Yvonne Seymour (Mezzo-soprano)

Born: England

The English mezzo-soprano, Yvonne Seymour, has worked extensively in oratorio, recital and opera and has made a particular study of 17^th and 18^th Century vocal music; nevertheless, her repertoire, whilst specialising in earlier music, includes most of the standard 19^th and 20^th century classics.

Yvonne Seymour has performed in most European countries and has recorded for BBC, ITV, WDR Köln, and most other European radio and TV stations. She has recently appeared in Denmark, Germany, the Czech Republic, USA, Hong Kong and Corfu.

A recording for WDR of Purcell's Dido & Aeneas has been made for commercial release and other commercial recordings include Mozart's Requiem, sacred songs of George Jeffreys and a Festal Mass by Christoph Straus. BBC recordings have included Purcell's Dioclesian, Clarke's Music on the Death of Purcell and Purcell's Come ye Sons of Art, Biber's Missa Alleluia, programmes of George Frideric Handel Italian cantatas and Schubert lieder. For WDR she sang music of John Blow in a live EBU broadcast from Köln. In recent York Early Music Festivals she has sung Alessandro Scarlatti's Su le Sponde del Tebro with Crispian Steele-Perkins and Yorkshire Baroque Soloists as well as Blow and Purcell sacred narratives with Stephen Varcoe. Repertoire in recent seasons has included Felix Mendelssohn's Elijah, J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) and B Minor Mass (BWV 232) and G.F. Handel's Saul. Recently she sang in Ryedale Festival (Haydn and Mozart) and gave a series of concerts in Denmark and appeared at Festival Mitte Europa (in Purcell’s Fairy Queen). At the latter festival she shares a week of master-classes with Thomas Thomaschke in which she teaches English song. Last year she toured Greece singing 17^th century Italian and English Song and in summer 2007 she appeared at the Bachfest Leipzig and York Early Music Festival singing in Dido & Aeneas. Last summer she appeared in G.F. Handel's Israel in Egypt in York Minster.

Alongside her performing career, Yvonne Seymour teaches singing at University of York, University of Huddersfield and for the University College of York St John.

Source: University of York Website (December 2009)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (August 2010)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

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Links to other Sites

University of York: Department of Music: Yvonne Seymour (Mezzo-Soprano)