Jane Eaglen (born 4 April 1960) is an English dramatic soprano particularly known for her interpretations of the works of

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

and the title roles in Bellini's '' Norma'' and Puccini's '' Turandot''. Her career at the Metropolitan Opera started with her Brunhilde in the Ring Cycle. Eaglen has performed at all major houses globally such as La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera House and many others. She currently resides in Boston, MA as a voice teacher at the New England Conservatory. She is the President and founder of the Boston Wagner Society. Eaglen spends her summers instructing at the Merola opera training program for emerging artists. Every year she judges several voice competitions, including the Laffont-Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Background

Jane Eaglen was born 4 April 1960 in Lincoln,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. She attended South Park High School in Lincoln. She lived on Peel Street. A neighbour noticed Eaglen's musical interest, and she started piano lessons at the age of five, continuing until she was sixteen. Her piano teacher then suggested she take singing lessons, and for a year she studied with a local teacher. After being turned down by the Guildhall School in London, Eaglen auditioned at age eighteen for Joseph Ward, the voice professor at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Ward took Eaglen on as a student and directed her toward roles such as Norma and Brünnhilde. In 1984 she joined the

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...

, and she spent a couple of years singing the First Lady in

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

's '' Die Zauberflöte'' and Berta, the servant in Rossini's '' Il barbiere di Siviglia''. Other roles included Leonora in Verdi's '' Il Trovatore''. She was also cast as Santuzza in Mascagni's '' Cavalleria Rusticana''. Eaglen broke into the major opera scene when she was cast as Donna Anna in Mozart's ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

'' at the Scottish Opera. She went on to sing Brünnhilde and the title roles in ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

'' and ''Norma'' with that company. She made her American debut as Norma in 1994 with Seattle Opera as a last-minute replacement for Carol Vaness, and followed, two weeks later with Brünnhilde at Opera Pacific, a last-minute replacement for Ealynn Voss. Her first Isolde came in 1998 with the Seattle Opera, a company she has returned to often. She repeated the role in 1999 at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

and in 2000 in Chicago.

Career

Eaglen has performed the roles of Isolde (for the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, Gran Teatro del Liceu (Barcelona),

Lyric Opera of Chicago Lyric Opera of Chicago is an American opera company based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox (Chicago opera), Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, w ...

, and in Puerto Rico), Leonore, and Brünnhilde (performed in Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Milan, New York and the UK). Other major performances include Bellini's ''Norma'' (performed for the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, Ravenna Festival with Maestro Muti, and the

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stormed by a ...

); Ariadne for Seattle Opera and in London; Senta ('' Der Fliegende Holländer'') in concert with the

San Francisco Symphony Orchestra The San Francisco Symphony, founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Franci ...

; Ortrud ('' Lohengrin'') and Helen ('' Amelia'') for Seattle Opera; '' La Gioconda'' in Chicago and London; Donna Anna in New York, Vienna, Los Angeles, Munich and Bologna; and many others. Her work on the concert platform includes performances of Strauss’ Four Last Songs'' with

Daniel Barenboim Daniel Moses Barenboim (; born 15 November 1942) is an Argentines, Argentine-Israeli classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin, who also has Spain, Spanish and State of Palestine, Palestinian citizenship. From 1992 until January 2023, Bare ...

with the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...

, and Gerard Schwarz with the Czech Philharmonic; Strauss' final scene of ''

Salome Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...

'' with

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor :wikt:emeritus, emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father ...

and the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

, and Richard Hickox and the London Symphony Orchestra; Wagner''s '' Immolation Scene'' with both

Bernard Haitink Bernard Johan Herman Haitink (; 4 March 1929 – 21 October 2021) was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He was the principal conductor of several international orchestras, beginning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961. He moved to Lond ...

and Jeffrey Tate and the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...

