Opera Scotland

Richard Jackson Suggest updates

Born Cornwall 1960.

English baritone.

Richard Jackson has had a notable career as an interpreter of French, German and English song, as well as concert works and oratorio. His operatic work concentrated on modern chamber pieces, though he did appear with some of the mainstream British companies. He is perhaps best known for his work as part of the long-lasting recital group Songmakers' Almanac, with pianist Graham Johnson and singers Felicity Lott, Ann Murray and Anthony Rolfe Johnson (with appearances at many major international venues, including the Edinburgh Festival).

He sang in the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, before training in London at the Guildhall. He later studied privately with the great French baritone Pierre Bernac.

His operatic appearances at the Aldeburgh Festival include the title role in Eugene Onegin (conducted by Rostropovich) and he created the title role in The Wildman (Nicola Le Fanu). With the Glyndebourne Tour he sang Olivier in Capriccio and Papageno (in John Cox's Zauberflöte production designed by David Hockney). For Opera North he sang Nardo in Mozart's La finta giardiniera. Appearances at ENO include the multiple roles of Valet, Klausewitz, Berthier and Ramballe in War and Peace. At the Camden Festival he was in Menotti's own production of Maria Golovin (British premiere). Later, for the Almeida Festival, he appeared in the British premiere of Jakob Lenz (Rihm) and in Stephen Oliver's Mario and the Magician. He also played Christus in Jonathan Miller's staging of the St Matthew Passion, which toured to France, Spain and the UK. Performances of Dido and Aeneas include a series of concerts with the SCO and Dame Janet Baker - her final operatic appearances in Scotland.