Kathryn Rudge

Born in Liverpool, Kathryn completed her studies at the Royal Northern College of Music with Susan Roper in 2011. She was a BBC New Generation artist from 2015-2017, an ENO Young Artist between 2010 and 2013 and a YCAT artist (Young Classical Artists Trust) also between 2010-13. She has won numerous awards including the MBF Sybil Tutton Award, the Bridgitte Fassbaender award, the Joyce and Michael Kennedy Strauss prizes, the RPS Susan Chilcott Scholarship and the Kathleen Ferrier Bursary. Kathryn is a Samling Scholar.

Featured as The Times Rising Star of Classical Music 2012, Kathryn made her operatic debut to critical acclaim with English National Opera as Cherubino (The Marriage of Figaro) in a production directed by Fiona Shaw, and at Opera North as Sesto (Giulio Cesare). Recent and future operatic engagements include Dorabella/Cosi fan tutte for Garsington Opera and the Opera de Dijon, Rosina/Barber of Seville for ENO, Cherubino/Le Nozze di Figaro for Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Annio/La Clemenza di Tito, Hermia/A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Zerlina/Don Giovanni for Opera North, Nancy/Albert Herring for the Buxton International Festival as well as a concert performance of Carmen as part of Charles Hazlewood’s 2012 Orchestra In a Field music festival at Glastonbury Abbey.  

Sought after for her work in the song repertoire her recital performances have included concerts at Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall, the Brighton, City of London Festivals, and Cheltenham Festival (Broadcast by BBC Radio 3) with recent and future engagements including recitals for the Lake District Summer Music Festival, the Ryedale Festival, the Royal Northern College of Music, the Chester Festival, Lammermuir Festival, Ludlow Festival of English Song, Oxford Lieder Festival, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Chamber Music series, Champs Hill, Norfolk and Norwich Festival and a solo recital at the Wigmore Hall. She was involved in a mini tour of the UK in the 21/22 season performing a semi-staged version of Wolf’s Italian Songbook in the new English translation by Jeremy Sams with artists including Roderick Williams, Christopher Glynn and Robert Murray at the Lammermuir Festival, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, St George’s Bristol and the Wigmore Hall.

On the concert platform Kathryn works regularly with all of the BBC orchestras and has appeared as soloist with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra working with conductors Vasily Petrenko, Carl Davis and John Wilson. She has sung Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Paul Daniel at the Royal Festival Hall, Mahler’s Das Knaben Wunderhorn at Bridgewater Hall, Karl Jenkins The Armed Man with Manchester Camerata and Berio and Hesketh Songs with the RLPO Ensemble 10/10. Recent and future concert engagements include the world premiere of Michael Nyman’s Hillsborough Symphony in Liverpool Cathedral, concerts and a recording with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic of Elgar’s Sea Pictures, Mendelssohn’s St Paul for the Huddersfield Choral Society, Mozart Requiem with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at the BBC Proms, Duruflé Requiem at St Alban’s Cathedral, Missa Solemnis with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, A Child of our Time with the RLPO, Sea Pictures with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Rheinische Philharmonie, various concerts with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Bach Choir, Hamburg Symphoniker at the Rheingau Festival and with the Orchestra of Opera North.

Her debut solo recital recording ‘Loves Old Sweet Song’ with pianist James Baillieu, was released in 2014 by Champs Hill and she has also recorded songs by Donald Swann (Hyperion), songs by Eric Coates and Elgar Orchestral Songs with the BBC Concert Orchestra (Somm), Gary Carpenter songs with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Clark Rundell (Nimbus), Roussel Evocations with the BBC Philharmonic/Tortelier (Chandos), Leonvavallo’s Zaza and Donzetti Il Paria both for Opera Rara. Future recording plans include a disc of Elgar songs and Strauss lieder for Somm.