“Set to become one of the great Wagnerian sopranos of her generation” (OperaNow), Alwyn Mellor has been selected to sing Brünnhilde Der Ring des Nibelungen in Seattle Opera’s Bi-Centenary Cycles in 2013. She received outstanding reviews for her début performances as Chrysothemis Elektra opposite Susan Bullock for the Canadian Opera Company in 2007, Opera Magazine writing that she “…recalled none other than Leonie Rysanek.”,and her return to the role in 2008 with Opera North, again opposite Susan Bullock, led to The Guardian describing her as“…the superlativeChrysothemis...”, whilst The Sunday Times described her as a “thrilling, sensuous Chrysothemis.” In Summer 2010, she made her début as Brünnhilde Die Walküre for Longborough Festival Opera (…Alwyn Mellor’s Brünnhilde – bold and brazen in her whooping war-cries, warmly eloquent in her summons to Siegmund and her pleading with Wotan,”wrote The Daily Telegraph).
Equally adept in the Italian repertoire, she received high praise for her performances as Adalgisa Norma for English Touring Opera (“…superbly sung by Alwyn Mellor…” wrote The Observer) and Tosca with the Opéra de Limoges (“…simply overwhelming” wrote Le Populaire) and Welsh National Opera (“…there could scarcely have been a better Floria Tosca…” wrote The Plymouth Herald). In October 2010, she sang the Verdi Requiem for Huddersfield Choral Society conducted by Vasily Petrenko (“Alwyn Mellor sang and performed with real dramatic intensity, concluding the work with a sequence in which she soared above the entire orchestra and chorus at full volume and then sank to a note of quiet resignation and a chilling, half-spoken plea of “Libera me, Domine”, wrote the Huddersfield Examiner).
In Summer 2011, she made critically acclaimed débuts as Isolde Tristan und Isolde for Grange Park Opera (“Possessing the amplitude and genuine vocal resources of a Wagnerian soprano”, wrote The Sunday Telegraph) and as Brünnhilde Siegfried for Longborough Festival Opera with Anthony Negus (“sung magnificently”, wrote The Times). In 2011 / 2012, she repeats this role for Den Nye Opera with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano and for Oper Leipzig with Ulf Schirmer, sings Brünnhilde Götterdämmerung with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, also conducted by Kent Nagano, makes her début as Sieglinde Die Walküre for Opera North and sings Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music at London’s Barbican Hall. Plans for 2012 / 2013 include Brünnhilde Die Walküre / Siegfried for the Paris Opera with Philippe Jordan and Gerhilde Die Walküre for the Royal Opera, London (also covering Susan Bullock as Brünnhilde), whilst for 2013 / 2014, plans currently include Minnie La Fanciulla del West and Brünnhilde Götterdämmerung for Opera North.
Plans for 2012 / 2013 include Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music at London’s Barbican Hall, Brünnhilde Die Walküre / Siegfried for the Paris Opera with Philippe Jordan and Gerhilde Die Walküre for the Royal Opera, London (also covering Susan Bullock as Brünnhilde), whilst for 2013 / 2014, plans currently include Minnie La Fanciulla del West and Brünnhilde Götterdämmerung for Opera North.Born in Lancashire, Alwyn Mellor studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, and supported by the Peter Moores Foundation in Italy and Russia. She began her career at Welsh National Opera, with whom she has enjoyed a fruitful collaboration in a wide range of roles. She has sung three seasons at Santa Fe Opera and other opera companies with whom she has appeared include the Canadian Opera Company, Chelsea Opera Group, English National Opera, Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Opera Ireland and Opera North. Her current repertoire, including roles in preparation, further includes Leonore / Fidelio, La Wally, Katerina Ismailova Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Ariadne / Ariadne auf Naxos, Kaiserin / Die Frau ohne Schatten, Senta / Der fliegende Holländer and Elisabeth – Venus / Tannhäuser.
In concert, Alwyn Mellor has appeared with orchestras including the BBC Concert Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the CBSO, the Hallé, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Manchester Camerata, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra at venues such as the Cardiff, Edinburgh and Three Choirs Festivals, as well as internationally with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the MDR Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, the Orchestre National de Lyon, the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, the Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy, the Orquesta Simfonica de Barcelona, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia. Conductors with whom she has worked include Martin André, Howard Arman, Mark Elder, Richard Hickox, Christopher Hogwood, Emmanuel Krivine, Charles Mackerras, Marc Minkowski, Nicholas McGegan, Sakari Oramo, Antonio Pappano, Victor Pablo Pérez, Donald Runnicles, Gerard Schwarz and Mark Wigglesworth.
Please note that this biography is not to be used for programmes. Current information is available on request.