Kishani Jayasinghe - soprano
Sri Lankan soprano Kishani Jayasinghe was a member of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House from 2006 to 2008. She made her Royal Opera debut as Chloë The Queen of Spades, followed by Ines Il trovatore, Giannetta L’elisir d’amore, Flowermaiden Parsifal, Papagena Die Zauberflöte and Barbarina Le nozze di Figaro. In 2007/8 she covered the roles of Lauretta Gianni Schicchi, Zerlina Don Giovanni, Adina L’elisir d’amore, Pamina Die Zauberflöte, Echo Ariadne auf Naxos and Susanna Le nozze di Figaro for the Royal Opera House. Recent engagements elsewhere include Sifare Mitridate with the Classical Opera Company (Sadler’s Wells/Buxton Festival) Rosina The Ghosts of Versailles and Gotran Une education manquée (Wexford Festival), her Italian debut as Mimí La Bohème at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona and Countess Le Nozze di Figaro at the Garsington Opera Festival.
Other roles include Fiordiligi Così fan tutte, Dido Dido and Aeneas, Sandrina La finta giardiniera, Leïla The Pearl Fishers and Soprano Actress A Night at the Chinese Opera. Concert repertoire includes Mozart Exsultate jubilate, Mass in C minor, Requiem and Vespers, Mendelssohn Elijah and Hymn of Praise, Handel Messiah, Beethoven Mass in C and Choral Fantasy, Vaughan Williams Dona nobis pacem, Berg Sieben Frühe Lieder and Strauss Vier Letzte Lieder. Recent concert engagements include Haydn’s Creation and Verdi’s Requiem, recitals in Holland, Sri Lanka and at the Sao Paolo theatre in Brazil, and with the Royal Opera at Buckingham Palace for Prince Charles’ 60th Birthday Celebrations.
She obtained a LLB (2001) and LLM in International Commercial Law (2002) from the University of Nottingham whilst studying singing with Pamela Cook in Mansfield. In 2002 Kishani was awarded a full scholarship to study singing and opera at the Royal Academy of Music in London where she studied with Noelle Barker, Audrey Hyland and Jonathan Papp. She is currently an Associate Artist of the Classical Opera Company.
Kishani Jayasinghe was recently a prizewinner at the Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition in Helsinki. Other competition successes include the top female prize at the Francesc Viňas International Vocal Competition 2009 in Barcelona, the Arlene Auger Prize for the Most Accomplished All Round Singer (Opera, Lied and Oratorio) at the Dutch International Vocal Competition 2008 and the 2nd Prize in the Leyla Gencer Voice Competition 2008 in Istanbul. Other awards also include Sri Lankan Young Musician of the Year 1995, Winner Concerto Competition 1996, Royal Overseas League Scholarship for summer music study, Isabel Jay Operatic Prize, Elena Gerhardt Lieder Prize, John Warner Award for Young Singers and the Worshipful Company of Musicians’ Silver Medal for Musical Excellence. In 2009 she received the Arts and Culture Award at the 10th Asian Women of Achievement Awards.
Future engagements include Donna Elvira (Opera Theater of St Louis).