BIOGRAPHY

BIOGRAPHY

Possessed of a voice that is equally capable of being warm and honey-toned or dramatic and thrilling, Cheryl Forbes is one of the most exciting and versatile mezzo-soprano singers of her generation.  

Born in Falkirk, she studied at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London with Johanna Peters, at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Dr. Patricia MacMahon and later in New York City with Frederick Carama and opera legend, Marilyn Horne.

Her career began in childhood with television and radio appearances, including with Sir Harry Secombe on ITV’s Highway, the annually-acclaimed Falkirk Children’s Theatre Pantomime on STV, The Untied Shoelaces Show and It’s Christmas (1983), and has continued to the present day with a professional career filled with opera roles, oratorio performances, recitals, concerts, music theatre, radio broadcasts, television cameos, intimate cabaret and light entertainment shows.

Recent engagements include Songlines at The Edinburgh International Festival, The Sloan’s Opera (Manageress/Wife) for NOISE Opera; Gianni Schicchi (Zita), Madama Butterfly (Suzuki), Eugene Onegin (Larina) and Suor Angelica (Mistress of the Novices) for Opera Bohemia; The Gondoliers (Inez) and covers in Le Nozze di Figaro (Marcellina), Flight (The Older Woman), Nixon in China (Third Secretary, The Gondoliers (Duchess), Utopia Limited (Lady Sophy) and Candide (The Old Lady) for Scottish Opera; Bartok’s Village Scenes for BBC Radio 3; Classics Unwrapped for BBC Radio Scotland; Rutter’s Feel the Spirit, conducted by Sir John himself; Ravel’s Sheherazade with the Glasgow Sinfonia; Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with the Edinburgh Symphony Orchestra; the inaugural Songtellers concert of the St. Andrews Voices festival; Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody with The Edinburgh Singers; Verdi’s Requiem with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera; Verdi’s Requiem with The Edinburgh Singers; as well as concerts, oratorio, recitals, cruise appearances, galas and intimate cabarets across the UK and abroad, alongside television and radio broadcasts, the most recent of which being her surprise musical appearance on BBC 1’s A View from the Terrace, closing the Euros Cup Final episode, and the BBC4 broadcast of D’Oyly Carte and Scottish Opera’s joint production of The Gondoliers, now commercially released on DVD.

Cheryl’s hometown honoured her in 1992 with the Falkirk Scroll of Honour and again in 2016 with Falkirk Personality of the Year.  In 2023 she was inaugural winner of The Robert Presley Professional Development Award at the final at Covent Garden.

Possessed of a voice that is equally capable of being warm and honey-toned or dramatic and thrilling, Cheryl Forbes is one of the most exciting and versatile mezzo-soprano singers of her generation.  

Born in Falkirk, she studied at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London with Johanna Peters, at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Dr. Patricia MacMahon and later in New York City with Frederick Carama and opera legend, Marilyn Horne.

Her career began in childhood with television and radio appearances, including with Sir Harry Secombe on ITV’s Highway, the annually-acclaimed Falkirk Children’s Theatre Pantomime on STV, The Untied Shoelaces Show and It’s Christmas (1983), and has continued to the present day with a professional career filled with opera roles, oratorio performances, recitals, concerts, music theatre, radio broadcasts, television cameos, intimate cabaret and light entertainment shows.

Recent engagements include Songlines at The Edinburgh International Festival, The Sloan’s Opera (Manageress/Wife) for NOISE Opera; Gianni Schicchi (Zita), Madama Butterfly (Suzuki), Eugene Onegin (Larina) and Suor Angelica (Mistress of the Novices) for Opera Bohemia; The Gondoliers (Inez) and covers in Le Nozze di Figaro (Marcellina), Flight (The Older Woman), Nixon in China (Third Secretary, The Gondoliers (Duchess), Utopia Limited (Lady Sophy) and Candide (The Old Lady) for Scottish Opera; Bartok’s Village Scenes for BBC Radio 3; Classics Unwrapped for BBC Radio Scotland; Rutter’s Feel the Spirit, conducted by Sir John himself; Ravel’s Sheherazade with the Glasgow Sinfonia; Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with the Edinburgh Symphony Orchestra; the inaugural Songtellers concert of the St. Andrews Voices festival; Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody with The Edinburgh Singers; Verdi’s Requiem with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera; Verdi’s Requiem with The Edinburgh Singers; as well as concerts, oratorio, recitals, cruise appearances, galas and intimate cabarets across the UK and abroad, alongside television and radio broadcasts, the most recent of which being her surprise musical appearance on BBC 1’s A View from the Terrace, closing the Euros Cup Final episode, and the BBC4 broadcast of D’Oyly Carte and Scottish Opera’s joint production of The Gondoliers, now commercially released on DVD.

Cheryl’s hometown honoured her in 1992 with the Falkirk Scroll of Honour and again in 2016 with Falkirk Personality of the Year.  In 2023 she was inaugural winner of The Robert Presley Professional Development Award at the final at Covent Garden.