'Jennifer Johnston has one of the most generous and beautiful voices in the business'
Prospect Magazine
the scouse
diva
UNIVERSALLY KNOWN AS THE 'SCOUSE DIVA', CELEBRATED BRITISH MEZZO-SOPRANO JENNIFER JOHNSTON IS A FORMER BBC NEW GENERATION ARTIST AND HAS "ONE OF THE MOST GENEROUS AND BEAUTIFUL VOICES IN THE BUSINESS" (PROSPECT MAGAZINE)
Featuring the iTunes No.1 hit single ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir, for whom she is Artist-in-Residence, her debut solo album ‘A Love Letter To Liverpool’ (Rubicon Classics) is a deeply personal and affectionate tribute to her native city, and the place she calls home. She is the creator of Notes From Musicians’ Kitchens cookbook and podcast, raising funds for Help Musicians UK.
Particularly well-known for her interpretations of the works of Mahler and Elgar, career highlights have included over 50 shows on the world-famous stage of the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, appearing at the First Night Of The Proms with Karina Canellakis and the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Janacek’s Glagolitic Mass, performing the iconic role of Jocaste in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex with the Sir John Eliot Gardiner and both the Berlin Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestras, and singing the role of Mrs Grose in Britten’s The Turn Of The Screw at La Scala, Milan.
Unafraid of contemporary repertoire, notable appearances have included Lady De Hautdesert in Harrison Birtwistle’s Gawain at the Salzburg Festival, Thomas Ades’s Totentanz with the composer conducting the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Pasqualita in John Adams’ Doctor Atomic with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the composer himself, the recording of which (Nonesuch) was nominated for a GRAMMY award.
Her extensive discography includes Anthony Payne’s arrangement of Vaughan Williams’ Four Last Songs with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins (Albion Records), commissioned specially for her by the BBC, which she premiered at the BBC Proms (Vanska/BBCSO) and which was nominated for a GRAMMY award.
"Hers is an extraordinary voice, with a chest of arresting power that is reminiscent of a contralto. That strong centre to the voice gave her an almost declaratory air in ‘Um Mitternacht’, like an ancient prophetess, before a transcendent, triumphant ending as the singer places her trust in God."
Simon Thompson, Seen & Heard International
'What a journey it has been. I have travelled the globe and experienced many wonderful places, yet I love nowhere more than Liverpool: the gateway to the Atlantic, my native land, my beloved city, my home.'