Dame Gwyneth Jones was born in Pontnewynydd, South Wales and studied at the Royal College of Music, Opera Studio, Z眉rich and with Maria Carpi in Geneva.
She made her debut at Z眉rich Opera in 1962, became a member of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1963, followed by debut at Vienna State Opera, Munich State Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1966, and has performed regularly in all these houses, as well as Hamburg, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, The Metropolitan Opera House, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires and Tokyo.
Festivals include Bayreuth, Salzburg, Verona, Orange, Edinburgh. One of the most successful, versatile sopranos in the world, her vast repertoire includes Senta, Sieglinde, Eva, Elisabeth, Venus, Kundry, Br眉nnhilde, Isolde, Ortrud, Octavian, Marschallin, 脛gyptische Helena, Ariadne, Salome, Herodias, F盲rberin, Chrysothemis, Elektra, Klyt盲mnestra, Amelia, Lady Macbeth, Leonora, Desdemona, Aida, Elisabetta, Butterfly, Tosca, Turandot, Fanciulla, Fidelio, Donna Anna, Poppea, Medea, Santuzza, La Voix Humaine, Erwartung, Kostelni膷ka, Kabanicha, Kurt Weill's Begbick, Merry Widow, Unsuk Chin's Queen of Hearts.
Honours include Dame Commander of the British Empire; Bundesverdienstkreuz 1 Klasse, Germany; Austrian Cross of Honour for Arts 1 Class; Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France; Kammers盲ngerin in Austria and Bavaria; Honorary Member Vienna State Opera; Premio Puccini Award; President Wagner Society, London; Honorary Doctor of Music, Universities of Wales and Glamorgan; Fellow and Vice President, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.
Dame Gwyneth has made many important recordings and films and given master classes throughout the world. She has directed a new production of Der fliegende Holl盲nder at the Weimar National Theatre.
