Louise Winter

Louise Winter was born in Preston, Lancashire, and studied at the Royal Northern College of Music. She made her début in 1982 with Glyndebourne Touring Opera as Dorabella Così fan tutte and subsequently sang Tisbe La Cenerentola, Zerlina Don Giovanni, and Rosina Il barbiere di Siviglia for the company.

In recent years roles have included Marcellina (Royal Opera House/Grange Festival), Governess Queen of Spades (Royal Opera House), Maya in Howard Moody’s Agreed and Gertrude in Brett Dean’s Hamlet (Glyndebourne), Madame Larina Eugene Onegin and Háta The Bartered Bride (Garsington Opera), Anaide in Leconcavallo’s Zazà (Opera Holland Park), Wife in Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Greek with Music Theatre Wales at the Linbury and on tour in the UK and Korea, Kabanicha Katya Kabanova (Longborough), Madame de la Haltière Cendrillon and Ragonde Le Comte Ory (Blackheath Concert Halls). In July 2021, she made her role debut as Mistress Quickly (Scottish Opera), and in 2023 she returned to the company to sing La Frugola Il Tabarro and Zita Gianni Schicchi in Sir David McVicar’s new production of Il Trittico. She recently sang Mistress Quickly for Opera North.

She created the roles of Pilar in David Sawyer’s The Skating Rink (Garsington Opera), Susan in Huw Watkins In the Locked Room (a co-production between Music Theatre Wales and Scottish Opera), and gave the world premiere of Charlotte Bray’s Out of the Ruins for mezzo-soprano, youth chorus and orchestra at a Gala Concert for the Royal Opera House.

Previously she has sung title role Carmen and Marguerite La Damnation de Faust (English National Opera), Olga Eugene Onegin (Royal Opera House/Canadian Opera Company/Glyndebourne Festival Opera), Sesto La clemenza di Tito, Edwige Rodelinda, Varvara Katya Kabanova, Pauline Queen of Spades (Glyndebourne Festival Opera), Brangäne Tristan und Isolde, Venus Tannhäuser and Lady Macbeth in Ernst Bloch’s Macbeth (Frankfurt), Preziosilla La Forza del Destino (Rouen).

Louise Winter has sung with many of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle, the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis, the Hallé Orchestra under Mark Elder, the Philharmonia Orchestra under Sir Charles Mackerras, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Carlo Rizzi. She has taken part in many of the BBC Proms over the last decade. As a recitalist she has appeared at the Wigmore Hall, St John’s, Smith Square, the Théâtre du Châtelet, the Bath, Belfast and City of London Festivals and at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.

Her recordings include the complete songs of Frank Bridge for Hyperion, and Haydn Masses under Richard Hickox for Chaconne. Performances on DVD include the Goddess Diana La Calisto conducted by René Jacobs.