Anna Harvey

Mezzo-soprano

"Anna Harvey's performance here is remarkable: not just delivering great arias such as and with clarity, energy and feeling, but also catching the macho swagger..."

Richard Morrison, Times

"Harvey was simply wonderful, and her aria in Cantata No. 11, was the evenings high point."

New York Times

"Anna Harvey, both uptight and sexy as Popova, sounded impressively ample and seamless."

Opera

"The singing was uniformly excellent, with the vocal highlights coming from … most particularly, Anna Harvey’s excellent Cherubino."

Independent

"Anna Harvey's gleefully priapic Lapák shone... she revealed a big, bright, characterful mezzo that's surely destined for exciting things."

What’s on Stage

"Anna Harvey stood out among the quartet of soloists with her rich tone and sensitive phrasing."

Tim Ashley, Guardian

"Harvey has a naturally youthful mezzo, and the higher register is in perfect condition, gleaming at the very top. Everything she sang was packed with flavour"

Bachtrack

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British mezzo Anna Harvey is the winner of the First Prize (Prix Pierre Verne) in the 2022 Paris Opera Competition. This season, she sings the roles of Suzuki Madama Butterfly, Zweite Dame Die Zauberflöte, Octavian Der Rosenkavalier, Olga Eugene Onegin, Mary Der fliegende Holländer, and Blumenmädchen Parsifal at Deutsche Oper am Rhein, where she is a member of the solo ensemble. Other recent roles include Hänsel Hänsel und Gretel, Prinz Orlofsky Die Fledermaus, Meg Page Falstaff, Brigitta Die Tote Stadt, Annio La clemenza di Tito, Varvara Káťa Kabanová, Flosshilde Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung, Siegrune Die Walküre, Polina/Daphnis Pique Dame, The Child L’enfant et les sortilèges, Bejlia Weinberg’s Mazeltov, and Flora La Traviata.

In concert this season she sings Haydn’s Nelson Mass with the Tonhalle Düsseldorf and Bach’s St John Passion with the Tampere Philharmonic in Finland. Recent engagements include Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de Dominica and Coronation Mass with the Gaechinger Cantorey, Handel’s Messiah at the Royal Festival Hall, Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with Orchestre de Picardie, Dvorak’s Mass in D at Winchester Cathedral, Mahler’s Symphony No.2 in her hometown of Sheffield, and Flosshilde/Erda Das Rheingold with Orchestra of the Music Makers in Singapore.

A keen recitalist, Anna has performed solo recitals at venues including the Wigmore Hall, Holywell Music Room, Kettle’s Yard, Garrick Club, and St George’s, Hanover Square, and was a finalist at the 2019 DAS LIED competition. Her disc of Songs by Warlock and Howe was released on Rubicon in 2022.

Anna studied on the opera course at the Royal Academy of Music under Elizabeth Ritchie and Iain Ledingham, graduating with the Alumni Development Award for a singularly distinguished studentship. She is the recipient of numerous prizes, including the Oratorio and Audience Prizes at the Grand Final of the International Vocal Competition ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2017, the London Bach Society Bach Singers Prize in 2015 and a Leonard Ingrams Foundation Award from Garsington Opera in 2014. At the Royal Academy of Music she was awarded the English and Russian Song Prizes and the Fordyce and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Scholarships.

This biography is for information only and should not be reproduced.

Der fliegende Holländer (Mary)

Deutsche Oper am Rhein (June 2024)

English mezzo Anna Harvey is an outstanding actress perfectly cast in the role of Mary. Vocally, it is not a demanding role, often given to singers past their prime. But Harvey is quite young, so her resonant voice was a luxury in the role. Given her immense charisma, one would like to hear her in more substantial roles.

Ossama el Naggar, ConcertoNet

Eugene Onegin (Olga)

Deutsche Oper am Rhein (February 2024)

Anna Harvey endows Olga with refreshing flirtatiousness and youthful sensitivity.

Dr. Ralf Siepmann, Opera Online

Bach St John Passion, Tampere Filharmonia

Tampere Hall (March 2024)

…there was a marvelous cast featuring some of the frontline Bach singers of our time… mezzo-soprano Anna Harvey, fresh from her London performances with the Hanover Band, delivered memorable accounts of the alto arias.

Jari Kallio, Adventures in Music

Haydn Nelson Mass, Düsseldorfer Symphoniker

Tonhalle Düsseldorf (January 2024)

The rest of the trio is exemplary: Anna Harvey's elegant mezzo

Regine Müller, Rheinische Post

Der Rosenkavalier (Octavian)

Deutsche Oper am Rhein (December 2023)

Anna Harvey gave an outstanding performance as Octavian. Her beautiful, clear, pure but powerful voice did full justice to all the emotional interplay that this young man gets caught up in. Also in her acting she was at the height of her game, and with her outward[1]looking energy, formed a clear contrast to the more inward-looking Marschallin... Scenically it crackled wonderfully as the two young people [Octavian and Sophie] came closer to each other until they touched. Music, staging and acting came together as one.

