Opera Scotland

Nan Christie Suggest updates

Born Ayr.

Scottish soprano.

Nan Christie studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, and then at the London Opera Centre with Sir James Caird and Countess of Munster awards.

Her debut with Scottish Opera in 1969 was as Fiametta in The Gondoliers, and Christie returned regularly to the company, throughout her career as her work developed internationally. Her Covent Garden debut in 1971 was as First Esquire in a famous revival of Parsifal conducted by Reginald Goodall.

Early roles with Scottish Opera included Flora, Papagena, Barbarina, Musetta, Lucia (The Rape of Lucretia), First Niece, Tytania, Zerbinetta, and Blonde. She later returned for Queen of Shemakha, Queen of Night, Despina and Birdie Hubbard in Regina. She created Juliette in The Undertaker (Purser 1969) and Galla in The Catiline Conspiracy (Hamilton 1974). Foreign tours with the company included visits to Portugal, Poland, Switzerland and Germany.

Christie was a founder member of Colin Graham's English Music Theatre Company (a development of the English Opera Group), With them, her parts included Sandrina, the title role in Mozart's La finta giardiniera (translated as Sandrina's Secret). She also sang Pamina and created the part of Sophia Western in Tom Jones (Stephen Oliver 1976).

Her Glyndebourne debut in 1977 was as Isotta (Die schweigsame Frau), and she also sang Despina there. Appearances with ENO included Queen of Night.

Work abroad included visits to Brussels, Nancy, Bordeaux and Amsterdam.

Christie was for some time a principal guest artist in Frankfurt, where her repertoire included Blonde, Oscar, Sophie and Marie in Die Soldaten. She sang Giunia in Lucio Silla with Zurich Opera at the Zurich and Lucerne Festivals.

Christie was also Classical Vocal Tutor and Director of OperaGold, the opera company which she established in 2004 at Goldsmiths College in London. With the company, she has designed and directed many productions ranging from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte to Verdi's Rigoletto.