Joanna Forest is an English, UK Number 1 Classical Album selling

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

Early life

Forest trained at The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.

Career

Soprano

In 2014, Forest first performed as a solo soprano at Busting to Sing in the West End in aid of breast cancer awareness charity, CoppaFeel! where she also duetted with

Paul Potts Paul Potts (born 13 October 1970) is an English tenor. In 2007, he won the first series of ITV's ''Britain's Got Talent'' with his performance of " Nessun dorma", an aria from Puccini's opera ''Turandot''. As a singer of operatic pop music ...

singing "Point of No Return". Forest's debut album, '' Stars Are Rising'', which was recorded with the

City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Czech: ''Filharmonici města Prahy'') is a classical orchestra, predominantly composed of Czech classical, jazz and guest musicians. The history of the orchestra goes back to the Film Symphony Orchestr ...

and Arts Symphonic Orchestra, was released on 10 March 2017 and went straight to number one in the Official Classical Album Chart. This made Forest the first independent classical artist to reach number one with a debut album. The album was produced, orchestrated and conducted by Robert Emery, receiving critical acclaim including "Album of the Week" in The Sunday Mirror and nationwide radio play including

Classic FM (UK) Classic FM (styled as CLASSIC M) is one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations and is owned and operated by Global. The station broadcasts classical music and was launched in 1992. Classic FM was the first national c ...

and

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...

. The first single from the album was a version of

Slade Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British Hit Singles ...

's 1975 song " How Does It Feel". This was followed up with a second single, a huge orchestral version of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

's " Life on Mars?". In summer 2017, Forest performed at Proms events including

Bedford Park, Bedford Bedford Park is a large urban park, located in the town of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. The park is the largest urban park within the town, and it is owned and maintained by Bedford Borough Council. Bedford Park was constructed and planted ...

and

Castle Howard Castle Howard is a stately home in North Yorkshire, England, within the civil parish of Henderskelfe, located north of York. It is a private residence and has been the home of the Carlisle branch of the Howard family for more than 300 years ...

, the latter of which with

Blake Blake is a surname which originated from Old English. Its derivation is uncertain; it could come from "blac", a nickname for someone who had dark hair or skin, or from "blaac", a nickname for someone with pale hair or skin. Another theory, presuma ...

. Forest then celebrated the success of the album with a nationwide tour. To celebrate the 70th wedding anniversary of Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

and the

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produc ...

, Forest appeared in duet with West End Star, Daniel Koek on a single written by composer, Olga Thomas. The song, entitled "Royal Platinum Love Song" was released in November 2017 and went straight to Number 1 in the iTunes Classical Singles Chart. In December 2017, Forest was asked to be one of lead vocalists alongside

Carol Decker Carol Ann Decker (born 10 September 1957) is an English singer and musician. She is the lead vocalist of the band T'Pau, which had international success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although Decker is mainly associated with the group, sh ...

and

Michelle McManus Michelle McManus (born 8 May 1980) is a Scottish singer, columnist, and television presenter who won the second and final series of the UK talent show ''Pop Idol'' in 2003. McManus's debut single, " All This Time", entered the UK Singles Cha ...

on the “Choirs with Purpose” album, ''Stand Together''. Backed by a 600 strong choir from the UK Hospices, she sang a new arrangement of "

My Heart Will Go On "My Heart Will Go On" is a 1997 song recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion. The song serves as the main theme to James Cameron's blockbuster film '' Titanic'', based on an account of the transatlantic ocean liner of the same name which san ...

" gaining significant radio play. On 1 July 2018 Forest appeared in duet with Mary-Jess Leaverland on

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns sung in churches of varying denominations from around the UK. The series was first broadcast in October 1961. On that occasion, the venue was the Ta ...

