| Mia Lennox-Williams |
Introduction “Mia Lennox-Williams brought powerfully impressive pipes to the four songs, with flashy flamboyance and beguiling tone indicating huge potential for the future…” Toronto Star, Geoff Chapman BiographyMezzo-soprano Mia Lennox-Williams has established herself as an exciting young artist to watch with “…powerfully impressive pipes…flashy flamboyance and beguiling tone indicating huge potential for the future.” Her career has already included performances in Canada, Europe and the United States. Ms. Lennox-Williams was awarded a Canada Council grant that facilitated a three-month role study project in London, England. Building on her natural affinity for the Strauss trouser roles, she mentored the roles of Octavian in DER ROSENKAVALIER and der Komponist in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS with Yvonne Minton and Martin Isepp. Her schedule for recent seasons have included performances at the Toronto International Bach Festival with Helmuth Rilling; Bianca in Britten’s RAPE OF LUCRETIA at Pacific Opera Victoria; Tisbe in LA CENERENTOLA for the Calgary Opera; Bach’s MAGNIFICAT with Orchestra London; Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with Brott Summer Music in Hamilton; MESSIAH in Kingston, Peterborough and Hamilton; Idamante in IDOMENEO for Pacific Opera Victoria; the Witch in HANSEL AND GRETEL with Opera Ontario and Gwendolen in the premiere of Davies and Benson’s EARNEST, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING for Toronto Operetta Theatre. Ms. Lennox Williams returned to Pacific Opera Victoria last season for Baba in Stravinsky’s THE RAKE’S PROGRESS. For the 2011 Brott Music Festival she was Frasquita in CARMEN, Lola in CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA for Edmonton Opera and performanaces of MESSIAH for the Iseler Singers in Toronto and the Masterworks Chorale of Oakville. As a member of l’Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, she sang the role of Dryad and covered the role of der Komponist in l’Opéra de Montréal’s production of ARIADNE AUF NAXOS. She toured the Maritimes and Québec as die Hexe in HÄNSEL UND GRETEL for the Atelier Lyrique and also appeared as the Sorceress in the Montréal production of DIDO AND AENEAS. The bilingual mezzo was a semi-finalist in the Concours Musical de Montréal and appeared in recital at La Chapelle Historique du Bon-Pasteur in Montréal as a winner of the Debut Young Artists Competition. In Halifax, she was Dame Quickly in FALSTAFF under the baton of Raffi Armenian for the Nova Scotia Opera Association and appeared as guest soloist for the Nova Scotia Opera Valentine’s Gala. Ms. Lennox-Williams was a winner of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques competition in Toronto and subsequently was chosen to participate in the Centre National d’Insertion Professionelle d’Artistes Lyriques (CNIPAL) as one of 13 singers selected internationally. While in Europe, she sang the role of die Mutter in HÄNSEL UND GRETEL at the Bayreuth Staatsoper with the Deutsch-Französischen Forum Junger Kunst. She was also featured at CNIPAL’S “Fete de la Musique” at l’Opéra de Marseilles singing Maddelena, and Dame Quickly in a staged concert of opera excerpts. With L’Orchestre d’Aix en Provence she appeared as alto soloist in Mozart’s KRÖNUNGSMESSE. In the U.S., she attended the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts as an Art Song Fellow and was the Soprano II soloist in Bach’s MAGNIFICAT under the baton of Maestro Seiji Ozawa. Engagements have included de Falla’s EL AMOR BRUJO and CARMEN excerpts with the Oakville Symphony, concerts at the Glenn Gould Studio with the Talisker Players and a premiere of Alexander Rapoport’s NORTHSCAPES, a work written for mezzo-soprano and string quartet. She also appeared with l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal in a concert series designed for young audiences singing excerpts from DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE and HÄNSEL UND GRETEL. A native of Newmarket, Ontario, now residing in Hamilton, she received her Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Toronto and won the Canadian Women’s Art Association Luella McCleary Award at her graduation, an award that is given annually to an outstanding female graduate. She holds a Diploma in Operatic Performance from the University of Toronto’s Opera Division, where she performed such roles as Mrs. Peachum in Weill’s THREEPENNY OPERA, Oberon in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, Orlovsky in DIE FLEDERMAUS, Camilla in IL GIOVEDI GRASSO and in excerpts from DER ROSENKAVALIER, LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, LA CENERENTOLA and COSI FAN TUTTE. January 2012For further information, please visit www.mialennoxwilliams.com.
Full RepertoireOpera
Concert
Education
Awards
Engaged By
Reviews
Hugh Fraser – Hamilton Opera Canada – Robert Jordan
“Mezzo-soprano Mia Lennox-Williams as his son Idamante delivered a winning performance vocally and dramatically. Trouser roles are always hard to pull off, but Ms. Lennox-Williams did so with reserves to spare.” ReviewVancouver – JH Stape
“ Mia Lennox-Williams, in the trouser role of Idamante is physically ideal in the part…Her fine mezzo soprano is rich and pleasing. Clearly this singer has a wonderful career ahead of her”. Victoria Times Colonist – Grania Litwin
“…the dark mezzo-soprano of Mia Lennox-Williams was an apt vocal match for the venerable nurseBianca…” Opera Canada – Robert Jordan
“Mezzo, Mia Lennox-Williams was a potent sorceress.” Montreal Gazette – Arthur Kaptainis
“Dramatically, Mia Lennox Williams steals the show in the role of Mistress Quickly. She has great stage presence and her physical comedy is nothing short of hilarious.” Daily News, Halifax – Jerry West
“Et j’affirme ici sans crainte que la mezzo Mia Lennox Williams campe une sorcière tout à fait idéale, tant par un magnifique timbre vocal et une grande versatilité, que par un jeu scénique des plus convaincant, souvent empreint de touches tragic-comiques.” L’Acadie Nouvelle, Caraquet – Roger Cormier
“Very good:..the mother, played by Canadian Mia Lennox Williams with great dramatic expression.” Bayreuth Aietung, Bayreuth – Frank Piontek
Mezzo Mia Lennox Williams brought powerfully impressive pipes to the four songs with flashy flamboyance and beguiling tone indicating huge potential for the future…” Toronto Star – Geoff Chapman
“(Betsy Jola’s ‘Caprice a Deux Voix’) was delightfully sung (and played) by Amelia Watkins and Mia Lennox Williams.” Boston Globe – Richard Dyer
“As Oberon…Mia Lennox was vocally and dramatically convincing as an androgynous, imperious King of Fairies.” Opera Canada – Paul Baker |