Emma Bell trained at the RAM and NOS and continues to study with Joy Mammen.
Emma Bell’s career is marked by a compelling evolution, from the elegance of Handel and Mozart’s heroines to the psychological depth of Wagnerian drama and the bold expressiveness of contemporary repertoire. Her portrayal of Elisabeth (Tannhäuser) at the 2023 Edinburgh International Festival under Sir Donald Runnicles was hailed by The Scotsman as “sensational… a powerful, highly emotional and moving performance.” She has further performed Venus and Elisabeth (Tannhäuser) at Deutsche Oper Berlin under Sebastian Weigle, Elsa (Lohengrin) at Staatsoper Hamburg under Simone Young, and Eva (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) at Bayerische Staatsoper under Kirill Petrenko and at the Royal Ballet & Opera, Covent Garden with Sir Antonio Pappano.
This season sees Emma Bell make a further major Wagnerian debut as Senta (Der fliegende Höllander) for Welsh National Opera under their music director, Tomáš Hanus. At the same time, she extends her armoury of roles by Benjamin Britten when she sings Lady Billows (Albert Herring) for English National Opera and Mrs Grose (Turn of the Screw) in continuation of Deborah Warner’s cycle at Opera di Roma under Henrik Nánási.
Emma Bell’s operatic versatility continues to shine in roles such as Leonore (Fidelio) at Opernhaus Zürich under Markus Poschner, as Madame Lidoine (Dialogues des Carmélites) at Covent Garden under Sir Simon Rattle, as Ellen Orford (Peter Grimes) at Teatro la Fenice conducted by Juraj Valčuha, and Vanessa at the Glyndebourne Festival in Keith Warner’s production under Jakub Hrůša. Her affinity for dramatic storytelling extends beyond the opera stage to the concert platform where acclaimed recent performances include Elizabeth I in Brett Dean’s In spe contra spem with Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España under Jaime Martín, and Mahler’s Symphony No.8 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Edward Gardner.
She has toured Britten’s War Requiem with Orchestre de Paris and Daniel Harding, and performed core repertoire such as Beethoven’s Symphony No.9, Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder, and Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with leading orchestras including the Gothenburg Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, and BBC Philharmonic under conductors such as Kent Nagano, Vladimir Jurowski, Gianandrea Noseda, and Sir Antonio Pappano.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and winner of the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier Award, Emma Bell came to prominence through her interpretations of Mozart’s prima donnas — singing both Contessa Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro) and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) at the Metropolitan Opera, and Elettra (Idomeneo) and Stravinsky’s AnneTrulove (The Rake’s Progress) at Teatro alla Scala, showcasing a crystalline tone and dramatic sensitivity that quickly established her as one of Britain’s finest sopranos.
