Biography – Significant Events
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Neil Jenkins’ significant events in a 40-year career:
| 1967 | September | Joined the Deller Consort, and made 1st recordings for Harmonia Mundi label |
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| 1967 | October 27th | London Debut Recital, Purcell Room, with Roger Vignoles |
| 1967 | December | 1st performances of the title role in Britten’s St Nicolas |
| 1968 | May 17th | First solo BBC Broadcast ‘ Haydn Great Organ Mass |
| 1968 | August 17th | Operatic Debut in Menotti’s The Consul, produced by Giancarlo Menotti |
| 1968-9 | Guest soloist with Gary Bertini’s Israel Chamber Orchestra for 2 seasons singing Britten’s Serenade & Finzi’s Dies Natalis amongst other solo tenor works | |
| 1970 | Debuts in RFH (March) & RAH (December); 1st solo recording (Finzi song-cycle) | |
| 1971 | Performs Dies Natalis with Newbury Strings, conducted by Christopher Finzi | |
| 1972 | Winner of the NFMS Award; 1st Prom; 1st appearance with Kent Opera 1st TV appearance in Verdi’s Falstaff; 1st work with Benjamin Britten | |
| 1974 | WNO debut; Professor of Singing at R.C.M; 1st Three Choirs Festival | |
| 1975 | 1st concert with David Willcocks and the Bach Choir; 1st Aldeburgh Festival | |
| 1976 | ‘Johnny Inkslinger’ in Britten’s Paul Bunyan at Aldeburgh and on tour | |
| 1979 | 1st appearance with Netherlands Opera in The Consul, produced by Menotti | |
| 1981 | Peter Grimes at Brighton Festival; Scottish Opera debut in Pearl Fishers | |
| 1981-5 | Records entire canon of G & S operettas for BBC Radio 2, conductor Mackerras | |
| 1982 | 1st appearance at Glyndebourne in Higglety Pigglety Pop, recorded on Video | |
| 1983 | Opera North debut in Eugene Onegin & The Cunning Little Vixen | |
| 1986 | 1st appearance with Geneva Opera in Strauss Elektra, revived & recorded *@1990 | |
| 1987 | Soloist in Tippett’s A Child of our Time at televised First Night of the Proms 1st appearances of the Jenkins Family Singers, later the Neil Jenkins Chorale | |
| 1989 | Soloist in Bernstein’s Candide recorded for DG, conducted by the composer | |
| 1991 | 1st appearance with Ditchling Choral Society, as Evangelist in St John Passion | |
| 1993 | First musical editions, recordings and publications for Kevin Mayhew Ltd. | |
| 1995 | First musical editions and translations for Novello Edition and OUP | |
| 1995 – 2001 | Begins his conducting career as Musical Director of Brighton Chamber Choir | |
| 2002 | Appointed Cummins-Harvey Fellow Commoner at Girton College, Cambridge | |
| 2002 – 2014 | Musical Director of Ditchling Choral Society, later Sussex Chorus | |
| 2004 | Sir Charles Santley Memorial Award presented by Worshipful Co. of Musicians | |
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2007 – 2017 |
Artistic Director of Ardingly International Music School (AIMS) with his wife Penny as Administrator … |
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2017 |
Curates “John Beard exhibition at Handel House |
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2017 |
Celebrates the 50th anniversary of his professional debut |
The Times Saturday 28th October *1967
Welcome to a new English Tenor
Well-schooled tenors are never thick on the ground, so when a new one, such as Neil Jenkins, appears on the musical scene word spreads fast ‘ and word was confirmed at his Purcell Room recital. Here is a clear, soundly produced, not over-large voice, rather in the Wilfred Brown mould. Such was his assurance that there was hardly a bad note or an ill-formed phrase all evening, doubtless the fruit of hard training…