News & Views

Music Makers: with Jennifer Johnston, mezzo-soprano

Audition Oracle – Wed 27 May 2026 @ 8:19

Arias we love and live with

A striking portrait of mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnston against a deep black background. Dressed entirely in black, with her dark hair pulled neatly back, she is captured in a moment of quiet reflection. Wearing distinctive black cat-eye glasses, she gazes thoughtfully to one side, her finger resting lightly against her lips in a contemplative pose. Subtle jewellery, including an ornate statement ring, adds detail to the otherwise minimalist composition. Soft, focused lighting highlights her expression and creates an intimate, dramatic atmosphere.
We are delighted to welcome international mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnston, celebrated for the warmth and intelligence of her performances across the concert platform and operatic stage. Equally at home in Mahler, Britten, and contemporary repertoire, she brings a rare combination of emotional insight, vocal richness, and communicative power to every performance.

 

1. Aria you hum round the house / sing in the shower

Carmen’s “Habañera”. I never understand people labelling it clichéd. I love how sultry and sinuous it is, plus it’s a great warm up.

 

2. First aria you remember learning

Cherubino’s “Non so più’ (Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro). It was one of my grade 8 pieces when I was 15. 

 

3. Aria you rely on professionally

Jezibaba’s “Čury mury fuk” (Dvořák, Rusalka), when she casts a spell to remove Rusalka’s tail along with her voice. There’s something delicious about the words. 

 

4. Last piece of music you deliberately chose to listen to

Sir James MacMillan’s “O Radiant Dawn”. I would like this sung at my funeral.

 

5. Aria you feel most emotionally connected to

“Marietta’s Lied” (Korngold, Die tote Stadt). Famed for a reason, it perfectly encapsulates feelings of grief and lost love without it descending into mawkishness. 

 

6. Aria you wish you could sing / would love to learn next

Madama Butterfly’s final aria “Tu, piccolo iddio”. I’m a Suzuki, not a Butterfly, but I wish I could sing this aria, which is beautiful yet utterly heartbreaking. 

 


Explore more of Jennifer Johnston’s’ work https://www.jenniferjohnstonmezzo.com/

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Music Makers: with Roderick Williams

Audition Oracle – Tue 5 May 2026 @ 10:39

This week we welcome baritone and composer Roderick Williams, whose expressive storytelling, stylistic versatility, and thoughtful musicianship have made him one of the most distinctive voices in opera, oratorio, and song.

Portrait of Roderick Williams, wearing a white open-collar shirt, facing the camera with a calm expression against a soft grey background.


1. Aria you hum round the house / sing in the shower

Okay - it’s a bit weird… but I often sing “La donna e mobile” in the shower (possibly a bit lower than written) to my own words “I am a baritone: I should have stayed at home…” and so on.


2. First aria you remember learning

One of my first singing teachers taught me “Thus saith the Lord” and “For he is like a refiner’s fire” from Handel’s Messiah. I sang them at my choral scholarship auditions. I didn’t realise till some time later that the aria is normally sung by an alto.


3. Aria you rely on professionally

It’s likely I’ve sung the Messiah arias more than any other. Calculating conservatively, I’d say I’ve sung 4 a year for the last 35 years but it could easily be more than that. And as a baritone rather than a bass, I actively look forward to “The Trumpet Shall Sound”. The other bass arias in Messiah can be a bit forbidding but this one is full of joy and hope.


4. Last piece of music you deliberately chose to listen to

Mahler’s First Symphony. Don’t laugh, but I’m due to conduct it soon, for a chamber ensemble. I’m trying to immerse myself in as many different performances as possible.


5. Aria you feel most emotionally connected to

This took me a while to unpack, because the operatic characters I have played are experiencing situations I have never (and hopefully will never) experience myself. To see the world through their eyes is cathartic for me but it is not my story. The closest I can suggest is Billy Budd’s aria “Look through the port” because of his relentless positivity in the face of dire circumstances. But I am not Billy: that is not my life and I am not that person.


6. Aria you wish you could sing / would love to learn next

When your voice eventually settles you come to terms with the fact that there are arias you will never sing. I will never sing Puccini’s greatest tenor arias - “Che gelida la manina” for example. I suspect my tenor friends would say I’m well rid! But to be able to nail that… what a thrill!!



Explore more of Roderick Williams’ work https://www.grovesartists.com/artist/roderick-williams/

 

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