IMOGEN GARNER

Mezzo-soprano

Imogen Garner was born and raised in Cheshire where she lives with her husband and  young children. She read Economics at Sheffield University and followed her graduation with a years teacher training at Manchester University. Between 1998-2001 Imogen studied at the Royal Northern College of Music. She sang the role of Zweite Dame in the college production of Die Zauberfloete and later in 2000 was invited to sing Despina in Cosi fan tutte for Opera Garden, a new and very successful project led by the singer Gidon Saks.

In 2001 Imogen sang the key roles of La Renomee and Junon in the UK's first staged erformance of Lully's Isis conducted by Jeffrey Skidmore.

Since finishing her postgraduate diploma at the RNCM Imogen has sung the title role in Dido and Aeneas at the Lowry Centre, Salford, has toured nationally with Opera Box and Swansea City Opera singing Dorabella and Mercedes in Cosi fan tutte and Carmen.  For the Opera School Wales Imogen has performed Mallika, Rose and Ottone in productions of Lakme and The Coronation of Poppea.

As part of the Buxton Opera Festival 2003 Imogen covered Hansel in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel.  She has sung supporting roles for Simply Opera, Opera Femina and Mananan Opera.

More recently Imogen has worked for Scottish Opera singing in both Lucia di Lammermoor and Madama Butterfly.

Imogen sang in the first performances of the newly created Northern England Chorale in Finland. She has since repeated the programme of Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle and Vivaldi's Gloria for the Lindow Singers, Nantwich and Sale Choral Societies.

Alongside Mozart's Requiem, Handel's Messiah and Elgar's Dream of Gerontius Imogen has enjoyed more unusual concert repertoire including Ramirez's Misa Criolla, Brusa's Missa pro Defunctis and Scarlatti's Miserere performed with the Manchester Camerata, Sheffield Bach Choir and Ulverston Choral Society.

Imogen is a very keen recitalist and has performed to audiences throughout the North West.