Nazan Fikret

Nazan Fikret was born in the UK to Turkish and Irish parents and is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She is a former Making Music AYCA Winner, a Britten-Pears Young Artist and a recipient of an International Opera Awards Bursary.

In the current season engagements include her return to English Touring Opera as Teofane in Handel’s Ottone and her debut with Welsh National Opera as First Lady in The Magic Flute.

Highlights in recent seasons include Queen of the Night Die Zauberflöte for Glyndebourne, Opera på Skäret and Garsington Opera; Elin Agreed, a new community opera for Glyndebourne; acclaimed performances as Blonde The Abduction from the Seraglio for English Touring Opera; Arasse Siroe, re de Persia and Handel’s Messiah for the Nederlandse Reisopera; and Euridice Orfeo ed Euridice for Longborough Festival Opera.

Nazan made her operatic debut at the age of thirteen singing Flora The Turn of the Screw in Elijah Moshinsky’s production at Wilton’s Music Hall. She went on to sing the role in Aix-en-Provence (Luc Bondy / Daniel Harding), subsequently touring to La Monnaie, Le Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Theater an der Wien and Edinburgh Festival. She also performed the role for the Nederlandse Reisopera (Stephen Langridge), and while a student at the GSMD for English National Opera and Teatro Real (David McVicar).

Her operatic roles include Diane Disney The Perfect American by Philip Glass, in the world première at the Teatro Real and for English National Opera; Ninetta La Périchole (Garsington Opera); Fiordiligi Così fan tutte for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra / European Opera Centre; How the Whale Became by Julian Philips (Royal Opera House); Madame Herz The Impresario (Edinburgh Fringe Festival); Queen of the Night The Magic Flute (Wexford Festival Opera and Rota das Artes, Lisbon); Governess The Turn of the Screw (Seastar Opera); and contemporary opera scenes for Aldeburgh Music’s Jerwood Scheme. Roles understudied include Wendy Peter Pan by Richard Ayres, and Angelika Figaro Gets a Divorce by Elena Langer (Welsh National Opera); Fiorilla Il turco in Italia (Garsington Opera); and Queen of the Night (English National Opera, Welsh National Opera and Scottish Opera).

Nazan has appeared on BBC Radio 3’s In-Tune in The Lads in their Hundreds, in concert with Iain Burnside; sang the soprano solo for the Turkish Hymn (Arditi) for the Turkish Presidential visit to London and performed Walton songs at the City of London Festival. Her concert appearances include Britten The Company of Heaven for Canterbury Choral Society, as well as various recitals and oratorios as a Making Music Young Concert Artist. She also performed as a soloist aboard HMS Havengore for the Queen Elizabeth II’s Official 90th Birthday River Pageant.