Vanessa Woodward

Cast Members > Vanessa Woodward

Vanessa Woodward

Contralto / Artistic Director & Co-founder

Accomplished Classical Singer and Versatile Performer

Vanessa originally studied music at Colchester Institute and later gained an advanced postgraduate diploma (voice) from Trinity College of Music, where she was awarded the Wilfred Greenhouse prize for Oratorio and Cantata. Vanessa studies singing with Quentin Hayes. Her early professional career was as a singer/guitarist in rock and folk bands, before resuming her classical singing career. She is experienced as an oratorio soloist and also enjoys Lieder and 20th century British Song. With Opera Anywhere, Vanessa has performed in some unusual situations, including performing ‘soap opera scenes’ on ITV’s ‘This Morning’! Operatic roles include Nireno / Giulio Cesare (Handel Opera Company), Princess / Suor Angelica, Popova / The Bear by Walton (‘In Tune’, BBC Radio 3), Baba / The Medium, Miss Baggot / The Little Sweep, Miss Todd / The Old Maid and the Thief and 3rd lady/3rd boy / The Magic Flute.

Productions

The Magic Flute

The Mikado

H.M.S Pinafore

Iolanthe

The Pirates of Penzance

Amahl & the Night Visitors

Opera’s Heroines & Sister Angelica

Patience

The Magic of Opera

The Marriage of Figaro

Trial by Jury

What Our Audience Say

☆☆☆☆☆

The Mikado at Sutton Courtenay

"Thanks for the super evening at the Mikado on Saturday - we all loved it, including the 10 year old who baulks at anything that isn't Taylor Swift" - Sophie S, audience member

The Mikado at Sutton Courtenay

Once again, many thanks and congratulations for a fabulous performance last night. The Mikado has some great songs and your cast performed them all with sheer brilliance. Not only do they all have wonderful voices but their acting ability is outstanding. It is hard to believe that such a professional performance can be put on in a village church. It was worthy of any West End stage. - James & Ursula White

Denise – event organiser, Northmoor ‘Pirates’

Omg that was simply spectacular and has left the village of Northmoor and wider afield on cloud nine. Wow 🤩 is all I can say, completely surpassed everyone’s expectations in all aspects. Thank you

Henry and Lindsay Herford

What a splendid evening! Pirates was a great village event, and we’re sure you felt the audience’s enjoyment. I think it’s safe to say that nothing quite like it has ever been done in our church’s 760 years’ history! We’re already thinking about what next.

Anthony Pinching, Director, Pinner Music Festival

After the second half, people were in tears or close, and visibly moved by their engagement with the opera, which mirrored the total engagement of Megan and the whole cast – each one a star! People will remember this production for a very long time.

Nicola

Superb Hansel and Gretel by Opera Anywhere this evening. Brilliant cast and imaginative direction. Go see!

Audience Member

We are all absolutely delighted, deeply impressed and profoundly moved by Opera’s Heroines & Sister Angelica.

Nicola Harvey

What a performance it was! Even in its cleverly adapted and shorter form, with a trio of instrumentalists (cello, flute and piano) replacing the orchestra, everything that makes The Magic Flute so wonderful was there… All in all, this performance of The Magic Flute will be remembered and talked about by our family and the friends who came with us for a very long time.

Michael

The final 10 minutes of the first half of Hansel and Gretel caught me in the throat and heart. The tears were equally shared in the final part of the second half. I found it very moving. One of those rare moments when, despite all that was going on, I could hear a pin drop in my heart.

Audience Member

Came to see it, thought it was absolutely fabulous, and a young child in the front row entranced.

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