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Claire Barnett-Jones

Mezzo-soprano

  • Claire Barnett-Jones is fast becoming one of the most sought-after voices on the operatic stage and the concert platform, since being named one of Operawire’s Top 10 Rising Stars and being a Finalist and Winner of the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2021. In recent years, highlights have included performances at the Bayreuther Festspiele as 2nd Norn Götterdämmerung and Waltraute Die Walküre, her French operatic debut as Jezibaba in a new Stefano Poda production of Rusalka at the Théâtre du Capitole, role and company debuts as Fricka Die Walküre at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl in Austria and as Madame Flora The Medium for Oper Frankfurt, Concert Highlight include European concert debut at the Concertgebouw in Schumann’s Szenen aus Goethe’s Faust, her debut with the London Symphony Orchestra in concert performances of Katya Kabanova conducted by Simon Rattle and her company debut with Dutch National Opera as The Government in the world premiere of Ellen Reid The Shell Trial.

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  • In the 2024-25 season, Barnett-Jones returns to Dutch National Opera as Mrs Sedley in Barbora Horáková Joly’s new production of Peter Grimes conducted by Lorenzo Viotti. She also makes her house debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper as Forester’s Wife/Owl in Barrie Kosky’s The Cunning Little Vixen, and her house debut at the Royal Ballet and Opera, Covent Garden, as Waltraute in Barrie Kosky’s new production of Die Walküre conducted by Antonio Pappano. On the recital platform she performs Mahler Songs of a Wayfarer at Wigmore Hall and recitals across the UK and Ireland. Further ahead, Barnett-Jones will return to the Bayreuther Festspiele and will make her company debut in a new Lake Stage production at the Bregenz Festival.


    Highlights of the 2023-24 season included a return to Oper Frankfurt as Mescalina in Vasily Barkatov‘s new production of Le Grand Macabre conducted by Thomas Guggeis, appearances with Scottish Opera for performances as Gaea in Strauss Daphne, with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra for Beethoven Mass in C and a return to the London Symphony Orchestra as Barena/Pastuchnya in Jenůfa conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. Barnett-Jones also joined the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for Wagner Wesendonck Lieder and the London Philharmonic Orchestra as Second Norn Götterdämmerung conducted by Vladimir Jurowski.


    Further highlights include Sosostris in Tippett The Midsummer Marriage with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the Baton of Edward Gardner at the Royal Festival Hall, the role of Dryad in concert performances of Ariadne auf Naxos at the Edinburgh International Festival, her BBC Proms debut with a solo recital as part of the Proms at Birmingham 2022 and her debut as 3rd Lady for Welsh National Opera‘s The Magic Flute. In concert, Barnett-Jones has performed Beethoven Symphony No. 9 at St John’s Smith Square, Handel Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall, as part of ‘Precipice’, a series of specially curated concerts for The Grange Festival, Messiah and Verdi Requiem with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, and has given recitals at Snape Maltings, the Ludlow English Song Festival, the Wigmore Hall with Iain Burnside, Queen’s University Belfast, with I Musici Ireland in Wexford, and toured the UK alongside pianist Sholto Kynoch as part of the Oxford Lieder Festival autumn touring season.


    Barnett-Jones was a Harewood Artist at English National Opera, where her roles included Rossweisse/Fricka in Richard Jones‘ The Valkyrie, Lapák The Cunning Little Vixen, and her company debut was as Eurydice Myth/Persephone in Birtwistle The Mask of Orpheus, and was awarded the Lilian Baylis Award for Outstanding Potential in the Field of Opera in recognition of her exceptional stage debut. Since leaving the programme she returned for the Jubilee Prodution of Britten Gloriana singing The Housewife and covering Gloriana. Other cover roles for English National Opera have included Frederica Luisa Miller, Jezibaba Rusalka and Suzuki Madame Butterfly.


    In 2017, Barnett-Jones was presented with the Wessex Glyndebourne Association Award for a young singer of much promise, and in 2018 made her Glyndebourne Festival Debut as 2nd Noble Orphan in Der Rosenkavalier, and performed Annina La Traviata for Glyndebourne Touring Opera later that year.


    Whilst still studying Barnett-Jones created the role of ‘Alto 1’ in Stockhausen Mittwoch Aus Licht with Birmingham Opera Company and the BBC Proms, directed by Sir Graham Vick, sung Fricka and Wellgunde in Das Rheingold for Grimeborn Festival, and the role of Maurya Riders of the Sea for British Youth Opera, where she was awarded the Basil A. Turner Prize for outstanding performance.


    Barnett-Jones was selected to compete in the Final Rounds of Operalia, The World Opera Competition. She was also awarded the Wagner Prize of the Netherlands, the Junior Jury Prize at the 52nd International Vocal Competition s’Hertogenbosch, as well as the 2nd Prize, Villa Medici Recital Prize and Waynflete Singers Concert Prize all at The Grange Festival International Singing Competition. She has also been the recipient of the Elly Ameling Masterclass Prize (Lieder) at the 51st IVC Competition with pianist Somi Kim, the Dame Patricia Routledge English Song Prize, the Birmingham Town Hall/Symphony Hall Recital Prize, and the Mario Lanza Opera Prize.


