ABOUT CAROLYN
“At the centre of it all is soprano Carolyn Sampson, whose presence gives the production its authority … she sings with
clarity, control and a cool dramatic intelligence, never overplaying (or oversinging) the music’s emotional weight.”
THE STAGE, JONATHAN WHITING
“At the centre of it all is soprano Carolyn Sampson, whose presence gives the production its authority … she sings with clarity, control and a cool dramatic intelligence, never overplaying (or oversinging) the music’s emotional weight.”
THE STAGE, JONATHAN WHITING
Carolyn Sampson OBE has established an international reputation for musicianship of exceptional intelligence, imagination and stylistic versatility.
Equally at home in opera, concert and recital, she brings a rare combination of technical refinement, textual insight and emotional honesty to repertoire spanning four centuries. At the heart of her career are enduring collaborations with many of the world's leading conductors, orchestras, ensembles and recital partners.
From the music of Bach, Handel and Purcell to Haydn, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Mahler, Strauss, Poulenc, Dutilleux and beyond, Carolyn's repertoire reflects a lifelong commitment to exploration and discovery. Her operatic career has taken her to many of Europe’s leading stages and festivals, including Glyndebourne Festival, English National Opera, Opéra de Paris, Staatsoper Berlin and Scottish Opera, in a wide range of leading and title roles. Her performances are distinguished by an instinctive gift for storytelling and a deep engagement with text, qualities that have fostered longstanding relationships with ensembles including Bach Collegium Japan, the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra, the Academy of Ancient Music and The Sixteen, alongside regular invitations from many of Europe's and North America's leading symphony orchestras. She is also a frequent guest at the BBC Proms, Wigmore Hall and many of the world's leading festivals.
Highlights of the 2026/27 season include returns to the Philadelphia Orchestra with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Maxim Emelyanychev, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal with Kent Nagano, and a US tour of Bach's St Matthew Passion with the Monteverdi Choir under Masaaki Suzuki. She also returns to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for several programmes, including her role debut in Poulenc's La voix humaine, and makes her debut at the Oregon Bach Festival.
Alongside her orchestral work, recital remains central to Carolyn's artistic life. She enjoys a longstanding partnership with pianist Joseph Middleton, with whom she continues to devise imaginative programmes and champion repertoire from across the song canon.
Their latest BIS recording, Star Falling, due for release in early 2027, centres on Messiaen's Chants de terre et de ciel within a programme that journeys from plainchant to the present day.
Carolyn's extensive discography of more than one hundred recordings reflects the remarkable diversity of her musical interests and has earned numerous international awards and critical acclaim. In 2024 she was appointed OBE in the King's New Year Honours for services to music, elected an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music and named Gramophone Artist of the Year.
Valid for use until 1 February 2027
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Carolyn’s charity support
Having grown up in Bedford and taken full advantage of everything the Bedfordshire Music Service had to offer young people, I am always looking for ways to give back by supporting the rich musical life in my home town. Concerts at St. Andrew’s was founded in 2005 and has offered valuable performance opportunities to local musicians and supported many charity concerts, as well as inviting illustrious international artists of various genres to inspire and delight a willing public. I’m very proud to have been their patron for many years.
In February 2024, the charity Music of Life asked me whether I would be interested in seeing some of their work in action. Yes! I said! And after spending a day in the West Midlands with Suzzie Vango and her incredible team who have formed strong and long-lasting relationships with SEND schools in the area, I was begging to be involved. As an Ambassador, I feel very lucky to have the chance to visit the schools from time to time, to meet the children and experience the joy of singing with them (and sometimes to them). The charity is also very active in London and other parts of the UK, and works its magic in schools for deaf children. It is a privilege to witness the profound effects of music on the young people and adults alike; and I include myself in that, as I drive home singing ‘we’re making a purple soup…’
More recently I have reconnected with friends from my choral days, Dan Ludford-Thomas and Helen Meyerhoff. They founded Vox Urbane: a professional vocal ensemble created with the premise of opportunity for singers of all backgrounds. To that end they also run Vox Next Gen and Vox Roots, in order to nurture the all-important ecosystem necessary to feed genuinely diverse and inclusive groups of the future. Please have a listen to their recent release: ‘London Calling: Choral Works. Dan and Helen have asked me to be their Honorary Patron, and I’m excited to see how I can be involved and help to spread the word and support this vital work.
I am passionate about the power of music in all communities, and am committed to playing a part in sharing this as far and wide as possible.