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

singing "Ave Maria". Forest's second album, ''The Rhythm of Life'', once again produced by Robert Emery, was released in March 2019 featuring

and

Andy Day Andy Day (born 15 May 1981) is an English actor, comedian, singer, dancer, songwriter and television presenter. He is best known for his work on the BBC's CBeebies channel. He is also a patron of Anti-Bullying Week. He was first on Friendly T ...

who performs with Forest on first single, Let's Go Fly a Kite. on release, the album went straight to number one in the classical bestsellers Amazon chart and Forest appeared on Sky News, BBC News and in the UK National press promoting the “day in the life of a child” concept that the album took. In 2020, ''The Rhythm of Life'' won "Best Children's Album" at the Clouzine International Music Awards. Forest dueted with Olga Thomas in the single Flowers On The Doorstep in October 2020 and released a version of the rugby anthem

World In Union "World in Union" is a theme song for the Rugby World Cup. Its melody is "Thaxted (tune), Thaxted", from the middle section of "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity", a movement (music), movement from Gustav Holst's ''The Planets'', and was originally a ...

with pianist Joel Goodman as a charity single in November 2020, in honour of Sgt Matt Ratana, who was fatally shot whilst on duty. In 2021, she was named as one of the Top 50 Most Influential People in Essex by West Essex Life.

Pre singing career

Theatre

Prior to launching her career as a

classical crossover Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audience. This can be seen, for example, (especially in the United States) when a song appears on two or more of the record charts which track differ ...

soprano, Forest spent many years performing both on stage and on television. She made her West End debut at the age of 13, creating the role of Collette in ''Bernadette the Musical'', which ran at the

Dominion Theatre The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre and former cinema on Tottenham Court Road, close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point, in the London Borough of Camden. Planned as primarily a musical theatre, it opened in 1929, but the following year ...

. She would perform again at the Dominion several more times appearing in the

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...

which was televised for the BBC. Forest's next West End appearance was at the Strand Theatre, (now renamed Novello Theatre), where she created the role of Charlotte in the play ''The Weekend'', Written by

Michael Palin Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980, he has made a number of travel documentaries. Palin w ...

and also starring Richard Wilson, it was produced by Robert Fox and David Pugh Associates, and directed by

Robin Lefevre Robin Lefevre (sometimes "Lefèvre", born 1947) is a British theatre director. He has worked in Britain, Ireland, Australia, and the United States. Career Lefevre began as an actor in Scottish repertory theatre as well as playing small parts on B ...

. Forest played a lead role in the Bill Kenwright production of ''

Dr. Dolittle Doctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by Hugh Lofting starting with the 1920 ''The Story of Doctor Dolittle''. He is a physician who shuns human patients in favour of animals, with whom he can speak in the ...

'' the musical in 2008/2009, performing alongside

Tommy Steele Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star. After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele reco ...

. This production was directed by Bob Tomson and

Karen Bruce Karen Bruce (born 25 March 1963) is a choreographer and director who has worked in theatre and television. Bruce's work includes direction and choreography of ''The Last Tango'', ''Dance 'til Dawn'', ''Midnight Tango'' and ''Love Me Tender''. S ...

Peter Pan

Forest has played Wendy Darling in

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...

in venues such as The Mayflower, Southampton; The Grand Opera House, Belfast; The New Theatre, Cardiff; Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe; The

Nottingham Theatre Royal The Theatre Royal in Nottingham, England, is a theatre venue in the heart of Nottingham City Centre and is owned by Nottingham City Council as part of a complex that also includes the city's Royal Concert Hall. The Theatre Royal attracts major ...

; The

Theatre Royal, Newcastle The Theatre Royal is a historic theatre, a Grade I listed building situated on Grey Street in Newcastle upon Tyne. History The theatre was designed by local architects John and Benjamin Green as part of Richard Grainger's grand design for the c ...

; The

New Victoria Theatre The New Victoria Theatre in Woking, England opened in June 1992. The main theatre seats approximately 1,300 people, making it one of the largest receiving house theatres outside London. In addition to the main theatre the complex also conta ...