Florian Steindl, Forum con Brio

Anna Harvey was a very playful Octavian with a high mezzo...When Sophie and Octavian stepped in front of the curtain at the end, there was a loud storm of bravos, and there was a standing ovation with bravos and bravis for almost 10 minutes.

Alfred Schmidt, Tamino Klassikforum

Das Rheingold (Flosshilde/Erda), Orchestra of the Music Makers

The Esplanade Singapore (July 2023)

The level of the cast matched that of the orchestra… Together with Anna Harvey [the Rhinemaidens] made for a vivacious trio.

Robert Markow, Opera Magazine

Mezzo-soprano Anna Harvey (also appearing later as Erda) tackled Flosshilde with such allure that it made it all the more believable that Alberich (German baritone, Joachim Goltz) would renounce love once and for all.

Derek Lim, The Flying Inkpot

Joined by Anna Harvey, who also sang the Earth goddess Erda, (the Rhinemaidens) were the embodiment of innocence, ignorance and loss.

Chang Tou Liang, The Straits Times

Madama Butterfly (Suzuki)

Deutsche Oper am Rhein (August 2023)

Once again the singing is first-class, especially the soprano Liana Aleksanyan as Cio-Cio[1]San and the tenor Eduardo Aladrèn as Pinkerton. The mezzo-soprano Anna Harvey was cheered almost as much as them, as Cio-Cio-San’s confidant Suzuki.

Wolfram Goertz, Rheinische Post

Anna Harvey depicts Suzuki’s believable transformation from Cio-Cio-San’s talkative companion to a compassionate friend.

Rudolf Hermes, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung

Donizetti Messa di Requiem, Klangvokal Musikfestival Dortmund

(June 2023)

In the subsequent "Praeces meae" we find Anna Harvey (with her darkly coloured mezzo soprano), Cardoso and Alcántara in a moving trio of haunting intimacy.

Thomas Molke, Online Musik Magazin

Die Tote Stadt (Brigitta), Deutsche Oper am Rhein

Opernhaus Düsseldorf (April 2023)

Anna Harvey, with a dark-timbred mezzo, the unusually interesting housekeeper Brigitta.

Judith von Sternburg, Frankfurter Rundschau

The most beautiful vocal moments of this evening, however, came from Anna Harvey as Paul’s housekeeper: a wonderful mezzo with groundedness, mystery and warmth.

Wolfram Goertz, Rheinische Post

Anna Harvey acts as his faithful housekeeper Brigitta, who makes a tremendous vocal impression with her short appearances.

Joachim Lange, Klassikinfo.de

Brigitta, his housekeeper… who is performed in an engaging and confident way by mezzo-soprano Anna Harvey.

Dr. Ralf Siepmann, Opera Online

Almost more interesting than this character is the housekeeper Brigitta, portrayed as a young girl by Anna Harvey with a beautiful voice.

Stefan Schmöe, Online Musik Magazin

Anna Harvey is a touching Brigitta.

Michael Kaminski, Concerti

Anna Harvey’s full-blooded Brigitta...

Eleanor Knight, Bachtrack

Anna Harvey possesses a mezzo-soprano voice that is stimulating in the lower range, lively, charming, and powerful in the higher register.

Ingrid Freiberg, IOCO Kultur im Netz

From the supporting roles, Anna Harvey is remarkable as Brigitta, Paul's maid, displaying an ample and rich mezzo-soprano which we would like to hear in Wagner soon.

Nicolas Bonnaud, Le Forum

The smaller parts are also well cast. The Housekeeper Brigitta with Anna Harvey's mellow timbre…

Sabine Weber, Klassik Favori

Anna Harvey delves into the text in such a comprehensible way as the caring Brigitta, who brings her own spiritual abysses into the morbid housekeeping of Paul's ‘Church of the Past’.

Stephan Schwarz-Peters, Oper!

Anna Harvey's Brigitta…is characterised by a tremendous amount of warmth.

Jochen Rüth, Der Opernfreund

Anna Harvey clearly upgrades the small part of the housekeeper Brigitta with a penetrating mezzo.

Regine Müller, Rondo

Mozart Vesperae solennes de Domenica and Krönungsmesse

Gaechinger Cantorey (February 2023)

Anna Harvey (alto), Patrick Grahl (tenor) and Kresimir Strazanac (bass) harmonized in the solo parts.

