Samantha Crawford (soprano)
Samantha Crawford is an English operatic soprano.
Operatic career
[edit]Her repertoire covers both traditional and modern pieces, with roles such as:
- Sieglinde and Ortlinde in Wagner's Die Walküre[1][2]
- Elisabeth in Wagner's Tannhäuser[3]
- Santuzza in Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana[4]
- Rosalinde in Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus[5]
- Agathe in Carl Maria von Weber Der Freischütz[6]
- Miss Jessel in Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw[7]
- Mrs. Coyle in Benjamin Britten's Owen Wingrave[8]
- Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni[9]
- Contessa Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro[10]
- Ofglen in Poul Ruders's The Handmaid's Tale
- Regan in Michael Tippett's New Year
She has worked with opera companies including the English National Opera (ENO), Glyndebourne, Scottish Opera, Teatro Real Madrid, the Aldeburgh Festival and the Edinburgh Festival. Productions include Robert Carsen's Die Walküre and Claus Guth's Parsifal at Teatro Real, both of which were broadcast across Spain and filmed.[11][12]
Concert career
[edit]In addition to her opera work, Crawford has performed in concert halls such as Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Barbican Centre, Hong Kong City Hall, and Schlosstheater Schönbrunn. Her concert repertoire includes:
- Verdi's Requiem[13]
- Mendelssohn's Elijah[14]
- Richard Strauss's Vier letzte Lieder[15]
- Vaughan Williams's A Sea Symphony[16]
Recordings and recent work
[edit]In 2023, Crawford released her debut album, dream.risk.sing: elevating women's voices, on Delphian Records. The album includes pieces by Charlotte Bray, Libby Larsen, and Judith Weir, including the world premiere recording of Bray's Crossing Faultlines,[17] a song cycle that explores women's experiences in the workplace. Supported by Arts Council England and the RVW Trust, the album was described as "one of the most arresting recording debuts" by Presto Music.[18]
In 2024, Crawford created Freedom Cries Out, a program centered around stories of displacement and refugees. The project includes the world premiere of Raymond Yiu's specially commissioned song cycle, and the UK premiere of Shawn Okpebholo's Words Like Freedom. The premiere is set for November 2024 at the St. Marylebone Festival in London.[19]
Awards and recognition
[edit]During her studies, she received numerous awards, including the Golden Medal with Honours at the Julian Baring Award (2017),[20] the Berlin International Music Competition Gold Medal (2017),[21] the NSW Wagner Society Award for Emerging Wagner Singers (2017/18), and was honored with first prize at the Wagner Society Singing Competition (London, 2016).[22]
Personal life
[edit]Crawford is married to Matthew Crawford;[23] they have two daughters. Her father, Shorland Hosking, died in a plane crash in 2010.[24]
References
[edit]- ^ "The Valkyrie", Teatro Real. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Stuart Skelton sings Wagner (Tait Memorial Trust)", Limelight, 18 September 2017. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser", Saffron Opera Group. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana & Leoncavallo's Pagliacci", West Green House: the Opera Garden. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Die Fledermaus", Clonter 50 Nurturing New Talent. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Weber's Der Freischütz/The Enchanted Bullets at Blackheath Halls: Blackheath Community Opera", 18 July 2017. Classical Source. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Samantha Crawford Past Performances". Operabase. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Owen Wingrave". Edinburgh International Festival. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Garsington Opera, The Lord Mayor's Appeal to Produce Original Opera With 250 Students". Operawire, 22 May 2019. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Guildhall School of Music & Drama – Le nozze di Figaro [Cast A"]. Classical Source. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Samantha Crawford / Reviews", Operabase. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "The Valkyrie – Teatro Real (2020) – Die Walküre", Opera Online. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Past Events: Verdi Requiem", All Saints Chorus and Orchestra, 20 September 2022. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Medelssohn Elijah", Gloucester Choral Society. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Newbury Spring Festival 11–25 May 2019", Newbury Spring Festival. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Verdi Requiem", London SE1 Community Website. Accessed 2 October 2024.[failed verification]
- ^ "Exceptionally fresh & beautifully curated: dream.risk.sing at Oxford Lieder Festival 2021", Daily Info, 21 October 2021. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "dream.risk.sing: Elevating women's voices", Presto Music. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Freedom Cries Out: Samantha Crawford and Gavin Roberts", Bachtrack. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Samantha Crawford, soprano | 2017 Julian Baring Award", Tait Memorial Trust. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Soprano Samantha Crawford wins Golden Medal in Berlin", Limelight, 17 May 2017. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Winners of 2016 Singing Competition", The Wagner Society. Accessed 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Samantha Crawford – Making It Work", SWAP'ra, 5 March 2020. Accessed 25 October 2024.
- ^ "Hosking, Shorland William (1954–2010)", Royal College of Surgeons of England. Accessed 25 October 2024.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Profile at Winfried Hofinger Agency
- Profile at Operabase
