Noted for her “rich and mellifluous” voice (Opera News) and “striking” presence (The Arts Fuse), mezzo-soprano Christina English brings musical sensitivity and dramatic commitment to a versatile array of concert, opera, and musical theater stages. Her 2023-24 appearances include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Handel’s Messiah, and Mozart’s Don Giovanni with the ensemble of Boston Baroque; soloist in A Heavenly Baroque Christmas with Musicians of the Old Post Road; soloist in Charpentier’s Messe de minuit pour Noël and Il Pastor Fido with Arcadia Players; and soloist in Haydn’s Nelson Mass with Back Bay Chorale.
She is a long-time member of the Boston Baroque chorus and a founding core member of Lorelei Ensemble. Highlights with Lorelei include Julia Wolfe’s Her Story with the Boston, Chicago, Nashville, and San Francisco Symphonies; the premiere of choreographer Nanine Linning’s La Mer with Boston Ballet; collaborations with GRAMMY-nominated ensembles Cantus and A Far Cry; and appearances at The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music.
Favorite opera and musical theater roles include the Pilot in Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince with NEMPAC Opera Project; the Housekeeper in Man of La Mancha with New Repertory Theater; Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest with Odyssey Opera; and the nursing sister in Puccini’s Suor Angelica with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Other theatre and opera appearances include Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Guerilla Opera, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Midsummer Opera, Boston Opera Collaborative, and Intermezzo Opera.
As both a performer and an arts administrator, Christina believes that music is a powerful catalyst for community and connection. Offstage, she is Executive Director of Sheffield Chamber Players, an ensemble founded on the belief that experiencing chamber music in the intimate settings for which it was written profoundly changes the way listeners respond to music, and to each other. She is also a member of Beyond Artists, a coalition of artists who donate a percentage of their concert fees to organizations they care about. She supports the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts and the Environmental Defense Fund through her performances.