Serenna Wagner is an experienced, prize-winning lyric dramatic mezzo soprano who is known for her warm stage presence, her depth of tone and for her versatility and breadth of repertoire. Last year, her performances included the inimitable comic headmistress Miss de Trique in the London première performances of Chris Gill’s new piece Grrrlz!; Third Lady in The Magic Flute for Oxford Opera directed by Paul Carr; Cherubino with Heritage Opera directed by Sarah Helsby Hughes; Katisha The Mikado and Principessa in Katie Blackwell's Suor Angelica for Opera Anywhere.
Since graduating from The Royal Northern College of Music, Serenna has enjoyed a rich and varied career. Highlights have included creating the role of Fanny Price for Heritage Opera in the world première performances of Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park and singing the first Paulina in Alan Edward Williams’ new opera The Arsonists, with players from the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, excerpts of which were televised on BBC1. Serenna was delighted to play the title role in the first British professional performance of Moniuszko's Halka sung in Polish at POSK in London. A versatile performer, Serenna is as much at home with contemporary composers as she is in standard repertoire having regularly performed roles such as, Maddalena, Dido, Carmen, Second Lady, Mother Hansel and Gretel, Mother Amahl and the Night Visitors and Suzuki in Madame Butterfly. Serenna was a chorister with the English National Opera after taking part in their Opera Works programme in 2009 where she appeared in many productions at The Coliseum. She has performed with Oxford Opera, Longborough Festival Opera, Heritage Opera, Bampton Classical Opera, Opera Anywhere, Opera by Definition, Focus Opera, Workbox Opera and British Youth Opera.
In addition to her opera and operetta work, Serenna is an experienced concert singer, recitalist and oratorio soloist. Highlights on the concert platform have included Zápisník zmizelého (The Diary of One who Vanished) with John Daszak and The Hallé Orchestra, under Ed Gardner; Stravinsky Cantata with James Gilchrist and the London Baroque Endymion Ensemble under Peter Stark (broadcast on Radio 3) and The Messiah at Preston Guildhall (broadcast on BBC television.) She has regularly appeared in concert at prestigious venues around the country such as Chatsworth House, Capesthorne Hall, Dorchester Abbey, The Atheneum; the Holywell music room in Oxford and on-board Swan Hellenic cruises. A capable linguist of Polish-English heritage, Serenna enjoys classical art songs very much and has a number of song cycles in her repertoire, including Schumann Frauenliebe und Leben; Wagner Wesendonck Lieder; Bax Five Polish Carols and Mussorgsky Detskaya.