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author = []
date = "2019-02-23T18:32:58+00:00"
discipline = "Mezzo-soprano"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1550946514/media/2019/02/MartaFontanalsSimmonsVictoriaCadisch.jpg"
primary_image_credit = "Victoria Cadisch."
related_articles = []
related_companies = ["scene/companies/grange-park-opera.md", "scene/companies/garsington-opera.md", "scene/companies/royal-opera-house.md", "scene/companies/glyndebourne.md"]
related_people = []
slug = "marta-fontanals-simmons"
title = "Marta Fontanals-Simmons"
website = "https://www.martafontanals.com/"
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Highlights in the 2018/19 season for British-Spanish mezzo-soprano Marta Fontanals-Simmons include her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Hel in the world premiere of Gavin Higgins _The Monstrous Child_ at the Linbury Theatre, Amando _Le Grand Macabre_ with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester and Alan Gilbert, and a return to Glyndebourne Festival Opera for Zweite Dame _Die Zauberflöte_. Recent highlights include her debut at the Teatro Real, Madrid as Jennie Hildebrand in Weill _Street Scene_, Zweite Dame _Die Zauberflöte_ for Garsington Opera, the European premiere of Alasdair Nicolson _Shadows on the Wall – Five Hauntings_ at the Barbican, and Berlioz _La Captive_ with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pascal Rophé. In future seasons, Fontanals-Simmons will make her debut for Monte-Carlo Opera and return to the Teatro Real, Madrid.

Recent operatic highlights also include Cherubino _Le nozze di Figaro_ for Garsington Opera and at the Théâtre Champs Elysées, Paris, her Glyndebourne debut as Lapák _The Cunning Little Vixen_, the title role _La Cenerentola_ for Diva Opera and Kate Pinkerton _Madama Butterfly_ for the Glyndebourne Tour and for Grange Park Opera.

On the concert platform, recent highlights include Vaughan Williams _Serenade to Music_ with Sakari Oramo at the Last Night of the Proms, Mendelssohn _Elijah_ with CBSO at Birmingham Symphony Hall, Mahler _Das Lied von der Erde_ at Oxford Lieder Festival, Vivaldi _Gloria_ at the Royal Festival Hall with the Philharmonia Orchestra, _L’Enfant et les Sortilèges_ with Stéphane Denève and the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, Mozart _Requiem_ with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bach Mass in B Minor with Ryan Wigglesworth at the St Endellion Festival, Mozart Mass in C Minor at St John's Smith Square, and Handel _Messiah_ with Lawrence Cummings at the London Handel Festival, Stravinsky _Les Noces_ at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Haydn _Harmoniemesse_ with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and a concert at St John's, Smith Square celebrating the music of Michael Hurd.

A keen exponent of contemporary music, Fontanals-Simmons most recently premiered the role of Ursula in the Royal Opera House and Glyndebourne coproduction of David Bruce _Nothing_, recorded two new songs cycles (_Damsel, Wife, Witch_ by Glyndebourne composer in residence Lewis Murphy and _Letters from Home_ by award-winning composer Benjamin Ellin), and performed Jonathan Harvey _Songs of Li Po_ with Richard Baker at Barbican Hall which was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. She is also a passionate recitalist and has performed at the Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, and St James's Piccadilly.

Fontanals-Simmons trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London, where she was awarded the Gold Medal, and was a Jerwood Artist at Glyndebourne for the 2015/16 season.