Biography
Verity Wingate is fast establishing herself as one of Europe’s most promising young stars, renowned for her “vocally and theatrically breathtaking” performance (Trouw). Her recent performance as Contessa Almaviva in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at Malmö Opera was critiqued in the Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan, “Verity Wingate’s warm soprano soars with the orchestra’s air under her wings. Then time stood still not only on stage but also in the auditorium.” Her role debut as the Governess in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw at Garsington Opera, was reviewed as a “triumph” by Opera Magazine.
During the 2022/23 season, Verity has made role and house debuts at the Malmö Opera as La Contessa Almaviva in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, and at Konzert Theater Bern as the title role of Iolanta by Tchaikovsky.
In the 2023/24 season, Verity will make several significant debuts, including her role and house debut as Micaëla for Staatsoper Hamburg, as well as at Oper Frankfurt and the Royal Festival Hall, London.
In June 2021, Verity won second prize at the prestigious Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition where she was also awarded a future house debut with Konzert Theater Bern. She was selected for the Salzburg Festival Young Singers Project in 2020, postponed to 2021, where she performed the role of Die Schleppträgerin in Krzysztof Warlikowski’s production of Elektra conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, in both the 2020 and 2021 summer festival.
After her guest appearance as Elisetta in Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto, Verity joined the Opera Studio at the Dutch National Opera for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons where she sang the role of Anna in Nabucco alongside Anna Pirozzi as Abigaille and performed and recorded the world premiere of Willem Jeths’ Ritratto in the lead role of Luisa Casati Stampa di Soncino, which was selected as BBC Music Magazine’s Opera Choice for February 2021 and was nominated for an Edison Klassiek Award 2021.
In the 2021/22 season, Verity made her house and role debut at English National Opera as Mrs. Naidoo in Philip Glass’ Satyagraha and her highly anticipated return to Garsington Opera in her role debut as the Governess in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw conducted by Mark Wigglesworth and directed by Louisa Muller, which was reviewed as a great success, “In her role debut, Verity Wingate’s portrayal of the Governess’s ambiguous, repressed desires was a triumph.” - Opera Magazine. Verity also made her role debut as Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème with The Netherlands Reisopera. She previously made her operatic debut at Garsington Opera when she stepped in to sing the role of Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte in 2018.
“Verity Wingate is a vocally and theatrically breathtaking Luisa.”
- TROUW
Verity has worked with opera directors including David Bösch, Louisa Muller, Krzysztof Warlikowski, Andreas Homoki and Netia Jones, and conductors including Nicholas Carter, Mark Wigglesworth, Franz Welser-Möst, Maurizio Benini, Gianluca Capuano, Masaaki Suzuki, Laurence Cummings and Christian Curnyn.
In addition to her opera stage performances, Verity has appeared on the concert platform at the Salzburg Festival, performing the Contessa’s famous aria Dove Sono from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with the Mozarteum Orchestra at the Mozarteum. She has also performed the Brahms Requiem in Bath Abbey. Verity regularly appeared on the Dutch national radio in interviews and recitals. She performed a recital of Mozart, Andriessen and Hillborg with The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra for NPO Radio 4. She has also performed a recital of Mozart arias and ensembles at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, recitals of works by Schubert and Handel with members of the Concertgebouw Orchestra Academy and a gala recital with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the UK. Verity has also appeared in performances of Bach Christmas Oratorio and B minor Mass, Handel Jephtha, Athalia and Messiah, Mozart Requiem and C minor Mass, Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem and Mahler Symphony No.4. Among the venues where she has sung are the Leipzig Gewandhaus, New York’s Lincoln Center, Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam and in the UK at the Barbican Centre, Wigmore Hall, St. John’s Smith Square and St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, the Aldeburgh Festival and the Holywell Music Room in Oxford.