Biography
Biography
Rebecca at a glance…
Rebecca began this season making debuts with The Hebrides Ensemble for Berio Folksongs and the premiere of Jasper Dommett’s Folds on Folds at Lammermuir Festival and with Irish National Opera in their new production of The Bartered Bride as Hata, directed by Louisa Muller and conducted by Richard Pierson. She recently joined Ensemble Cymru for a touring chamber programme including works by Rebecca Clarke, Frank Bridge and Brahms’ Two Songs for Voice, Viola and Piano. Continuing the theme of debuts, Rebecca is currently creating the role of Cynthia Crawford in Mrs T: The Iron Lady Sings, the first opera about Margaret Thatcher’s time in office, composed by Joseph Phibbs with libretto by historian Dominic Sandbrook.
In an exciting new partnership, Rebecca is working with pianist Nigel Yandell and they will present their first collaborative recital in Cambridge entitled Modernism: The Unquiet Heart.
Recent engagements included her returning to JAM on The Marsh Festival in Cabaret Broadway & Beyond, featuring the music of Kurt Weill and to Presteigne Festival for the Welsh premiere of Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade’s Scenes from Under Milk Wood following its premiere at Spitalfields Festival
Last season, Rebecca made her debut with The Royal Ballet and Opera as Susie A Quiet Place, directed by Oliver Mears and conducted by Nicholas Chalmers. With the Royal Choral Society, she sang Dvorak’s Stabat Mater at Canterbury & Southwark Cathedrals and Handel’s Messiah, for Good Friday at The Royal Albert Hall. With BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales conducted by Gareth Malone she recorded Messiah for transmission on BBC One & Two at Easter 2025.
Further concerts included Verdi Requiem with The Waynflete Singers and The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra at Winchester Cathedral and Elgar Dream of Gerontius at Clifton Cathedral, Messiah at The Royal Festival Hall with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Waltraute Die Walkure in a live podcast recording at the Royal Albert Hall for the podcast The Rest is History with Dominic Sandbrook & Tom Holland.
An enthusiastic advocate of contemporary music, Rebecca has given the premiere performances and made recordings of operas, oratorios, and song cycles by composers including Richard Blackford, Joseph Phibbs, Hugh Wood, Rick Peat, Edward Gregson, Brian Irvine, Julian Phillips, Oliver Tarney, Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade and Dame Judith Weir.
Rebecca has also performed a wide range of music by contemporary composers such as Paul Mealor, Helen Grime, Paul Patterson, Ronald Corp, John McCabe, Sir James MacMillan and Jonathan Dove
Born in Mid Wales, Rebecca Afonwy-Jones studied at The Guildhall School of Music & Drama & The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she was awarded the Independent Opera Scholarship, The WCOM Allcard Award, The MBF Sybil Tutton Award, became a Samling Artist and graduated with distinction. Whilst at the RCS, she sang Cherubino Le nozze di Figaro, The Composer Ariadne auf Naxos (Rostov State Theatre, Russia), The Muse / Nicklausse Les contes d’Hoffmann and Maria Akhrossimova War and Peace. She began her career as a Scottish Opera Emerging Artist, making her professional debut in the title role of Carmen.