Joanna Marie Skillett was recently awarded a Distinction from The Royal Academy of Music for the first year of her Masters Degree. This season, Joanna has appeared as Soprano soloist for The Royal Opera House’s Production Park Grand Opening; the lead role in the premiere of Random for English Touring Opera and at the Lytham Proms with gold status soprano Lesley Garrett. Her performance schedule also includes concerts with The Royal Opera House’s Head of Music David Syrus; the distinguished Opera director John Copley at Amersham Music Festival (as Mimì in La Bohème); and as a Guest Solo Artist for Macmillan’s ‘For Dusty’ Tribute at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Joanna made her role debut this summer as Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni for OperaUpClose on London’s West End Soho Theatre. She regularly appears with touring opera companies including London Festival Opera for whom she recently performed as Musetta from Puccini’s La Bohème at Windsor’s Theatre Royal, in the presence of HRH Prince Edward.

Joanna has worked with many distinguished artists including Trevor Pinnock CBE, Robert Tear CBE, Dennis O’Neill CBE, David Syrus, John Copley, Dame Felicity Lott, Sir John Tomlinson, John Mark Ainsley, Barbara Bonney, Mary Plazas, Susan Bullock, Ryland Davies, Mary King and Diane Forlano to name but a few. Recent awards include Essex Musician of the Year, The RAM Richard Desmond Award, The Freda Parry Scholarship for Singers and The George Heim Memorial Trust Award.

In July 2009 Joanna made her professional debut with English Touring Opera as ‘The Voice of the Sea’ in Speakout!, a newly written full-length opera which featured a support cast of every pupil from Corbets Tey School, a school devoted to the care and encouragement of children with special needs. Following the show’s huge success, Joanna worked with ETO’s educational department again to develop Speakout! as an educational resource for schools and a published show. Joanna continues to be a collaborator with the ETO Team to this day on nationwide performance projects and workshops.

When not performing herself, Joanna is an active supporter of Music and Arts within the Community and was awarded The Royal Academy of Music Open Academy Clifford Chance Fellowship; enabling her to devise and lead music sessions and workshop in inner London primary schools. Joanna regularly performs fundraiser concerts for local charities including First Step Children’s Charity, a local cause with a huge outreach for children with special needs and in May 2010, Joanna was inducted as Patron for her local children’s school Corbets Tey.

Joanna is currently completing her final year of study on The Royal Academy of Music’s Preparatory Opera Masters Programme with Elizabeth Ritchie and Iain Ledingham. Future engagements include concert tours of the UK and the role of La Contessa in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro for Amersham Music Festival 2012.