BIOGRAPHY
LISTEN TO CHARLOTTE, CLICK HERE
“Charlotte Badham acts her socks off as Jo… magnetic in expressing Jo’s desperate desire to control everyone around her.” - Bachtrack
Plymouth born mezzo-soprano, Charlotte Badham, is the recent recipient of the Opera Holland Park Award for Outstanding Emerging Talent. She completed her studies at the Royal Northern College of Music assisted by The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, The Annie Ridyard Scholarship and Royal Merchant Navy Education Foundation.
Having been an alumna of Opera Holland Park’s Young Artist Scheme in the roles of Olga / Eugene Onegin (2020) and Cherubino / Le Nozze di Figaro (2021), in 2022, Charlotte returned to the company to make her professional debut in the role of Jo March for the UK première of Mark Adamo’s Little Women, for which The Times praised: ‘ [her] expressive performance does the imaginative, independent lead character proud’. Opera Wire also named the production one of the ‘Best of 2022: Favourite performances’.
One of Charlotte’s most notable roles has been Hansel / Hansel and Gretel, having received The Eunice Pettigrew Prize for her portrayal of the role during her studies and reprising the role with Mid Wales Opera and Opera Holland Park last season. Other roles include Hippolyta / A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Willie / Street Scene, and Léonie / La Vie Parisienne (RNCM) as well as Dido / Dido and Aeneas in concert (Ilkley and Otley Choral Society) and Cretan Woman / Idomeneo (Buxton Festival Opera). Charlotte has also worked as a chorister with Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, Garsington Opera and Buxton Festival Opera. This season, Charlotte looks forward to her role and company debuts as Mauxalinda in Lampe’s The Dragon of Wantley with New Sussex Opera and Clizia in Gazzaniga’s Alicina’s Island with Bampton Classical Opera.
Charlotte has enjoyed features on radio including BBC Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio Devon and BBC Radio Sport. Recent concert highlights include Dvorak’s Stabat Mater at Dartington Great Hall and Handel’s Messiah at Truro Cathedral. Further accolades include The Fergal O’Mahony Musician Award as well as competing as a finalist in the Frederic Cox Prize and The David Clover Festival of Singing Lieder and Oratorio classes.
During her studies, Charlotte was selected for the distinguished RNCM Songsters programme; through which she performed Berio's Folk Songs with chamber ensemble and Russian art song at The Stoller Hall. Charlotte has performed recitals at the Leeds Lieder Festival, St Paul’s Church (Covent Garden), Louth Music Society, Whitworth Art Gallery and the Buxton Recital Series.
SELECTED REVIEWS
Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), Royal Northern College of Music, 2018
“… the lustrous-voiced Charlotte Badham as Hansel” - The Spectator
Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Opera Holland Park, 2021
“superbly convincing at all times and delivered with charm, humour and impeccable diction” - Seen and Heard International
Jo March (Little Women), Opera Holland Park, 2022
“… the cast is strong. It’s dominated by Charlotte Badham’s Jo, a big sing that Badham tackles with apparently boundless energy ” - Evening Standard
“Charlotte Badham acts her socks off as Jo… magnetic in expressing Jo’s desperate desire to control everyone around her.” - Bachtrack
Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Opera Holland Park, 2023
“ [Badham and Peresivana] are two young singers who are going places.” - Culture Whisper
“Badham revealing a highly focused and precise mezzo-soprano while capturing the mannerisms of a ten year old boy extremely well.” - Music OMH
EDUCATION / COMMUNITY ROLES
Charlotte’s experience across community projects has encompassed music in hospitals and outreach programmes within schools. Since 2018, Charlotte has been involved in several projects for Clonter Opera which include: delivering music-theatre workshops to over 1,000 children; performing musical theatre concerts, and creating a new Children’s Opera Show, ‘Papageno’s Quest’, in which Charlotte plays numerous familiar characters across the operatic repertoire. For two years she was a music practitioner and singer with CHANT productions, with whom she conducted choirs at the Rugby League World Cup games, and performed in the choir for the Rugby League World Cup final alongside classical cross over star, Russel Watson. More recently, she has been accepted onto the Live Music Now scheme (founder: Yehudi Menuhin) for which she delivers music to audiences whose lives are challenged and that have rarely, if ever, experienced live music.