Gweneth Ann Rand - Soprano

At four and a half years old, perched on cushions at The Royal Opera House in London, Gweneth Ann Rand was captivated, and declared she wanted to become an opera singer. With the support of her mother, who was working three jobs to give her the best education she could, Gweneth studied music extensively before joining the first intake of the prestigious Vilar Young Artists Programme at the very same opera house that first inspired her. Although she found it difficult to negotiate her way through the early stages of her career (suffering in the throes of the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition for instance) she found her feet, and despite absolutely hating auditions, went from strength to strength. Gweneth talks openly about the deep losses she encountered at a crucial moment of her career, the freedom of feeling she doesn’t need to be a ‘cookie-cutter’ opera singer, and how she always steps on the stage as if it’s for the last time. You can see Gweneth in The Turn of the Screw from OperaGlass Works (£ or free on trial subscription) here and her recital at the Wigmore Hall with pianist Simon Lepper is available for a limited time here