Sarah Fox

Sarah Fox is one of Britain's most versatile sopranos. She has a large operatic repertory running from Mozart to the 20th century, plus expertise in art song, particularly French mélodies, choral masterpieces from Bach onward, and songs of the American musical stage. Fox was born in Giggleswick in England's North Yorkshire region on September 19, 1973. Her parents were both teachers at the local Giggleswick School, where she began her education. Fox earned a bachelor's degree in music at Royal Holloway College at the University of London in 1995. She went on to study at the Royal College of Music for four years, and significant honors, including the Kathleen Ferrier Award, made her stand out from the crowd of young singers. Fox made her debut at the Glyndebourne Festival in 2000 as Karolka in Janáček's opera Jenufa and was invited back over the next few years to sing several Mozart roles. In 2002, she made her debut on Music from Behind the Lines, an album featuring the music of composer Cecil Coles, slain in World War I. She made her opera house debut in 2005 at London's Covent Garden, singing Woglinde in Wagner's Das Rheingold. Her repertory also includes Micaela in Bizet's Carmen, Mimi in Puccini's La bohème, and Susanna in Mozart's Don Giovanni. She has sung in concert with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Symphony, among other top-flight groups. Fox has performed art song recitals featuring French mélodies and has also favored the vocal repertory of Vaughan Williams. She also sings musical theater repertory with the John Wilson Orchestra, and in 2015, she issued the album The Cole Porter Songbook with pianist James Burton. Fox's recorded repertory showcases her varied interests. She has recorded mostly for the Hyperion, Signum Classics, and Somm labels. In 2013, she was heard on a Signum Classics recording of the rare singspiel-oratorio Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots, K. 35, by the 11-year-old Mozart. Fox recorded Hubert Parry's 12 Sets of English Lyrics in multiple volumes for Somm, and in 2020, she moved to the Chandos label for the world premiere recording of Parry's oratorio Judith. She returned in 2023 on Chandos with more music by Parry, appearing on the world premiere recording of the dramatic cantata Scenes from Shelley's Prometheus Unbound. ~ James Manheim, Rovi