Australian born lyric soprano Vivien Munday enjoys a diverse performing career in recital, oratorio and opera. Since moving to London in 1999, Vivien has performed as both principal artist and with the chorus for a number of UK opera companies including the ENO.
B i o g r a p h y
Australian born lyric soprano Vivien Munday enjoys a diverse performing career in recital, oratorio and opera. Since moving to London in 1999, Vivien has performed as both principal artist and with the chorus for a number of UK opera companies including the ENO.
Vivien Munday is a graduate of Sydney University (Bachelor of Music Performance) and the Canberra School of Music (Master of Music Performance). Early in her career Vivien joined the Brisbane based professional vocal sextet, Jones & Co whose repertoire ranged from Renaissance to Contemporary compositions. Her work with that group involved frequent touring for Musica Viva and State Arts Council bodies as well as local concert engagements in Brisbane with the Queensland Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras.
Oratorio
As an oratorio soloist Vivien appeared regularly for the Sydney Chamber Choir, the N.S.W. Collegium Musicum and the Sydney University Musical Society. These performances included Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, The Messiah, Mozart’s Vespers and Requiem, Brahms’ Requiem, Tippet’s A Child of our Time, Handel’s Israel in Egypt and Bach’s Magnificat, St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion.
Live broadcasts
Vivien has recorded a number of live-to-air recital programmes for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
She was invited by the ABC to record Tedesco’s complete song cycle The Divan of Moses Ibanezra as well as the world premiere recording of Peter Bogdanivich’s cycle A String of Jade Jewels; both written for soprano and guitar.
Opera
In Australia Vivien performed for various regional opera companies as well as for Opera Australia. Her roles included Miss Honey in 3’s Company, the title role in Ibert’s Angelique, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Despina in Cosi fan Tutte, Marenka in The Bartered Bride, the Governess in The Turn of the Screw and Carolina in Il Matrimonio Segretto.
London
Vivien subsequently moved to London to further her singing career where she has performed the roles of Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte and Michaela in Carmen for Pavilion Opera’s summer season, which travelled through the UK, Europe and Japan. Vivien reprised the role of Fiordiligi for London-based company Opera Unlimited, founded by the Ottakar Kraus Trust and re-joined the company in its following season, performing Mimi in La Boheme. Vivien performed the role of
the Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro for Pavilion Opera’s summer season which toured the UK and mainland Europe.
English National Opera
Vivien has sung regularly with the chorus of the English National Opera since 2000, in addition to covering a number of minor roles. Operas have included Khovanschina, War and Peace, The Rake’s Progress, The Trojans, Eugenen Onegin, La Traviata, The Gondoliers, Satyagraha, On the Town, Jenufa, La Clemenza di Tito, Aida, Carmen, The Mikado, Madame Butterfly, Lucia di Lamermoor and The Merry Widow, Castor et Pollux, Eugene Onegin, Flying Dutchman, Faust, La Boheme, Parisfal, The Damnation of Faust, Simon Boccanegra, The Pearl Fishers.