Jo Appleby
Encyclopedia
Jo Appleby is an English soprano
from Thornton, Lancashire
. She is a former member of operatic pop
group Amici Forever
.
when she was 19 years old, where four years later, she gained an honours degree. She then won a scholarship from the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
before embarking on an opera
tic career. She spent four years performing with the Glyndebourne Festival Opera
and Touring Opera Company, as well as singing at venues such as the Royal Albert Hall
and the Royal Festival Hall
.
In 2002 she was signed by Sony BMG as an original member of the opera group Amici Forever. She toured with the group until September 2006 when she left to pursue a solo career.
Since leaving the group she has toured Australia
, Dubai
and New Zealand
as a soloist with The Morriston Orpheus Male voice choir. In 2007, she was involved in a concert tour of the United Kingdom, and the "It's Magic" Christmas concert.
She married Andrew Rees; they have a child.
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
from Thornton, Lancashire
Thornton, Lancashire
Thornton is a village on the Fylde, in Lancashire, England, about four miles north of Blackpool and two miles south of Fleetwood. It is in the Borough of Wyre...
. She is a former member of operatic pop
Operatic pop
Operatic pop, pop opera or popera is a subgenre of pop music that is performed in an operatic style, or a song, theme or motif from classical music stylized as pop. The term popera and adjectives poperatic and popical are used by some media editors and music reviewers...
group Amici Forever
Amici Forever
Amici Forever is a band of four classically trained singers who mix opera with pop music . The band's first album, The Opera Band , reached number one on the Australian classical charts, number two on the United States classical charts and the top 5 in the United Kingdom classical...
.
Life
She began studying opera at the Royal Northern College of MusicRoyal Northern College of Music
The Royal Northern College of Music is a music school in Manchester, England. It is located on Oxford Road in Chorlton on Medlock, at the western edge of the campus of the University of Manchester and is one of four conservatories associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music...
when she was 19 years old, where four years later, she gained an honours degree. She then won a scholarship from the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
before embarking on an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic career. She spent four years performing with the Glyndebourne Festival Opera
Glyndebourne Festival Opera
Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an English opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England.-History:...
and Touring Opera Company, as well as singing at venues such as the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
and the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
.
In 2002 she was signed by Sony BMG as an original member of the opera group Amici Forever. She toured with the group until September 2006 when she left to pursue a solo career.
Since leaving the group she has toured Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
as a soloist with The Morriston Orpheus Male voice choir. In 2007, she was involved in a concert tour of the United Kingdom, and the "It's Magic" Christmas concert.
She married Andrew Rees; they have a child.