Juliet Reynolds-Midgley
Juliet was born in England and had her first professional singing engagement at the age of twelve, she played the part of Ngana in the CBS recording of South Pacific, along side Dame Kiri te Kanawa, Jose Carreras, Mandy Patinkin and Sarah Vaughan. In the same year she made her own LP recording, Very First Christmas Morning. During her school and university years Juliet took part in a number of celebrity concerts throughout the UK, appearing at major concert venues such as the Scarborough Grand Spa and London’s Royal Festival Hall. As the guest soloist with a number of choral societies Juliet had the pleasure of singing not only solo songs but parts such as Mabel from Pirates of Penzance. Whilst at university she also took the part of Maria in West Side Story at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham. Having gained her B.A.Hons in Performance Arts and Education Studies, Juliet continued to appear in celebrity concerts and also as part of the Ambrosian Opera Chorus, with whom she recorded and toured abroad. As part of the AOC she has recorded soundtracks for films such as Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame and recorded the Faure and Derufle Requiems under conductor and composer Michel Legrand. As a soloist Juliet recorded the demo for Kate Winslet in the film Sense and Sensibility and her solo broadcast debut came in 1995 with the BBC Concert Orchestra on Radio Two.
In 1997/98 Juliet fronted the five piece band Images, working both in the UK and abroad, culminating in a six month cruise in the Caribbean with Festival Cruises where she appeared as a featured singer in the various shows.
Since arriving in New Zealand, in 1998, Juliet has appeared as a soloist in a number of events:- the John Densem Memorial Concert at the Court Theatre, the opening of the Festival of Romance with Malcolm McNeill, Starry Nights and Coco-Cola Christmas in the Park, Westend to Broadway Two and Les Miserable at the Theatre Royal, playing Fantine, the APEC State Dinner for President Clinton and the Winter Music Festival at the Nelson School of Music with Dame Malvina Major. Juliet and her jazz band also had a residency at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Christchurch, for over four years. In 2000 Juliet recorded her debut CD Haven’t We Met, an interesting synthesis of jazz and classical. The CD has been played on national and local radio stations in New Zealand and the UK. You can also hear her voice on the TV 3 series The Dress Up Box.2004 marked Juliet’s first show at The Court Theatre where she played the role of Sister Margaretta in The Sound Of Music.
In 2008 Juliet debuted her show, Don’t Rain on My Parade at the Christchurch International Cabaret Festival. 2008-09 has seen her continue her excellent relationship with The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, appearing in Irish Rhapsody, Broadway Broads, Christmas with Margaret Mahy and a tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Her most recent challenge is playing the role of Mrs Lovett for the 2010 Showbiz Christchurch Production of Sweeney Todd.