Rodgers, Joan
Rodgers, Joan
Rodgers, Joan , English soprano; b. Whitehaven, Nov. 4, 1956. After pursuing studies in Russian at the Univ. of Liverpool, she studied music at the Royal Northern Coll. of Music in Manchester. In 1981 she was awarded the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship, and then made her professional operatic debut at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 1982 as Pamina. In 1983 she made first appearances in London with the English National Opera as the Wood Nymph in Rusalka and at Covent Garden as the Princess in L’Enfant et les sortileges. She made her debut at the Glyndebourne Festival in 1989 as Mozart’s Susanna, and then was soloist in Mahler’s 4th Sym. at the Promenade Concerts in London. Her first appearance in Salzburg followed in 1991 when she sang at a Mozart Matinée. In 1992 she sang Handel’s Cleopatra at the Scottish Opera in Glasgow, and also appeared as Mozart’s Susanna in Florence. In 1995 she sang Mélisande with Opera North in Leeds. She returned to the Glyndebourne Festival in 1997 to sing Handel’s Theodora. In 1999 she appeared as Poulenc’s Blanche at the English National Opera. As a recitalist and a soloist with orchs., her engagements took her to the principal music centers of Europe. In 1988 she married Paul Daniel .
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire