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How Music Works with Howard Goodall

Featured Performers:
Elin Manahan Thomas, Soprano

Elin Manahan Thomas
Elin Manahan Thomas
Photo: Stefan Schweiger
One of Wales's leading young sopranos, Elin is the first singer ever to record Bach's Alles mit Gott, a birthday ode written in 1713 and discovered in 2005.

She first received great acclaim for her Pie Jesu on Naxos award-winning recording of the Rutter Requiem, and was recently praised as soloist in Bach's St Matthew Passion at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, under Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

This year, Elin made her debut in the Lincoln Center New York and the San Francisco Symphony Hall with the Mozart Requiem, and the Birmingham Symphony Hall with the Faure Requiem; she has sung Haydn's Creation at Cadogan Hall; and most recently gave a performance of concert arias with the Gabrieli Consort in the Mostly Mozart Festival. This year will also see her release a CD of Alwyn songs with Naxos, and a disc of Handel's Italian Cantatas for Harry Christophers and the Coro label.

On the opera stage, Elin has played the part of Micaela (Bizet Carmen) for CMW, Ninetta (Mozart La Finta Semplice) and Arminda (Mozart La Finta Giardiniera: both for New Chamber Opera), Despina (Mozart Cosi Fan Tutte : Cambridge Opera Society), Mermaid (Weber Oberon ) and Coryphée (Berlioz Les Troyens) at the Châtelet Theatre, Angelica (Handel Orlando: RCM), Constance (Poulenc Dialogue des Carmelites: RCM), Lucy (Menotti The Telephone: RCM), and recently Night / Nymph in the Armonico Consort's acclaimed production of Purcell's Fairy Queen. She has sung as soloist in Bach's Christmas Oratorio in St John's Smith Square with Peter Schreier, and in Mozart's Mass in C Minor in Bristol's Coulston Hall, with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

In 2004 she toured the United States singing as soloist in the Mozart Vespers, Haydn's Heiligemesse and Handel's Dixit Dominus; she sang the Monteverdi Vespers in St Mark's Venice. In 2005 she toured America as the soloist in Tippett's Spirituals for Harry Christophers; she sang the part of First Fairy (Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night’s Dream) in the Palau de Musica, Barcelona; she appeared in Seoul and Kuala Lumpur as Second Woman in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas; and this year she has sung the Brahms Requiem in the Brangwyn Hall, and toured England as Amor (Glück Orfeo). She has performed Judith Weir's King Harald's Saga in collaboration with the composer, and premiered Sir John Tavener’s latest work Shunya at his 60th birthday concert.

Elin studied as a post-graduate at the Royal College of Music, and was awarded the Ted Moss and Bertha Stach-Taylor Lieder Prize. In 2005 she was a finalist in the prestigious Joaninha Award. Future work includes Haydn's Missa Brevis with Britten Sinfonia; Pamina (The Magic Flute) with the Armonico Consort; and a tour of the John Passion in Spain for Harry Christophers.

In How Music Works, Elin performs Dido's Lament by Purcell accompanied by Colin Alexander on cello.

Find out more about Elin Manahan Thomas >

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