INDEPENDENT OPERA at Sadler's Wells · Artist support

Meeta Raval Soprano

Recipient of INDEPENDENT OPERA Vocal Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music & National Opera Studio

Meeta Raval was born in the UK and attended the Wells Cathedral School where she was one of the first Head Girl Choristers in the country. Whilst there she became a specialist musician and was granted the first vocal scholarship ever awarded by the School. She went on to graduate from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a First Class Honours Degree in Music and a Diploma of Distinction in performance of Opera from the Royal Academy of Music (RAM). She then attended the National Opera Studio.

Meeta Raval’s many scholarships and awards include the Dame Eva Turner Prize for “a soprano with dramatic potential”. She was the inaugural prize winner of both the RAM Pavarotti Prize and the British Youth Opera (BYO) Basil Turner prize. She was the recipient of the Independent Opera Vocal Scholarship at RAM and NOS and was also kindly supported by the Simon Fletcher Charitable Trust. During her studies at RAM she was awarded the Maidment Scholarship and Sybill Tutton Opera Award.

Her roles at the RAM included Amaranta La fedelta premiata under Trevor Pinnock directed by Alessandro Talevi, Die Knusperhexe Hänsel und Gretel conducted by Sian Edwards and directed by John Ramster and Contessa Le nozze di Figaro conducted by Sir Colin Davis and directed by John Copley.

Meeta Raval has participated in masterclasses with John Copley, José Cura, Dame Ann Murray, and with Mirella Freni at the Solti Te Kanawa Accademia di Bel Canto, Italy.

Operatic performances included her debut as First Flower Maiden Parsifal for English National Opera, Teresa Das Wundertheater (Henze) in Montepulciano, Micaela Carmen in Banff, Canada, Magda La Rondine for British Youth Opera.

Meeta Raval has a busy concert diary. She has sung Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder (Warwick Arts Centre), Strauss’ Vier letze Lieder (Cambridge Symphony Orchestra) Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem (Cambridge philharmonic society), Dvořák Stabat Mater (Axminster choral society), Verdi Requiem (Merriman Concert Orchestra/Cranleigh Choral society) Bach B Minor Mass (Spitalfields Festival) and her repertoire also includes Bach St Johannes Passion.

Meeta Raval’s recent engagements included the cover of the Contessa Le nozze di Figaro for Scottish Opera, Jonathan Harvey’s Song Offerings conducted by Dominic Wheeler performed in association with the South Bank Centre to mark Messiaen’s Centenary and a BBC Radio 3 broadcast of Discovering Figaro in which she sang the role of the Contessa. Other Radio 3 broadcasts have included Soprano in Janáček’s Diary of One Who Disappeared. For RAI she sang the role of Teresa in Henze’s Das Wundertheater.

Meeta Raval will represent England in the 2011 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.