Ria Jones

Ria has performed in many of the top West End Musicals and Touring Productions over the past thirty years. Most recently standing in for Glenn Close as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard for The English National Opera's production at The London Coliseum. She has played the leading lady in Chess, Cats, Evita, Les Miserables, Nine, High Society, Anything Goes, The Witches of Eastwick, Honk, Victor Victoria, Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Into The Woods, A Little Night Music, Closer Than Ever, Romance Romance, Personals, Acorn Antiques and 42nd St. She was also chosen by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber to create the role of Norma Desmond for his first ever showing of Sunset Boulevard. Concerts take Ria all over the world, performing with many world class orchestras. She is a regular soloist at The Royal Albert Hall with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed for the Danish Royal Family and at Buckingham Palace by Royal Request. As well as many cast albums, She has guested on numerous albums with the RPO and has also released her solo album 'Have You Met Miss Jones'. TV appearances include, 3 Royal Variety shows, her own TV show for BBC Wales, and Wales In The West End, to name but a few. For more information, live footage and photographs of Ria, please go to Riajones.co.uk

Other theatre credits include: Josephine and Monica in Romance Romance (Bridewell Theatre); Necrophorous in Nine (Donmar Warehouse); Kim in the European premiere of the musical revue Personals (New End Theatre, Hampstead); the creation of the role of Emma West in A Twist of Fate (Jubilee Theatre, Raffles Hotel, Singapore); Petra in Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music (Leicester Haymarket Theatre); Ida in Honk! (Victoria Theatre, Singapore); the title role in the European premiere of Victor/Victoria (Bridewell Theatre); Liz Imbrie in High Society (UK tour 2004/5 and Shaftesbury Theatre). Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes (National Tour, 2006, nominated for a TMA award for best performance in a musical); Mrs Overall in Acorn Antiques (UK tour 2006/7, directed by Victoria Wood); Alexandra Spofford in The Witches of Eastwick (UK Tour); Guest Vocalist in Strictly Come Dancing - the Professionals (Tour); Closer Than Ever (Landor Theatre); The Witch in Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods (Esplanade Theatre, Singapore) and Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street (Curve, Leicester). Jerry Herman’s musical revue, Jerry’s Girls (St. James Studio and Jermyn Street Theatre); Miss-Leading Ladies (St James Theatre, London), and most recently standby to Glenn Close in the ENO’s production of Sunset Boulevard at the London Coliseum.

Workshops include: creating the role of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard (Sydmonton Festival); Stephen Sondheim’s Masterclass (St Catherine’s College Oxford); Mercedes in Carmen Negra (Royalty Theatre, London) and Zorro (Old Vic).

Concert credits include: Prestigious venues worldwide, from France and Belgium to South Africa, Singapore and Shanghai. Ria makes regular appearances as a guest soloist in Denmark, singing with all the major orchestras. In 2009, she was a guest soloist for the Danish Royal family (Concert House, Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen); Soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the last twelve years (Royal Albert Hall); Sung, by personal request, for The Duke Of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme (Buckingham Palace); Soloist with The Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra; Guest Soloist in Children Will Listen, celebrating the work of Stephen Sondheim (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane); A Night Under The Stars (with Bryn Tyrfel at his annual festival in North Wales); Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar (Barbican Theatre); Eva Peron in Evita - In Concert (Highams Park, Chelmsford); Fantine in Les Misérables - In Concert (Cardiff Castle); the world premiere of The Three Musketeers and Anita in West Side Story (Denmark); ABBAPHONIC – The Concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Royal Albert Hall and Russia Tour); From Hackney To Hollywood, celebrating the work of Don Black and West End Women - In Concert (UK Tour).

Television credits include: Her own TV show One Night Only with Ria Jones (BBC Wales); Guest on three Royal Variety Performances (BBC); numerous TV chat shows, including Welsh in the West End (ITV1 Wales).
Radio credits include: Friday Night Is Music Night (BBC Radio 2)
Recording credits include: Les Misérables (Manchester Cast Recording); Soloist in A Tribute to Hal Prince; Kim in Personals; Emma West in A Twist of Fate; Guest Soloist on Pier Nielsen's albums My Way (which went Platinum) and Christmas Joy; Guest Soloist on Jesper Lundgaard's album Symphony For My Love, recorded with The Sonderyllands Symphony Orchestra; ABBAPHONIC and The Very Best of Rodgers and Hammerstein (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra); It’s Better With A Band (Prinsens Musikkorp); Ria’s solo album Have You Met Miss Jones? and her new album featuring The Golden Age of Hollywood (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra).