Christine Rice
Christine Imogen Rice MBE is an English operatic mezzo-soprano. She has performed across Europe at venues including the Royal Opera House, the Bavarian State Opera, the Frankfurt Opera, the Teatro Real and the English National Opera. From 2004 to 2006 she was a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist.
Education[edit]
Rice comes from Manchester, England. Her father was a chemistry lecturer and she intended to pursue a career in science. She attended Withington Girls' School and went on to study physics at Balliol College, Oxford before beginning a DPhil which she did not finish. Rice spent a gap year at the Royal Northern College of Music, after which she decided to embark upon a career as a singer.
Musical career[edit]
Her first singing job was as part of the chorus of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Soon after, she signed a four-year contract with the English National Opera, also singing at other opera houses such as La Monnaie, where she was spotted by Antonio Pappano. When he became the music director at the Royal Opera House, he invited her to sing there.
Rice's roles include:
Honours, awards and nominations[edit]
Rice was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award in 2009 for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for her performance in Partenope at The English National Opera and The Minotaur at The Royal Opera House.[1] She was later nominated for an Olivier Award in the same category in 2022 for her performance in 4/4 at The Royal Opera House.[2]
Rice was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to opera.[3]