Jeremy Ovenden

He is regarded as one of the leading Mozart interpreters of his generation and has been a regular guest on Europe's most prestigious opera and concert stages in a career spanning more than 25 years. His wide-ranging repertoire, from Baroque opera through the major concert works of the Classical and Romantic periods, together with his stylistic authority and expressive artistry, has established him as an internationally sought-after performer. 

A particular focus of his operatic career has been the major tenor roles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Above all, the title roles in Idomeneo and La clemenza di Tito have taken him to some of Europe’s most renowned venues, including the Teatro Real Madrid, Theater an der Wien, Vlaamse Opera, Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, as well as the Wiener Festwochen, Mozartfest Würzburg, and the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York. Other significant Mozart roles in his repertoire include Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni which he performed at La Scala , Milan with Gustavo Dudamel ,The StaatsOper Berlin with Daniel Barenboim and at Edinburgh Festival with Iván Fisher and the Budapest Festival Orchestra.

Jeremy sung in the production Europa Riconosciuta by Salieri for the re-opening of La Scala, conducted by Riccardo Muti and with Nicholas Harnoncourt he performed numerous concerts and recorded Litaniae de Venerabili live for the Salzburg Festival.

He has enjoyed great success in the repertoire of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. His principal roles include the title role in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, Ulisse in Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, and Nerone in L'incoronazione di Poppea, which he performed at Opera de Paris with Rinaldo Alessandrini in Bob Wilson’s iconic production.  Also a frequent performer in the operas of George Frideric Handel, he has appeared as Bajazet in Tamerlano, Grimoaldo in Rodelinda, Emilio in Partenope, and Jupiter and Apollo in Semele.  His particular affinity for historically informed performance practice has made him a valued collaborator of leading Baroque ensembles and specialists in this repertoire, including the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Les Talens Lyriques and the Gabrieli Consort .

In the UK, he has performed Cosi Fan Tutte at Covent Garden, Theodora at Glyndebourne and has performed regularly with the LSO, recording Jahreszeiten with Sir Colin Davis and with the LPO he performed Weihnachts Oratorio with Vladimir Jurowski , together they recorded Szymanowski’s Song of the Night. In the Summer of 2026, he performed La Clemenza di Tito at The Grange Festival with Christophe Rousset to critical acclaim.

Equally sought-after on the international concert stage, he has worked with distinguished conductors including Daniel Barenboim, Ivor Bolton, Myung-Whun Chung, Iván Fischer, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Philippe Herreweghe, René Jacobs, Vladimir Jurowski, Riccardo Muti, and Sir Simon Rattle. His concert engagements have taken him to major orchestras and festivals throughout Europe and beyond.

The great sacred works of Johann Sebastian Bach occupy a prominent place in Jeremy Ovenden’s artistic career. He has appeared as the Evangelist in the St Matthew Passion and St John Passion, and in the Christmas Oratorio, with renowned ensembles such as the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the WDR Symphony Orchestra, and the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn. His further concert repertoire encompasses major works by Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, and Britten. Highlights include performances of Handel's Messiah at Vienna's Musikverein, Mozart's Zaide with the Munich Radio Orchestra, and the tenor solo in Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and The War Requiem for Danish Radio Orchestra , Helsinki Festival and Strasbourg Philharmonie.

Highlights of recent seasons include the title role in Mozart's Idomeneo at Stuttgart State Opera, appearances in the two-part world premiere of I Grotteschi at La Monnaie in Brussels, and performances of Schumann's Scenes from Goethe's Faust with the Spanish National Orchestra and Choir. Further engagements have taken him to leading European concert venues with Mozart's Requiem, Handel's Jephtha, and Bach's St Matthew Passion.

Jeremy Ovenden's discography includes recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach's St Mark Passion and St John Passion, as well as a selection of the composer's cantatas. He has also recorded Handel's oratorios Saul and L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, and Haydn's The Creation and The Seasons. A substantial number of recordings are devoted to the early operatic works of Mozart, including Il sogno di Scipione, La Betulia liberata, La finta semplice, L'oca del Cairo, and Lo sposo deluso. Also entirely devoted to Mozart is Jeremy Ovenden's solo album An Italian Journey, recorded with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Jonathan Cohen and released on the Signum Classics label.

Jeremy Ovenden studied at the Royal College of Music with Dr. Norman Bailey and Neil Mackie before being awarded a Scholarship to study with the legendary tenor Nicolai Gedda.

In September 2026, he joined Guildhall School of Music and Drama as Principal Study Teacher.