Recent and future engagements include Norma (Opera Holland Park)‚ Caesonia Caligula (English National Opera and Teatro Colón‚ Buenos Aires)‚ Lady Billows Albert Herring (Buxton Festival Opera)‚ Queen of the Fairies Iolanthe‚ Katisha The Mikado (ENO)‚ Spring Beauty Snow Maiden‚ Fricka Das Rheingold and Die Walküre‚ Auntie Peter Grimes‚ Mrs Grose Turn of the Screw and Hippolyta A Midsummer Night’s Dream (all Opera North)‚ Nettie Carousel (Opera North and Barbican‚ London)‚  Mrs Grose (Northern Ireland Opera)‚ Mother Hänsel und Gretel and Mademoiselle Paturelle Vert-Vert(Garsington)‚ Mother in the British premiere of Dove’s Monster in the Maze (LSO at the Barbican) and the title role in Holst’s Savitri with Choros Chamber Choir.

Yvonne Howard studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and performs regularly with all the major UK opera companies.  Early roles included the title role in La Cenerentola with English Touring Opera‚ Marcellina Le Nozze di Figaro with both Glyndebourne Festival and Touring Opera‚ and Fricka and Waltraute in the highly acclaimed City of Birmingham Touring Opera Ring Saga. She made her debut with the Royal Opera House‚ Covent Garden as Mercedes Carmen‚ and subsequent roles there have included Karolka Jenufa‚ Marcellina‚ 2nd & 3rd Lady Die Zauberflöte‚ Suzuki Madama Butterfly‚ Cornelia Giulio Cesare‚ Berta Il Barbière di Siviglia‚ Flower Maiden and the Heavenly Voice Parsifal‚ Ludmilla The Bartered Bride‚ Second Norn Der Ring des Nibelungen‚ Leonore Fidelio and Mother Hänsel und Gretel.

Further UK appearances include Verdi’s Lady Macbeth‚ Eboli Don Carlos‚ Tosca‚ Maddalena Rigoletto‚ Evadne Troilus and Cressida‚ Meg Page Falstaff‚ Auntie Peter Grimes‚ Gertrude Romeo and Juliet and Mother in Jonathan Dove’s Swanhunter (Opera North) ‚ Amastris Xerxes‚ Meg Page‚ Berta‚ Third Lady‚ Second Norn‚ Madam Larina‚ Marcellina and The Innkeeper Boris Godunov (ENO)‚ Norma (ETO)‚ Goffredo Rinaldo (Grange Park Opera)‚ Amneris Aida ( Royal Albert Hall)‚ Laura La Gioconda ‚ Sara Roberto Devereaux and Leonore Fidelio (Opera Holland Park)‚ Dejanira Hercules‚ Meg Page The Merry Wives of Windsor‚ Mab The Fair Maid of Perth‚ Mrs Noye Noye’s Fludde and Estelle/Emerance in Messager’s Veronique (Buxton Festival)‚  the title role in Cherubini’s Medee (Cadogan Hall) and Irene in Donizetti’s Belisario (Queen Elizabeth Hall)‚ both with Chelsea Opera Group‚ and  Myrtle Knight Crew (Glyndebourne).

Engagements abroad have included Xerxes in Sao Paolo‚ Brazil‚ Die Walküre in Paris and Nantes‚ Falstaff and Suzuki Madama Butterfly in Tel Aviv‚ Eduige Rodelinda with Opera Theatre Company throughout Ireland‚ the UK and in New York‚ Azucena Il Trovatore in Ireland‚ Assunta The Saint of Bleecker Street at the Spoleto Festival‚ the title role in Telemaco with the English Bach Festival in London and Athens‚  Irene Theodora in Strasbourg and Azucena Il Trovatore with Den Jyske Opera‚ Denmark.           

Concert and recital work has taken Yvonne to Japan‚ France‚ Spain‚ Scandinavia‚ Switzerland‚ USA and‚ of course‚ throughout Great Britain. She has received great critical acclaim for‚ in particular‚ her interpretation of the Angel in Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius‚ Verdi’s Requiem and the song cycles of Mahler and Berlioz as well as for her performance as Marilyn Klinghoffer in the TV film of John Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer and in Roxanna Panufnik’s Beastly Tales with City of London Sinfonia. Recordings include Sieglinde Die Walküre with Sir Mark Elder (Hallé)‚ the Sweet Swan of Avon (Meridian)‚ Messiah (Arte Nova Classics)‚ Walton’s Troilus & Cressida‚ Moussorgsky’s Boris Godunov and Smetana’s The Bartered Bride (Chandos).