Mezzo-soprano Joanna Harries studied at Cambridge University, the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Alexander Gibson Opera Studio). She was due to perform roles with Opera Holland Park (Rigoletto), Longborough Festival Opera (The Cunning Little Vixen) and the Barber Opera (La forza dell’amor paterno) this summer – now sadly cancelled due to the pandemic. However, she is delighted to perform the title role in Sāvitri with Hampstead Garden Opera in one of the UK’s first outdoor operas since the pandemic. Previous roles include Awen (cover)/Gair ar Gnawd (Welsh National Opera); Nun/The Fiery Angel (Scottish Opera/RCS); Dido/Dido and Aeneas (Dartington Arts Festival); Tartine/Scoring a Century (British Youth Opera); Zerlina/Don Giovanni (Merry Opera Company), Varava/Kat’a Kabanova (Fulham Opera); Drummer/The Emperor of Atlantis in Polly Graham’s production at Bold Tendencies (Loud Crowd Opera/CHROMA Ensemble) and Prometheus in Tim Benjamin’s new opera The Fire of Olympus. As a concert soloist she has sung Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Macmillan’s Seven Last Words on the Cross with the BBC Philharmonic at Harrogate Royal Hall, Bach’s Easter Oratorio at the Bach Festival Świdnica in Poland, Handel’s Messiah at Lincoln Cathedral and Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 at Sheffield cathedral. Joanna is a previous Britten-Pears Young Artist and Handel House Talent artist, and a current Emerging Artist for the Royal Opera House’s “Opera Dots” programme. www.joannaharries.com