Beth Taylor

Beth Taylor, contralto (Cornelia)

Lauded by the Guardian for her “dark and focused” voice, “sensational coloratura,” and “spectacular singing,” Beth Taylor is one of today’s most electrifying singers. This season, she makes her title role debut in Rossini’s La Cenerentola at the Opéra de Nancy, with performances in Luxembourg, Caen, and Reims. Along with her current tour with the English Concert as Cornelia in Handel’s Giulio Cesare—which includes stops at Carnegie Hall and the Barbican Centre in London—she appears as Lisea in Vivaldi’s Arsilda, regina di Ponto in Amsterdam and Madrid. Taylor also appears in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Berlin Philharmonic in Baden-Baden; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Haydn’s Harmoniemesse at the Paris Philharmonie; Harmonienmesse at the Konzerthaus Berlin; Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Das Lied von der Erde with the Orchestre de chambre de Paris; Alma Mahler’s Fünf Lieder with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra; Michael Haydn’s and Mozart’s Requiem with the Handel and Haydn Society for her debut in Boston; Tippett’s A Child of our Time at Glyndebourne; Elgar’s Sea Pictures for BBC National Orchestra of Wales; and de Falla’s El amor brujo with the Tonkünstler Orchestra.

Recent performances include Cornelia and Bradamante in Handel’s Alcina at Glyndebourne; Arsace in Rossini’s Semiramide, La Cieca in Ponchielli’s La Gioconda, and Erda in Wagner’s Das Rheingold for the Deutsche Oper Berlin; Giuliano Gordio in Cavalli’s Eliogabalo in Zurich; Falliero in Rossini’s Bianca e Falliero and Dardano in Handel’s Amadigi di Gaula in Frankfurt; Anna in Berlioz’ Les Troyens at the Salzburg Festival, Berlin Festival, BBC Proms, and the Berlioz Festival; Sorceress in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas at the Teatro Real Madrid, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, and Théâtre des Champs-Elysées; Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the London Philharmonic; Mozart’s Requiem at the BBC Proms and Paris Philharmonie; and Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius in Dublin.

Taylor is also a popular recitalist, having performed with Malcolm Martineau at the Buxton Festival, among others.

She is a grand finalist of the 2023 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, the winner of the 2022 Elizabeth Connell Award, and Third Prize at the 2019 Wigmore Hall Competition.

A graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Open University, Taylor has also studied with Jennifer Larmore and Iain Paton.