, and

and the NY Phil; Verdi's Requiem with Daniele Gatti and the Orchestra of St Cecilia, Rome; Mahler's ''Eighth Symphony'' with Klaus Tennstedt; '' Nabucco'' with Riccardo Muti for the Ravenna Festival; '' Gurrelieder'' with Claudio Abbado for the

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

and Edinburgh Festivals; ''Die Walküre'' and '' Siegfried'' with James Conlon in Cologne; and many others. Eaglen's many solo albums include arias by Wagner and Bellini, arias by Strauss and Mozart, Strauss' ''Four Last Songs'' and other song cycles, and Italian Opera Arias. Her recording of Wagner's '' Tannhäuser'' with

for Teldec earned a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

for 'Best Complete Opera'. She may also be heard in Mahler's Eighth Symphony with Chailly for Decca; in

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's ''Ninth Symphony'' with Abbado for

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

; as

for Chandos; as Norma with Muti for EMI, and in the title role of Opera Rara's recently re-released ''Medea in Corinto''. In addition, Eaglen is featured on

's soundtrack for the film adaptation of

Jane Austen Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...

's ''

Sense and Sensibility ''Sense and Sensibility'' ( working title; ''Elinor and Marianne'') is the first novel by the English author Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was published anonymously: ''By A Lady'' appears on the title page where the author's name might h ...

''. Her 2007 season included Isolde in ''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is a music drama in three acts by Richard Wagner set to a German libretto by the composer, loosely based on the medieval 12th-century romance ''Tristan and Iseult'' by Gottfried von Stras ...

'' in Spain; Lady Macbeth in ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' at

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

; Senta in ''Der Fliegende Holländer'' in the U.S.; ''Tosca'' in Japan; '' Ariadne auf Naxos'' in Hungary; and Brünnhilde in ''Die Walküre'' in Norway. Eaglen was named an honorary Doctor of Musical Arts in 2005 b
McGill University, Montreal.
Formerly a member of the voice faculty at Baldwin-Wallace College and the artistic faculty of the Seattle Opera Young Artists Program, she teaches at New England Conservatory of Music. In conjunction with her performance travel, Eaglen works with artist programs such as the Merola Opera Program and the Cardiff International Academy of Voice, and frequently teaches master classes. In July 2009, Eaglen received an honorary doctorate from Bishop Grosseteste University College Lincoln. She became a Doctor of the University College. In 2010, Eaglen was named International Fellow in Voice at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) in Glasgow. She is a Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music.

Audio and Video Recordings

Primary Recordings

* Jane Eaglen: Italian Opera Arias (2001) * Jane Eaglen: Four Last Songs (2000) * Jane Eaglen: Mozart & Strauss (1998) * Jane Eaglen: Bellini & Wagner (1996)

Ensemble Recordings

* Wagner: ''Götterdämmerung'' (2006-Haitink) * Mahler: Complete Symphonies (2005-Chailly) * Beethoven: ''Symphony 9'' (2004-Abbado) * Pasatieri: ''Letter to Warsaw'' (2004-Schwarz) * Puccini: ''Turandot'' (2002-Parry) * Wagner: ''Der fliegende Holländer'' (2002-Barenboim) * Wagner: ''Tannhäuser'' (2002-Barenboim) * Verdi: ''Aida'' (2001-Parry) * Bellini: ''Norma'' (1999-Muti) * Bruckner: ''Messe No.3'' and ''Te Deum'' (1997-Welser-Möst) * Puccini: ''Tosca'' (1996-Parry) * Schulhoff: '' Flammen'' (1996) * Bellini: ''Norma'' (1995-Muti) * Mayr: ''Medea in Corinto'' (1994-Parry) * Wagner: ''Götterdämmerung'' (1991-Haitink)

Compiled Recordings

* Escape Through Opera (2001) * Great Arias & Ensembles Vol 2 (2001) * Sony Classical – Great Performances 1903–1998 (1999) * Great Arias & Ensembles (1999) * Opera Rara Collection (1998) * ''Lost Empires'' Sdtk (1995) * ''Sense and Sensibility'' Sdtk (1995) * Jane Eaglen – Wagner (1995)

DVD Video

* '' James Levine's 25th Anniversary Metropolitan Opera Gala'' (1996), Deutsche Grammophon, B0004602-09 * Wagner: ''Tristan und Isolde''; conducted by James Levine (1999) * ''Last Night of the Proms 2000'' (2002)

Sources

* *

References

External links

* archived on 15 October 2007
Duffie: Interview with Jane Eaglen
January 26, 1995 {{DEFAULTSORT:Eaglen, Jane 1960 births Living people English operatic sopranos Grammy Award winners Alumni of the Royal Northern College of Music People associated with Bishop Grosseteste University People educated at South Park High School, Lincoln Musicians from Lincoln, England New England Conservatory faculty 20th-century British women opera singers