Spotlight on Soloist – Gaynor Morgan

Gaynor Morgan was born in Cardiff, Wales and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London where she gained an AGSM in Singing.  She then went on to complete the Guildhall Post-Graduate Opera Course under Johanna Peters.  Gaynor also studied at the European Opera Centre in Belgium with the aid of scholarships from the Countess of Munster Trust.

Gaynor made her UK debut for GlyndebourneTouring Opera, singing Barbarina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro under the direction of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. As a result Gaynor was invited to make her Glyndebourne Festival Opera debut in the same role in 1991 under Sir Andrew Davis. At Glyndebourne, Gaynor also covered several major roles in the Festival including Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Miss Wordsworth in Britten’s Albert Herring, Zdenka in Arabella and Mrs Frestln in the world premiere of The Electrification of The Soviet Union.Gaynor performed roles throughout the UK with English Touring Opera including Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring, Papagena in Die Zauberflote, Nannetta in Verdi’s Falstaff under Stephen Barlow and Ivor Bolton and Norina in Don Pasquale for the Cheltenham Festival.  For Music Theatre London, she also sang Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Cosi fanTutte at Kammerspiel Theater in Hamburg. Gaynor made her debut in France in 1997 with Jean-Claude Malgloire and the AtelierLyrique de Tourcoing singing Despina in Cosi fan Tutte in Massy, Brest and San Brieuc.

Gaynor Morgan – Soprano

As a concert soloist Gaynor has performed at major concert venues throughout the UK. This includes the world premiere of Elgar’s The Spanish Lady with Bryn Terfel at St. John’s, Smith Square, London.  She has also performed with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in Rossini’s Stabat MaterBBC Symphony Orchestra in Zemlinsky’s Der Zwerg (also recorded for BBC Radio 3).

Gaynor’s recordings include Milhaud’s Les Malheurs d’Orphee for ASV with London’s Matrix Ensemble under Robert Ziegler and Mozart’s Le Nozze diFigaro for the Auvidis Astree under Jean Claude Malgoire in Paris.In 2005, Gaynor made her Australian operatic debut with Opera Queensland in the role of the Governess in Britten’s Turn of the Screw. She also covered the role of Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, singing the final performance in the season. She has since covered the role for Opera Australia in Melbourne and Sydney. Gaynor returned to Opera Queensland in 2008 to sing the role of First Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

In  2009 she was soprano soloist in Opera Queensland’s Sunset Opera on South Bank.

In  the 2010 season Gaynor sang the role of Praskowia and understudied the title role in The Merry Widow. She performed the role of the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro as part of  the 2010 Brisbane Festival with the Queensland Orchestra.

Gaynor has been a guest lecturer at the Griffith University Queensland Conservatorium and given Master classes and directed and conducted the Val Machin Opera Scenes.

This year she has been a guest professor at the University of Queensland. Gaynor is also a vocal examiner for the AMEB.