Barbara Bonney American singer, soprano. Date of Birth: 14.04.1956 Country: USA

Biography of Barbara Bonney

Barbara Bonney is an American soprano singer. She was born in Montclair, New Jersey and began learning to play the piano and cello at a young age. After her family moved to Maine, she played the cello in the city's youth orchestra. She studied German and music at the University of New Hampshire, where she was mentored in vocal technique by Patricia Stedry. She then spent a year at the University of Salzburg, where she switched from piano to vocal studies at the renowned Mozarteum.

In 1979, Barbara joined the Darmstadt Opera as a member of the ensemble. She made her debut on its stage as Anna in "The Merry Wives of Windsor". Over the next five years, she performed in major opera houses in Germany and throughout Europe, including the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and La Scala. In 1987, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, singing the role of Najade in Richard Strauss' "Ariadne auf Naxos". That same year, she also performed at the Vienna Staatsoper as Sophie in "Der Rosenkavalier".

From 1987 onwards, Barbara was invited to perform in the world's leading opera houses. She also showcased her talent at the Salzburg Festival, where she brilliantly portrayed the character of Servilia in Mozart's "La clemenza di Tito". Barbara became renowned not only for her opera roles, in which her beautiful soprano voice allowed her to embody a variety of characters, but also for her solo performances. She recorded over 90 songs, with 15 of them being solo performances.

In 1999, Barbara temporarily left the opera world for two years to focus on her solo performances. However, she later expressed that she missed the sense of community and camaraderie that comes with performing as part of a large ensemble. In 2002, she recorded "The Willow Song" for the album "When Love Speaks", a collection of Shakespearean sonnets and excerpts performed by famous actors and singers.

On August 1, 2006, "IMG Artists" announced the cancellation of all of Barbara's scheduled concerts and that they would no longer represent her in the future. Initially, the exact reasons for this split were not disclosed, with the company citing "personal circumstances". In July 2007, Barbara herself revealed that one of the main reasons was her painful divorce from Maurice Whitaker. However, on March 16, 2007, at the Rheingau Musik Festival, it was announced that Barbara would continue her career. She returned to the stage on July 22, 2007, as a replacement for Renée Fleming.

Barbara Bonney is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music and an honorary professor at London's Royal Academy of Music. She also teaches at the Mozarteum. In addition to her musical career, she is involved in charity work and has established a special fund to support young singers.