Elizabeth Llewellyn facts for kids

Elizabeth Lorraine Llewellyn is a famous English opera singer. She was born in 1974. She first performed with the English National Opera in 2010. A newspaper called The Daily Telegraph named her "Best newcomer" that year. This was for her role as Mimi in the opera La bohème. A BBC writer said she would become "one of the great stars of opera." She was also given an MBE award for her services to music.

Early Life and Early Challenges

Elizabeth Llewellyn was born in South London. Her parents were from Jamaica. From a young age, she loved music. She played the piano and the violin. She also enjoyed singing.

She went to Streatham and Clapham High School. She was inspired by the famous opera singer Jessye Norman. Elizabeth decided to become a singer. She got a spot at the Royal Northern College of Music. This is a special music school in Manchester.

However, she faced a big challenge. She became ill often. This affected her voice. So, at age twenty-two, she stopped singing. She then started working in an information technology company. She helped with hiring and training people.

Returning to Music

Ten years later, Elizabeth decided to return to music. She joined a local group that performed operas. There, a music coach from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama encouraged her. He told her to start singing again.

She studied with a vocal coach named Lillian Watson. She also took a summer opera course in Italy. After this, she joined the Glyndebourne Festival Opera Chorus. While there, she changed her last name. She used her grandfather's name, Llewellyn. This was because another singer already had her original name, Elizabeth Davidson.

Elizabeth continued her training at the National Opera Studio. She received help from the Peter Moores Foundation. In 2009, she won a special award. It was called the Sir Willard White Trophy. She won it at the first Voice of Black Opera competition.

Opera Career Highlights

In 2010, Elizabeth received an exciting invitation. The English National Opera asked her to play Mimi. This was the main role in La bohème. Her performance was highly praised. The Guardian newspaper called her "the evening's real star."

In 2011, she took on another big role. With only 36 hours' notice, she sang as the Countess. This was in The Marriage of Figaro at the English National Opera. A reviewer from Opera News said she was "Best of all." He noted her "rich-toned, agile soprano." He also said her performance was amazing because she was a last-minute replacement. This showed her potential as a rising star.

In November 2012, she played Micaela in Carmen. A critic from The Guardian said she was "going from strength to strength." In March 2013, she performed as Amelia in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra. She handled one of Verdi's hardest songs with great skill.

On October 13, 2019, Elizabeth made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She played the role of Bess in Porgy and Bess. This is a famous opera by George Gershwin.

In May 2021, Elizabeth released her first album. It was called Heart & Hereafter: Songs of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Elizabeth Llewellyn was honored in 2022. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This award was given for her great contributions to music.