Joanna Harries

Born in New Zealand and raised in Wales, mezzo soprano Joanna Harries was a choral scholar at the University of Cambridge before training at the Royal Northern College of Music, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the National Opera Studio. She is a City Music Foundation artist 2024-26, and a former Opera Prelude Young Artist, Britten Pears Young Artist and Handel House Talent Artist.

Season highlights include the release of her album Letters from Scandinavia, with Sholto Kynoch; appearances at the Oxford International Song Festival and Brighton Early Music Festival; and Suzy/Lolette in La rondine with Opera Rara, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC singers, both in concert and recording.

In recent seasons she has performed Medoro Orlando (Buxton International Festival); Prince/Stepmother Little Listeners Cinderella (Opera North); Lucinda La forza dell’amor paterno (Barber Opera); Contessa Ceprano Rigoletto (Opera Holland Park), Deborah Robinson Crusoe (West Green House Opera); and Tweedledee Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (IF Opera).

Her operatic roles stretch from baroque to contemporary and include the title role Sāvitri (Hampstead Garden Opera); Dido Dido and Aeneas (Dartington Arts Festival); Zerlina Don Giovanni (Merry Opera Company); Karolka Jenůfa and Varava Kát’a Kabanová (Fulham Opera); Drummer The Emperor of Atlantis in Polly Graham’s production (Loud Crowd and CHROMA); and Nun The Fiery Angel (Scottish Opera); In contemporary music premieres include Tartine in David Blake & Keith Warner’s Scoring a Century (British Youth Opera); and Awen (cover) Pwyll ap Sion’s Gair ar Gnawd (Welsh National Opera).

As concert soloist Joanna has performed Bach Christmas Oratorio (Snape Maltings); Macmillan Seven Last Words From The Cross (BBC Philharmonic); Bach Easter Oratorio (Bach Festival Świdnica, Poland); Bach St. Matthew Passion (Skipton Camerata); Handel Messiah (Lincoln Cathedral); Haydn Theresienmesse (Chester Cathedral); and Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 (Sheffield Cathedral). A keen recitalist, Joanna has performed at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Snape Maltings, Pushkin House, the Elgar Concert Hall and Royal Opera House.

Her discography includes recordings La princesse de Trébizonde (Opera Rara); her debut song album Letters from Scandinavia with pianist Sholto Kynoch (CRD Records); with her second album, Nightingale, with pianist Jong Sun Woo due for release in 2026.

Joanna is co-founder with Jess Dandy of SongPath, bringing together music, nature and mental health in specially curated outdoor events. Since 2019 they have worked with mental health organisations across the UK and festivals including Beverley Early Music Festival, the London Handel Festival, Oxford International Song Festival, Leeds Lieder and Ulverston International Music Festival.