Dietholf Zerweck, Ludwigsburger Kreiszeitung

Anna Harvey Recital Repertoire Excerpts

BRAHMS

Zwei Gesänge for Alto, Viola and Piano

BRITTEN

A Charm of Lullabies

DE FALLA

Siete Canciones populares Españoles

DRING

Seven Shakespeare Songs

FINZI

Let Us Garlands Bring

POULENC

La Courte Paille

SCHUMANN

Frauenliebe und –leben
Maria Stuart Lieder

STRAUSS

Drei Lieder nach Gedichten von Otto Julius Bierbaum

​* Role prepared but not performed​

Anna Harvey Concert Repertoire

CPE BACH

Magnificat

JS BACH

Ascension Oratorio
B Minor Mass
Cantatas BWV 3, 5, 12, 35, 36, 41, 62, 72, 75, 76, 79, 118, 121, 144, 150, 169, 170, 174, 183, 200, 214
Christmas Oratorio
Easter Oratorio
G Minor Mass
John Passion
Magnificat*
Matthew Passion*

BEETHOVEN

Mass in C
Missa Solemnis*
Symphony No. 9

BERLIOZ

Les nuits d’été

BRAHMS

Alto Rhapsody

BRITTEN

Abraham and Isaac
Phaedra

DURUFLÉ

Requiem

ELGAR

Sea Pictures
The Dream of Gerontius

GRIEG

Orchestral Songs

HANDEL

Dixit Dominus
Messiah
Jephtha

HAYDN

Arianna a Naxos
Berenice, che fai?
Creation Mass
Maria Theresa Mass
Mass in Time of War
Missa Cellensis
Nelson Mass
St Nicholas Mass

JANACEK

The Diary of One Who Disappeared

LOEWE

Passions-Oratorium (UK premiere)

MAHLER

Das Lied von der Erde
Symphony No. 2

MENDELSSOHN

Die erste Walpurgisnacht*
Elijah

MOZART

Domenican Vespers
Masses KV 194, 257, 275, 317, 427
Requiem
Vesperae Solennes

PERGOLESI

Magnificat
Stabat Mater

PROKOFIEV

Alexander Nevsky

RESPIGHI

Il tramonto

ROSSINI

Petite Messe Solenelle

SCHUBERT

Mass D452

SPOHR

The Last Judgement

VERDI

Requiem

VIVALDI

Gloria
La Senna Festeggiante
Magnificat

Anna Harvey Opera Repertoire

ALBRECHT

Kay (Die Schneekönigin)

ALDERSON/EDIS

Jean (The Choker, world première)

BERG

Groom/Theatergardrobiere/Gymnasiast (Lulu)

BERLIOZ

Béatrice (Béatrice et Bénédict)

BRITTEN

Hippolyta (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

CAVALLI

Diana (La Calisto)

CIMAROSA

Fidalma (Il matrimonio segreto)

CHEW

Mary (Daughter of the Sea, world première)

EVERS

Gold!

HANDEL

Ariodante (Ariodante)
Bradamante (Alcina)
Goffredo (Rinaldo)
Sesto (Giulio Cesare in Egitto)

HUMPERDINCK

Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel)

JANACEK

Lapak the Dog (The Cunning Little Vixen)
Forester's Wife, Owl, Woodpecker, Pasek's Wife (The Cunning Little Vixen)*
Mayor’s Wife (Jenůfa)*

LANGER

Serafin (Figaro Gets a Divorce)

MOZART

Annio (La Clemenza di Tito, concert version)
Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro)
Dorabella (Così fan tutte)
Ramiro (La Finta Giardiniera)
Sesto (La Clemenza di Tito)
Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte)

POULENC

La Grosse Dame (Les Mamelles de Tirésias)

PUCCINI

Suzuki (Madama Butterfly)

RAVEL

Enfant / Das Eichhörnchen (L’Enfant et les sortilèges)

ROSSINI

Angelina / Tisbe (La Cenerentola)
Zulma (L’Italiana in Algeri)

SMETANA

Ludmila (The Bartered Bride)

STRAUSS (Johann/Richard)

Dryade (Ariadne auf Naxos)
Magd II (Elektra)
Magd IV / Schleppträgerin (Elektra)
Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus)
Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier)*
Page (Salome)

STRAVINSKY

Die weiße Katze (Petrushka)

SULLIVAN

Queen of the Fairies (Iolanthe)
Kate (The Pirates of Penzance)

TASSIE

Black Bile (The Anatomy of Melancholy)

TCHAIKOVSKY

Larina / Olga (Eugene Onegin)
Polina / Daphnis (Pique Dame)

TIPPETT

Astron (The Ice Break)

VERDI

Flora Bervoix (La Traviata)

WEBER

Puck (Oberon)

WAGNER

Flosshilde (Das Rheingold / Götterdämmerung)

WALTON

Popova (The Bear)

WEIR

The Consolations of Scholarship

​* Role prepared but not performed​

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