Cheryl Ruth Barker, also known as Cheryl Baker, born April 22, 1960, in Sydney, Australia, is an operatic soprano known for her international career since the late 1980s. She studied at the Victorian College of the Arts and joined the Victoria State Opera chorus at 19. Her first solo role was Blondchen in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail at 23. In 1984, Barker moved to London and joined the Welsh National Opera chorus. She won the Dame Mabel Brookes Fellowship and was a finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1986. Her breakthrough came in 1990 at the Sydney Opera House as Mimì in Puccini's La bohème. Throughout her career, Barker performed with major opera companies, including Opera Australia and English National Opera, and portrayed roles such as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly and Tosca. Notable recordings include Puccini's Madam Butterfly (2001) with Chandos Records.
| Persuasion & Seduction - Opera Duets |
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Great Operatic Arias, Vol. 21
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Dvořák: Rusalka
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Janáček: The Makropulos Case
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Janáček: Katya Kabanova
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Dyson: Quo Vadis
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Puccini: Madam Butterfly
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| 50 Best - Verdi |
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Beethoven Symphony No. 9
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The Classic 100: Opera - The Top 10 & Selected Highlights
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Isaac Nathan: Don John of Austria
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50 Best - Opera
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The Classic 100: Voice - The Top 10 and Selected Highlights
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Puccini Passion - Opera Arias in English
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Within a Dream - A Celebration of the Artistry of Richard Hickox
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