“Captivating, hypnotic”
“from Barbara Strozzi and Handel to John Adams, Kurt Weill and How Far I’ll Go from the Disney animation Moana…Lester not only navigates the varied musical styles with ease, but also draws them atmospherically into an interiorised, private arena”
CN Lester is a mezzo-soprano/alto specialising in early and contemporary opera and song, with a particular love for Baroque music, new works, improvised and interactive pieces, and promoting underrepresented composers. They make their Wigmore Hall debut in June 2025. CN’s previous engagements as an operatic and classical soloist and recitalist include work with Britten Pears Arts/Snape Maltings, Royal Opera House family programming, BBC Radio 3 & 4, Kings Head Theatre, Spitalfields Music, Arcola Theatre, Brighton Early Music Festival, National Theatre Studio, Barbican, British Library, Hampstead Garden Opera, universities throughout the UK, and extensive collaboration with the Tête à Tête Festival. Favourite repertoire includes works by Monteverdi, Strozzi, Caccini, Dowland, Purcell, Handel, Gluck, Schubert, Schoenberg, Satie, Weill, and Weir. For their specialist performance, research and curatorial work on Barbara Strozzi please see here.
“Strozzi’s cantata Il Lamento surged with passion, not least in the powerful singing of freewheeling musician CN Lester”
As well as working as a classical singer, CN also works as a classical-crossover, experimental, and commercial performing and recording artist with London Contemporary Voices and Trans Voices. Bookings include new projects with Holly Hendon/Serpentine Gallery, recording with Trevor Horn, and backing vocals for BISHI and HAAi. With Heritage Orchestra they worked as a backing singer/close harmony singer on the Goldie/Heritage Orchestra tour and numerous advertising and film score recordings.
“a truly affecting performance”
In Leo Doulton’s Come Bargain with Uncanny Things
CN has been working with director, deviser and writer Leo Doulton since 2020, developing and growing their improvised, interactive, immersive opera work. The Uncanny Things Trilogy returns for a month long run at COLAB Towers in March 2025. Together, they’ve recently revived salon musical evenings at London’s legendary Gay’s The Word bookshop.