Patricia Kern

Who is Patricia Kern?

Patricia Kern is a British mezzo-soprano and voice teacher. She was born in Swansea, Wales.

From 1949 to 1952 she studied with Gwynn Parry Jones at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. She began her career with Opera for All. In 1959 she joined Sadler’s Wells, making her début in Rusalka; for ten seasons she was a member of the company, her most notable achievement being her interpretations of La Cenerentola, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Isolier and Isabella. Her other roles included Iolanthe, Hänsel, Cherubino, Pippo, and Josephine in the première of Malcolm Williamson’s The Violins of Saint-Jacques. She made her Covent Garden début in 1967 as Zerlina. Her American début was at Washington, DC, in 1969 and in 1987 she sang Marcellina in Chicago. Kern's stage personality was described as engaging and sympathetic. She made several recordings, including Massenet's Manon and Monteverdi's Madrigals.

Kern went on to teach Voice at the University of Toronto, where her pupils have included James Westman, Russell Braun, Brett Polegato, and Kimberly Barber.