Gwyneth Jones

Who is Gwyneth Jones?

Dame Gwyneth Jones (born 7 November 1936) is a Welsh dramatic soprano, widely regarded as one of the greatest Wagnerian sopranos of the second half of the 20th century. She appeared at major opera houses of the world, and had a long relationship with the Bayreuth Festival where she developed a more human, vulnerable, and womanly image for Wagner's leading characters. Jones was born in Pontnewynydd, Monmouthshire, Wales, on. She studied voice, as a mezzo-soprano, at the Royal College of Music in London with Arnold Smith and Ruth Packer, supported by a scholarship from her county. Her powerful dramatic soprano voice was joined to a vivid stage presence and finely developed acting ability. Before becoming a professional singer, she worked as a secretary at the Pontypool foundry.

She studied further at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, at the Opera Centre of Herbert Graf in Zurich, and with Maria Carpi in Geneva.

Historical significance

She is best known for her rendition of Brünnhilde in the 1976 Jahrhundertring at Bayreuth, staged to commemorate the festival's centenary.