“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones as the Mother gave a portrayal that was often rich characterised as well as rich-sounding. Her transformation into the Witch was as strong a contrast as could be…”
Opera
Julian Philips: Looking West / Nova Music Opera at Ryedale Festival 2022
“St Bega was cleanly, smoothly and spiritually sung by the mezzo Rebecca Afonwy-Jones…”
Opera
Dorabella: Così fan tutte / Saffron Opera Group 2022
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones’ lovely mezzo has depth without darkness, and its warmth made her Dorabella a good foil to her more complicated sister.”
Opera
Kerstin: Juliana / Resonus Classics CD 2022
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones is convincing as the jilted Kerstin…”
Gramophone
“…Rebecca Afonwy-Jones, who reprises the role she created as the jilted and sidelined housekeeper, Kerstin, with biting aplomb.”
Limelight
“The recording displays young singers of exceptional accomplishment who are a delight to listen to. As Kerstin, Rebecca Afonwy-Jones inhabits her role with a remarkable interiority, her sumptuous mezzo conveying a great deal through subtle variations of timbre. She is the beating heart of the performance.”
Opera
Fanny Mendelssohn: Hiob / Crouch End Festival Chorus 2022
“Attention was demanded by the soloists – tenor Ronald Samm and mezzo Rebecca Afonwy-Jones were sensational…”
Ham&High
Dardano: Amadigi / English Touring Opera 2021
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones as the spurned Dardano…sang and acted with dignity and conviction.”
Bachtrack
“Afonwy-Jones, dark voiced and implacable does fine things with the anguished ‘Pena tiranna,’ one of Handel’s greatest arias.”
The Guardian
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones is a bluff, appealing Dardano, relishing the opera’s knockout aria ‘Pena tiranna.’”
iNews
“Dardano, is a breeches role, sung by mezzo Rebecca Afonwy-Jones with some amazing low notes which have a lovely timbre.”
LondonTheatre1
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones sang a lush account of ‘Pena tiranna;” her fruity mezzo is the kind of voice that would have been preferred for the alto lead at the beginning of the English Händel renaissance…”
Opera
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones brings terrific energy to the role of Dardano and, aided by a sombre but beautiful bassoon obligato, movingly communicates his embittered acceptance that Oriana will not be his.”
Opera Today
Countess Nastri: La diavolessa / New Chamber Opera 2021
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones is a splendidly haughty Countess as she suffers Falco’s ‘doss house’ or inn, and then Poppone’s slurs, skilfully projecting this attitude in the well sustained melismas of her Act 1 aria and the Handelian bravado of her rage aria in the succeeding act.”
Seen and Heard International
Presteigne Premieres / Resonus Classics CD 2021
“Two Hugh Wood pieces feature: Beginnings, his late reworking of three early songs, exquisitely handled by the mezzo Rebecca Afonwy-Jones, and Divertimento.”
The Sunday Times
Carmen / Scottish Opera
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones’ Carmen was both dark and manipulative, with enough seductive fruitiness in her voice to sustain complete plausibility.”
The Scotsman
Anna Kennedy: Maria Stuarda / Welsh National Opera
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones made a touching and pleasing Anna.”
Opera
Louhi: Swanhunter / Opera North
“…Rebecca Afonwy-Jones, an imperious Louhi.”
The Guardian
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones is a formidable and dark-toned Louhi…”
Opera Britannia
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones was a fine Louhi.”
Seen and Heard International
Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius / RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
“There was a gentleness and mellowness to Rebecca Afonwy-Jones’ Angel from her entry in Part Two of the oratorio. Hers is a pleasing, sweet voice that sounded at its best when the orchestra was at a low volume. The dialogue with the Soul of Gerontius was sometimes gently consoling and later on, as her voice opened up, morally eloquent. There was a spine-tingling moment as Afonwy-Jones explained about the purifying flame of “Everlasting Love.”
