Soprano

  • “a fine lyric voice” – Opera magazine
  • “Hay’s confident soprano revealed plenty of colour.” – The Sunday Telegraph
  • “the brilliant Pamela Hay” – International Herald Tribune
  • “intensely affecting” – The Evening Standard
  • “the supporting cast, most especially Pamela Hay’s touchingly earnest Ellen, outshine [the two leads].” – The Independent on Sunday

Polish-American soprano Pamela Hay was born in New York City and lives in London.  She received her Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, Baltimore, and her Postgraduate Certificate from the Royal College of Music, London. Pamela won scholarships to the Aspen Music Festival and the Internationale Sommerakademie Mozarteum Salzburg and was the recipient of Peabody’s prestigious Charles M. Eaton Voice Award, the Kathleen and Wallace Hankins Award in Voice and the Azalia Thomas Prize. Pamela was also supported by an HSBC scholarship award and Pamela Litman for her work with British Youth Opera. Master classes include those of Barbara Bonney, Philip Langridge and Malcolm Martineau.

Concert

Pamela made her debut as soloist with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, in a concert and interview that were broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland (“Pamela Hay just blew the roof off!” – BBC SSO’s Twitter feed). She was invited to return as soloist to the BBC SSO in a concert that was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 as part of their “Sound of Cinema” series.

Having made her debut with the BBC Concert Orchestra, Pamela returned as guest soloist on BBC Radio 2′s long-running programme Friday Night is Music Night. In the same season she also made her debut as soloist with the Hallé Orchestra (“Pamela Hay stole the show, it was simply exceptional” – Oldham Evening Chronicle). Pamela has performed as soloist with many other orchestras across the UK, in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, City of Birmingham Symphony Hall, Sheldonian Theatre Oxford,  Cheltenham Town Hall, Salisbury Playhouse, and Paisley Abbey Scotland.

Pamela has given solo recitals in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Salzburg, Belgium, Costa Rica, and at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.

Opera

Pamela played leading lady Mimi in the 2011 Olivier Award-winning production of La Bohème at the Soho Theatre: (“the brilliant Pamela Hay” – International Herald Tribune; “Intensely affecting” – The Evening Standard), and has played over 30 roles in opera and musical theatre.  Pamela’s leading roles performed include Juliette Romeo and Juliet, Gretel Hansel and Gretel, Donna Elvira Don Giovanni, Nedda Pagliacci, Pamina Magic Flute, Norina Don Pasquale, Euridice Orfeo ed Euridice, Title role La voix humaine, Title role Merry Widow, Yum-Yum The Mikado, Rosmene (leading lady) Handel’s Imeneo, Anne Page The Merry Wives of Windsor, Ellen Lakmé, Bubikopf The Kaiser of Atlantis, Belinda Dido and Aeneas,and Créuse in British premiere of Milhaud’s Médée, with Opera Holland Park, English Pocket Opera Company, Tête à Tête Opera Festival, British Youth Opera, Buxton Opera House, Iford Opera Festival, Cambridge Handel Opera Group, Kentish Opera, Opera UK, Utah Festival Opera Company, Brevard Music Centre, Aspen Opera Theatre Company, Wigmore Hall Education, Opera Della Luna at The Lowry Centre, Opera UK, and Royal Opera House’s OperaGenesis.

Theatre

Her work has also included frequent work in the theatre, performing at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre (in roles specially written for her voice, including Psyche in The Golden Ass with Mark Rylance, and Mna Siubhail in Dominic Dromgoole’s King Lear), Theatre Royal Drury Lane (Amy Little Women, with Sandi Toksvig). Most recently Pamela was cast by Jonathan Church and Theatre Royal Bath/Chichester Festival for the national tour of Tony award-winning play Master Class, playing Sharon Graham opposite Stephanie Beacham.

Film

Mobile phone network Orange selected Pamela to be the voice of their online campaign for their HD Voice service, and the Canadian Olympics Association used her recording of Dido’s Lament for their tv advertising campaign. Pamela played the role of Elvira in Guy Ritchie’s feature film Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows, with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.

Forthcoming

In 2022 the Royal Opera House have invited Pamela to sing in their Family Sundays series with music from The Magic Flute. Pamela’s work in the role of the baddie “Voice Coach” in new film The Bang Straws, premiered at the 2021 London International Film Festival, can be seen June-September as a selection in The London Open 2022 at the Whitechapel Gallery.

Pamela Hay Soprano