, Woking;

Theatre Royal Bath The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, was built in 1805. A Grade II* listed building, it has been described by the Theatres Trust as "One of the most important surviving examples of Georgian theatre architecture". It has a capacity for an audien ...

and The Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, performing alongside Shane Ritchie,

Steve McFadden Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he has played since 1990. He was also the presenter of the game show, ''Britain's ...

Joe Pasquale Joseph Ellis Pasquale (born 20 August 1961) is an English comedian, actor and television presenter. He won the fourth series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' in 2004 and participated in the eighth series of ''Dancing on Ice'' ...

Paul Nicholas Paul Nicholas (born Paul Oscar Beuselinck; 3 December 1944) is an English actor and singer. He started out with a pop career, but soon changed to musical theatre, playing the lead role in ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' at the West End’s Palace T ...

Leslie Grantham Leslie Michael Grantham (30 April 1947 – 15 June 2018) was an English actor, best known for his role as "Dirty" Den Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He was a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a West Germ ...

amongst others.

Television and film

Forest's television work includes ''

The Upper Hand ''The Upper Hand'' is a British television sitcom broadcast by ITV from 1 May 1990 to 14 October 1996. The programme was adapted from the American sitcom '' Who's the Boss?''. As in the former series, affluent single woman Caroline Wheatley ...

'' for Central Television, on which she portrayed Katie for several episodes, which was directed by Martin Dennis and starring

Joe McGann Joseph McGann (born 24 July 1958) is an English actor. His roles include the lead role of Charlie Burrows, the "housekeeper" in the TV comedy series '' The Upper Hand'' (1990–1996), '' Night and Day'' and his voice role as Sir Gideon Ofnir ...

; a series regular for ''Think About Science'' for

BBC Schools BBC Schools, also known as BBC for Schools and Colleges, is the educational programming strand set up by the BBC in 1957, broadcasting a range of educational programmes for children aged 5–16. From launch until June 1983, programming was based o ...

playing Jenny, directed by Adrian Hedley; Karen in ''Agony''; and Live TV's ''Daily Soap''. Forest also appeared in commercials for the " Yorkie...it's not for girls!" campaign and on 18 July 2017 she took part in a gender role discussion on

ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 public broadcast service across all of the United Kingdom except for t ...

s Good Morning Britain, which featured her in a

Yorkie (chocolate bar) Yorkie is a chocolate bar made by Nestlé. It was originally made by York-based company Rowntree's, hence the name. History In 1976, Eric Nicoli of Rowntree's spotted a gap in the confectionery market for a "manly" chocolate bar, and so the ...

advertisement. Other advertisement work include Honeycomb Cereal, Kool Aid Drink, and the ''Rule Bet'' arcade game. In 2011 she played the role of Nettle in the feature film, ''Crab Island''.

Voiceover

Able to provide vocal ranges from five years old to adult, she has voiced Fisher Price Toys – the talking calculator, The Calcubot, and the reading aid The Alphabet Buddie. More voiceover work includes, Boots, Marmite and Quality Street, adverts, voicing Sonya in the animated cartoon ''Mad Sonya'', and the voice of Mother in the audio book, ''William's War''.

Personal life

At the age of just 21, after training at Italia Conti, Forest was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since making a full recovery, she has dedicated much of her time to the charity CoppaFeel! of which she is one of their Boobette ambassadors. In April 2016, Forest married James Selby at the Crazy Bear Hotel in

Stadhampton Stadhampton is a village and civil parish about 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Oxford in South Oxfordshire, England. Stadhampton is close to the River Thame, a tributary of the River Thames. The village was first mentioned by name in 1146, and was ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

Discography

Studio Albums * '' Stars Are Rising'' (2017) *The Rhythm of Life (2019) Singles *"How Does It Feel?" (2017) *" Life On Mars?" (2017) *"Royal Platinum Love Song" (2017) *"That Is His Story" (2018) *"Let's Go Fly a Kite" (2019)

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forest, Joanna Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts Opera crossover singers 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers English sopranos People from Loughton