conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Sir Colin Davies, Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir Charles Groves, James Loughran, Sir Simon Rattle and Richard Farnes.
Major roles have included Leonora (Fidelio) at both The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Opera Holland Park, roles in several Ring Cycles: Fricka, Waltraute and Sieglinde, (this recorded with Sir Mark Elder and the Halle Orchestra) 2nd Norn and various Walküre. She has performed regularly with Opera North, English National Opera, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Scottish National Opera, Garsington and Opera Holland Park. One of the most unusual and exciting times of her career was playing the role of Marilyn Klinghoffer in the Channel 4 Film version of John Adams’ opera The Death of Klinghoffer.
Oratorio and Concert work have played a very important part in Yvonne’s career and she is particularly renowned for her performances of The Angel in Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius and the Song Cycles of Mahler and Berlioz. She performed Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the City of London Sinfonia, St John’s Smith Square, and Mahler’s Symphony No 2 with the Royal Northern College of Muscic at the Bridgewater Hall.
Yvonne has always enjoyed outreach work and working with young people in music and opera projects, has worked with Streetwise Opera and been involved in several Community Opera projects with Glyndebourne and the London Symphony Orchestra. She finds the passion, curiosity and enthusiasm of those not usually involved in classical music inspirational. She is now combining her performing work with that of Professor of Singing at her alma mater, the Royal Northern College of Music.