Nadine Mortimer-Smith was born in London to Jamaican/Arawak Indian parents and has studied on the opera courses at City Lit, Morley College, ENO Opera Works at the London Coliseum and most recently at the APS Opera Studio.

In October 2009, Nadine was awarded the prize for the Most Promising Voice at the inaugural Voice of Black Opera Competition, chaired by the legendary Grace Bumbry along with Julian Joseph, Anthony Negus and Philip Herbert.

Her professional operatic work has recently included three world premières, namely an exciting collaboration with Yinka Shonibare MBE in a film installation as part of his new exhibition Addio del Passato, premierèd at the James Cohan Gallery in New York in February 2012; creating the roles of Alicia, Swaharaga and Lucia for Nigel Osborne's opera Naciketa (libretto Ariel Dorfman) with Opera Circus; and creating the role of Erin for Steven Kilpatrick's opera Flightpaths (libretto Adam Strickson) which forms part of the Yorkshire 2011/12 Cultural Olympiad. Other performances include Radio 2 (Tribute to Malcolm McLaren) and in Norway (The African Madonna); Dido (Dido and Aeneas) with Bury Court Opera/Southbank Sinfonia; Mimì (La Bohème) and Maria Stuarda both with Riverside Opera; Cio Cio San (cover) and Kate Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) with Dartington, and Nadine was delighted to join Dartington again in August 2010 to make her debut in the role of Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro); Porgy and Bess with Opera de Lyon and the Edinburgh International Festival; Carmen Jones at the Royal Festival Hall and Lost in the Stars at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Nadine devised, produced and cast the opera compilation “Why Don’t You Just Sing Jazz?” supported by the Arts Council of England for the Grimeborn 09 Festival at the Arcola Theatre.

Nadine is also a modern music specialist in her concert recital work, focussing on contemporary American song cycles alongside Strauss, Wolf and Liszt. She most recently performed and recorded works by Copland, Harbison and Prévin. In 2011, she performed Strauss’s Four Last Songs with Plymouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Anne Kimber, and with Dartington Festival Orchestra conducted by Diego Masson. Nadine was honoured to join the London Festival of American Music in 2010 to perform song cycles by Libby Larsen and others with pianist Tomasz Lis. She also gave the European première of John Harbison’s Milosz Songs at the second American Festival in 2009.

In March 2012, Nadine will sing the role of Cio Cio San with St Albans Chamber Opera in their production of Puccini's Madame Butterfly, after which she will sing the same role in Opera Brava's production of the piece. Also in March she will take the solo soprano part in Dvorak's Stabat Mater with the Isis Ensemble and Lloyds Choir, and in October will make her third appearance at the London Festival of American Music.

For more information on forthcoming performances, please see the schedule page

"Soprano Nadine Mortimer-Smith proved an admirable choice of soloist in Richard Strauss's challenging Four Last Songs, soaring effortlessly and powerfully over the lush orchestral background... a young voice with real potential" Philip R Buttall (2011)