Welsh National Opera Reveals New Associate Artists For 2024/2025

Welsh National Opera has announced a trio of new Associate Artists joining the Company from September this year.

Welsh sopranos Erin Rossington and Eiry Price, and British bass William Stevens join the Company and as Associate Artists will receive training, support, and gain experience with roles in operas, concerts and WNO’s community and engagement work. 

Erin Rossington is no stranger to WNO as she performed with the Company in the role of Madam Mercury in Play Opera LIVE as part of WNO’s Spring 2024 Season. Her other roles have included Micaëla in La Tragedié de Carmen for Buxton International Festival and Lady Billows in Albert Herring for Clonter Opera. Erin performs regularly on the competition platform, winning accolades including the Elizabeth Harwood Memorial Prize at the RNCM in 2019, and the Towyn Roberts Scholarship at the National Eisteddfod of Wales 2024. As an Associate Artist, Erin will take on the role of First Alms Sister in Il trittico this Autumn season and will also perform in Opera Favourites at the Movies. As part of the Spring 2025 season, Erin will perform the role of Countess in The Marriage of Figaro on 27 February 2025. She will also perform in the annual New Year’s Celebration Concert Tour and Play Opera LIVE.

William Stevens graduated from Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. His recent engagements include Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia for Cardiff Opera and various Gilbert and Sullivan roles. His concert repertoire includes major works by Handel, Mozart, Brahms, and Shostakovich. For WNO, William will take the roles of Maestro Spinelloccio in Il trittico this Autumn Season and will cover Hobson in Peter Grimes. William will perform the role of Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro on 6 June 2025 and will cover the role for the rest of the tour. He will also perform in Schools Concerts, and the New Year’s Celebration Concert Tour.

Eiry Price is an alumna of the Royal College of Music and Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where she was supported by the Countess of Munster Trust, the H R Taylor Trust, and the Dick Maidment and Peggy Cooper Award. Her recent engagements include Offenbach’s La Princesse de Trébizonde with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Mercadante's Il proscitto under Carlo Rizzi, both in collaboration with Opera Rara. On the competition platform, Eiry won the James Pantyfedwen Vocal Award, the Park Jones Scholarship, and the Towyn Roberts Scholarship at the National Eisteddfod. For WNO, she will be taking the role of Countess Ceprano in Verdi’s Rigoletto this Autumn, Barbarina and covering Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro and Neice 2 in Peter Grimes in the Spring 2025 Season.

All three Artists will perform in the Associate Artist Recital at the Tabernacle, Cardiff on Sunday 6 July 2025, 4pm.  

Erin says: “I am thrilled to be joining WNO and am over the moon to be able to work and live in Wales, using my first language. I look forward to singing in the beautiful Donald Gordon Theatre and to touring, especially as I get to visit Llandudno which is the area I grew up.”

William says: "I first saw WNO perform when I was 16 and it has consistently been a career goal of mine to be part of this company. Some of my favourite memories in the theatre have been watching WNO productions and the chance to be on the stage where they happened, alongside some of the people that made them, is something I am really happy about.  I am very excited to work with the WNO team over the year!”

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