Irish mezzo-soprano Patricia Bardon is the youngest ever prize-winner of the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition and is in demand for repertoire ranging from the Baroque through to Rossini and Wagner. Her distinguished career has brought numerous opportunities to collaborate in both opera and concert with a wide range of conductors such as James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Bernard Haitink, Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir Mark Elder, Christophe Rousset, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Alberto Zedda, Fabio Luisi, Harry Bicket, Ivor Bolton, Christoph Eschenbach, William Christie, Pinchas Zuckerman, Ingo Metzmacher, Sir Charles Mackerras, and Rene Jacobs. Highlights of the ²⁰¹⁶⁄₁₇ season include Principessa in Puccini Suor Angelica for Opera North, and Arsace in Handel Partenope at English National Opera. In concert Bardon can be seen in a performance of Mahler Symphony No. 8 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski, and Mahler Kindertotenlieder with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra in her native Dublin.

Last season’s highlights included title role Agrippina at Theater an der Wien, title role in Porporo Germanico in Germania at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, Mary in John Adams Gospel according to the other Mary with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Mendelssohn Elijah with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Mahler Symphony No.2 with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, and Handel Messiah with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Le Concert Spirituel, and RLPO. Having studied in Dublin with Dr Veronica Dunne, Bardon’s career embraces an impressive diversity of roles: Erda in the Grammy-award-winning production of Der Ring des Nibelungen at The Metropolitan Opera (DVD/Deutsche Grammophon), La Nourrice Ariane et Barbe Bleu for Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona (DVD/Opus Arte), her highly-acclaimed interpretation of Azucena Il trovatore at Welsh National Opera, her creation of the title role in Saariaho’s Adriana Mater for Opera national de Paris, her glowing reviews last season for Carmen in Los Angeles, conducted by Placido Domingo - a role she has recorded for Chandos - and her Laurence Olivier Nomination for Maurya Riders to the Sea at ENO are all testament to an exceptional artistic versatility.

An acclaimed Baroque and bel canto singer, highlights have included the title roles in Giulio Cesare at The Liceu Barcelona, Orlando for the Opéra National de Paris (CD/Erato), Rinaldo for Oper Köln as well as Cornelia Giulio Cesare for Bayerische Staatsoper, The Metropolitan Opera, ENO and Glyndebourne Festival Opera (DVD/Opus Arte). She has sung Rosmira Partenope for Lyric Opera of Chicago, Teater an der Wien and ENO (Olivier nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Opera), Andronico Tamerlano in Los Angeles, Washington DC, Amsterdam and Madrid; Bradamante Alcina in Drottingholm and Moscow, Penelope Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria for Maggio Musicale Florence, Amsterdam, Berlin Staatsoper and Athens; Ruggiero Alcina for Trieste and Montpellier, Amastras Xerxes for Montpellier, Dresden and Munich Staatsoper (DVD Opus Arte), Juno Semele for ENO and Innsbrook, Ottavia L’incoronazione di Poppea in Oslo (DVD/EuroArts) and most recently Zenobia Radamisto for Theater an der Wien and at Carnegie Hall.

Bel canto highlights include Tancredi and Arsace Semiramide for La Fenice, Calbo Il Maometto Secondo for Santa Fe Opera, Smeaton Anna Bolena for San Francisco Opera, title role La Cenerentola for La Monnaie, Andromache Ermione Festival Hall (CD/Opera Rara), Malcolm La donna del Lago for the Edinburgh International Festival (CD/Opera Rara).

Enjoying an ongoing relationship with the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Bardon has appeared there in productions of Guillaume Tell, Mefistofele, Rigoletto, Moise in Egitto, The Rake’s Progress (earning an Olivier nomination) and most recently in Richard Jones’ acclaimed staging of Britten Gloriana (DVD).

Bardon has extensive concert experience and has performed with many of the world’s leading Orchestras including The New York Philharmonic, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia, BBC Philharmonic, St Louis Symphony Orchestra, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Les Arts Florissants, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Concerto Koln, Academy of Ancient Music, Les Talens Lirique, The Halle Orchestra, Le Concert Spirituel, English Chamber Orchestra, RTE Symphony Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra, The English Concert, Filarmonica della Scala, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra de RAI, and Orchestra de Paris, in repertoire including the Bach Passions, Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder, Verdi Messa di Requiem, Handel Oratorios, Wagner Wiesendonk Lieder and the Mahler Symphonies.