Bachtrack
Handel: Messiah / Resonus Classics CD
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones warms to her task with a touchingly open-hearted simplicity in ‘He shall feed his flock’ and a finely honed reading of ‘He was despised.”
Gramophone
Lola: Cavalleria Rusticana / Welsh National Opera
“…Rebecca Afonwy-Jones, an appealing Lola.”
Bachtrack
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones was an appealing Lola, as coldly “innocent” as the role requires.”
Seen and Heard International
“…for all-round excellence one must turn to Rebecca Afonwy-Jones’ butter-wouldn’t-melt Lola…”
The Stage
Kerstin: Juliana / Nova Music Opera
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones imbued Kerstin with a stoic dignity as well as a growing sense of helplessness that was ultimately very touching.”
Opera
Suzuki: Madama Butterfly / Welsh National Opera
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones’ affectingly loyal Suzuki.”
Bachtrack
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones…rose to the occasion as both anger and the instinct to protect Cio-Cio-San expressed themselves in the voice.”
Opera
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones was a superb Suzuki, her rich voice strong in all registers, the phrasing well-judged.”
Opera Today
Prince Orlofsky: Die Fledermaus / West Green House Opera
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones was pretty much ideal as Orlofsky, firm and spicy of tone…”
Opera
Olga: Eugene Onegin / Grange Park Opera
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones dealt with Olga’s tricky tessitura with great assurance, and skillfully managed to make dramatic sense of her ballroom conversion to über-coquette.”
Opera
Flora Bervoix: La traviata / Welsh National Opera
“Thanks to the spirited Rebecca Afonwy-Jones as Flora, the party was full of fizz…”
The Guardian
“Flora’s indigo-blue frock gleams as richly as Rebecca Afonwy-Jones’ mezzo-soprano and as brightly as her smile.”
Opera Today
“…well sung and impeccably acted by Rebecca Afonwy-Jones…”
WalesOnline
“Rebecca Afonwy-Jones lit up the stage with hoydenish glamour as Mademoiselle Bervoix…”
WhatsOnStage
Wellgunde: Das Rheingold / Longborough Festival Opera
“Opening proceedings with a splash, Mari Wyn Williams, Rebecca Afonwy-Jones and Katie Stevenson as the Rhinemaidens supplied the kind of vocal substance that will prove invaluable in any well-blended future ensemble of Valkyries.”
Opera
There were three alluring sounding Rhinemaidens (Mari Wyn Williams as Woglinde, Rebecca Afonwy-Jones as Wellgunde and Katie Stevenson as Flosshilde)…”
Seen and Heard International
Weir: The Consolations of Scholarship / Presteigne Festival
“For the remarkably accomplished Berkeley Ensemble and mezzo-soprano Rebecca Afonwy-Jones it was a tour de force, brilliantly executed by the nine instrumentalists under George Vass’ undemonstratively precise direction and sung / spoken / declaimed (it contains a lot of Sprechstimme) by Afonwy-Jones with remarkable clarity and vocal richness.”
Birmingham Post
“…it commanded the second half, thanks to the authoritative, gloriously sonorous voice of young mezzo Rebecca Afonwy-Jones and the Berkeley’s responsive ensemble. If anything, the instrumental writing is more potent than the vocal line but when Afonwy-Jones was given words to sing rather than speak she sliced laser-like through the scoring and her voice soared.”
Hereford Times
Recital / Presteigne Festival
“…Rebecca Afonwy-Jones, who along with Rachel Roberts (viola) and Timothy End (piano) gave outstanding performances of works by Nielsen, Falla (Siete canciones populares espagñolas), Brahms (his Opus 91) and Edward Gregson’s superbly written Five Songs of Innocence and Experience – receiving the première of its revised version. Afonwy-Jones combined lustrous tone, generous phrasing and a natural range of communication that demands attention and also further study of Gregson’s music.”
Classical Source
