Johnny Herford

Johnny Herford won the Song Prize at the Kathleen Ferrier Competition, and later the Jean Meikle Duo Prize alongside pianist William Vann at the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition.

In 2015, Johnny was chosen by Philip Glass to create the role of Josef K in his newest opera, The Trial. The opera was premiered at the Royal Opera House Linbury Theatre, in a collaboration between Music Theatre Wales and the Royal Opera House. He has also performed the role of Josef K for Theater Magdeburg, both in Magdeburg and Craiova, Romania. He returned to Music Theatre Wales in 2016 for Peter Eötvös’ The Golden Dragon and in 2017 with Passion by Dusapin.

His recent engagements include his US debut for Opera Philadelphia in the World Premiere of Denis & Katya; for Opera di Roma as the Novice’s Friend in Deborah Warner’s award-winning production of Billy Budd; Mr Lockwood Wuthering Heights for the Opera National de Lorrain and last year made his debut at English National Opera in Mike Leigh’s production of The Pirates of Penzance. Other recent performances have included The Traveller in Britten’s Curlew River (Opéra de Dijon), Kuligin in Janácek’s Katya Kabanova (Opéra de Dijon), Emireno in Handel’s Ottone (English Touring Opera), a tour of operatic highlights with Scottish Opera, and Nikitch in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov with the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Johnny recently made his solo debut at the Wigmore Hall in a programme of Ravel, Schumann and Judith Weir, accompanied by James Baillieu. Elsewhere, he has performed with Joe Middleton in the Leeds Lieder Festival, with William Vann at Julius Drake’s Machynlleth Festival and at the Oxford Lieder Festival, and with Gary Matthewman for Lied in London.