    Barnett-Jones studied at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Royal Academy Opera and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and is a recipient of the Sir John Tomlinson Fellowship, Independent Opera Fellow and a Samling Artist. Her studies were sponsored by the D’Oyly Carte Memorial Fund Scholarship, The George Drexler Foundation, The May Gibson Charitable Trust, The Josephine Baker Trust, The Countess of Munster Trust, The Winship Foundation, Sir Ian Fleming Award from Help Musicians and The William Gibbs Foundation.

    2024/25 season / 958 words. Not to be altered without permission.

Performances

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Opera repertoire

BERKELEY
A Dinner Engagement (HRH The Grand Duchess of Monteblanco) 


BIRTWISTLE
Mask of Orpheus (Eurydice Myth/Persephone) 


G CHARPENTIER
Louise (Gertrude/La Bayleuse)


DVORAK
Rusalka (Jezibaba)  


HUMPERDINCK
Hansel und Gretel (Hexe/Mother) 


JANACEK
Cunning Little Vixen (Mrs Paskova/Innkeepers Wife/Lapak the Dog) ​


MONTEVERDI
L'incoronazione di Poppea (Ottavia)​


MOZART
Le Nozze di Figaro (Marcellina)​


PUCCINI
Suor Angelica (La Zia Principessa)
Gianni Schicchi (Zita)
Madama Butterfly (Suzuki)​


PURCELL
Dido and Aeneas (Dido, Sorceress)​


RIMSKY KORSAKOV
May Night (Sister in Law)​


STOCKHAUSEN
Mittwoch Aus Licht, Welt Parliament (Alto 1)​


STRAUSS
Ariadne auf Naxos (Dryad)
Der Rosenkavalier (Annina/2nd Noble Orphan)​


STRAVINSKY
The Rake’s Progress (Baba the Turk)​


VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
Riders to the Sea (Maurya)​


VERDI
La Traviata (Annina/Flora)
Luisa Miller (Federica)​


WAGNER
Das Rheingold (Fricka/Wellgunde)
Der Fliegender Hollander (Mary)
Die Walkure (Fricka/Waltraute/Rossweisse)

Concert repertoire

BACH
Easter Oratorio
Magnificat
Mass in B Minor
St Matthew Passion
St John Passion
Christmas Oratorio


BRITTEN
Charm of Lullabies
Phaedra


BEETHOVEN
Missa Solemnis
Symphony No. 9
Choral Fantasy


BERLIOZ
L’enfance du Christ


BRAHMS
Alto Rhapsody
Viola Songs


BRUCKNER
Mass No.3 in F minor


DURUFLE
Requiem


DVOŘÁK
Stabat Mater
Requiem


ELGAR
The Apostles
The Dream of Gerontius
Sea Pictures
The Kingdom
The Music Makers


HANDEL
Dixit Dominus
Israel in Egypt
Messiah
Semele
Solomon
Theodora


HAYDN
Nelson Mass
Mass in Time of War
Great Organ Mass


KODALY
Te Deum


LALANDE
Te Deum


MAHLER
Das Lied von der Erde
Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen
Rückert Lieder
Symphony No.2
Symphony No.3
Symphony No.8


MENDELSSOHN
Elijah


MOZART
Coronation Mass
Mass in C
Requiem
Vespers


PERGOLESI
Stabat Mater


RAVEL
Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé


RESPIGHI
Il Tramonto


ROSSINI
Petite Messe Solennelle
Stabat Mater


RUTTER
Feel the Spirit


SCHUMANN
Dichterliebe
Szenen aus Goethe’s Faust


TIPPETT
A Child of our Time
Lieder Eines Fahrenheit Gesellen


VERDI
Requiem


VIVALDI
Gloria


WAGNER
Wesendonck Lieder

"One newcomer, Claire Barnett-Jones as Waltraute, had me on the edge of my seat with her sumptuous, creamy mezzo. Her one solo appearance was for me one of the great discoveries of the entire cycle."

Colin Davison, British Theatre Guide, June 2024

“Perhaps ironically, the finest voice in this cast is mezzo-soprano Claire Barnett-Jones as the villainess Iolanthe. She sounded to me like a mezzo version of Joan Sutherland, but with clearer diction and a more straightforward singing style; her technique, even in the few fast passages she is called upon to sing, is faultless. Even better, Barnett-Jones also acts well with the voice and sings with a great deal of nuance. She is, truly, a first-class singer, so much so that her every vocal utterance dominates the scenes she is in."

Lynn René Bayley, The Art Music Lounge, August 2023

Intermusica represents Claire Barnett-Jones worldwide

Camilla Wehmeyer
Associate Director, Vocal & Opera

cwehmeyer@intermusica.com

Mary Donald
Associate Artist Manager, Vocal & Opera

mdonald@intermusica.com

All artists

Chansonnier

HK Gruber

Counter-tenor

Tim Mead

Harpsichord

Richard Egarr

Piano accompanist

Roger Vignoles

Saxophone

Jess Gillam

Contralto

Avery Amereau