Biography
Victoria Simmonds studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and her made her professional debuts with performances of Rosina for British Youth Opera, Erika in the UK premiere of Barber’s Vanessa, and Sesto (La Clemenza di Tito) for Glyndebourne Touring Opera.
She became a company principal at English National Opera from 2000 to 2005 where her roles included Cherubino/Figaro, Mercedes/Carmen, Zaida/The Turk in Italy, Pitti-Sing/The Mikado, Ascanius/The Trojans, Rosina/The Barber of Seville, Dorabella/Così fan tutte, Hermia/A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Zerlina/Don Giovanni. She notably sang the title role in the world première of Jonathan Dove’s Pinocchio for Opera North to much critical acclaim. Festival performances have included a staged performance of Handel’s solo cantata La Lucrezia at the Batignano Festival in Italy, the title role in La Perichole and Ines/Maria Padilla both for the Buxton Festival, the title role of Carmen for Raymond Gubbay Limited at the Royal Albert Hall, Isolier/Le Comte Ory for Garsington Opera, Meg Page/Falstaff for Grange Park Opera and Olga/Eugene Onegin for Opera Holland Park. Abroad she has sung Lucienne/Die Tote Stadt (Korngold) for Netherlands Opera, Wellgunde/Das Rheingold conducted by Sir Simon Rattle at the Aix Festival as well as in concert with the Berlin Philharmonic in Berlin and at the Salzburg Easter Festival and the title role in Ravel L’enfant et le sortiligès at the Concertgebouw.
Recent and future operatic commitments include Fox / The Cunning Little Vixen and Meg Page / Falstaff for Garsington Opera, Through His Teeth, a new commission by Luke Bedford for Royal Opera House, Mad Hatter and Alice’s Mother/ Alice in Wonderland, Minsk Woman in Jonathan Dove’s Flight, Angelina/Cenerentola, Donna Elvira / Don Giovanni, Marcellina / Le nozze di Figaro, Mother / Little Women and Watkins in the new opera Itch for Opera Holland Park, Angelina for Danish National Opera and the Grange Festival, Boy in Joanna Lee’s Way Back Home for English National Opera, performances of Janacek: The Diary of One who Disappeared at the Wigmore Hall and the Wattens Festival, the title role / Mignon for New Sussex Opera, a concert performance of Pinocchio with Cambridge Philharmonic, Brangaene / Tristan und Isolde in concert at the Saffron Walden Concert Hall and Minsk Woman and Hippolyta / A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Scottish Opera. She has sung the roles of Angel 2 and Marie in Written on Skin, by George Benjamin at the Netherlands Opera, Toulouse, Lisbon, Opéra Comique in Paris, The Royal Opera House Covent Garden, La Scala Milan, Lincoln Centre New York, the Wiener Festwochen, and the Bavarian State Opera Munich as well as on a European Tour with Mahler Chamber Orchestra, in Moscow and at the Beijing and Venice Biennale Festivals.
Victoria appears in recital and concert throughout the UK and Europe and recent concert engagements have included the Philharmonia in the Royal Festival Hall, Janacek Diary of one who disappeared for the Hallé, Ascanius/Les troyens with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Colin Davis at the BBC Proms, Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the BBC Proms, de Falla’s El sombrero de tres picos with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Neeme Järvi at the Edinburgh International Festival, Mozart Coronation Mass in the Salzburg Festival with the Mozarteum Orchester and Ivor Bolton, and a recording and concert of Rossini’s Ermioni for Opera Rara.
Other recent and forthcoming concert engagements include a tour to Singapore as well as concerts in London with the London Sinfonietta, Janacek Glagolitic Mass with Cambridge University Music Society, Beethoven 9 for Garsington and for the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra, Verdi Requiem for GSMD, The Dream of Gerontius in Wells Cathedral and with Berliner Kantorei, concerts with the Nash Ensemble at the Wigmore Hall, Tippett’s A Child of our Time with Auckland Philharmonic, Messiah with the Orquesta Sinfonica Castilla y Leon, Britten Spring Symphony with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, concerts with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and a recording of Offenbach Fantasio for Opera Rara.
She continues to study with David Pollard.