2008 Best Voice in MYSTERY & SUSPENSE: Lady Killer, The Laughter of Dead Kings, Winter Study

Barbara Rosenblat's career includes work on two continents. She spent many years in England, working in West End theater, television, film and BBC Radio. On her return to the States, she began an alliance with Recorded Books after being introduced to narrating audiobooks at the American Foundation for the Blind. She spent nearly two years on Broadway, where she created the role of Mrs. Medlock in the musical THE SECRET GARDEN. Barbara's repertoire of audiobooks includes more than 85 titles--encompassing classics, such as ORLANDO and THE CANTERBURY TALES, and popular fiction, such as THE SHELL SEEKERS and TERMS OF ENDEARMENT. So varied and numerous are the characters she defines for audiobooks, Barbara Rosenblat has been referred to by one fan as "a collective noun." Barbara's rendition of Sue Townsend's satire THE QUEEN AND I is a particular tour de force, which includes the upper-crust voices of members of the British Royal family and the cockney of a truck driver. In addition, Barbara has put her unique stamp on several popular series. She is Amelia Peabody, the Victorian archaeologist of Elizabeth Peters's mystery series, not only to fans, but to the author, as well. Currently, Barbara focuses her talents on narrating but always keeps herself free enough to sing jazz whenever she has a chance.--December 1997

December 2007 Update

Talk Radio on Broadway was a grand showcase for “call-in” voices. Four Audies nominations included SUITE FRANCAISE. Popular series titles from Lisa Scottoline, Linda Fairstein, and Elizabeth Peters. Listen up for Away by Amy Bloom.

December 2006 Update

Barbara's "legendary skill, flair, and imagination" brought a stellar group of audios to our ears this year. SUITE FRANCAISE and WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN are two of our favorites--absolutely worth listeners' attention. Her top mysteries: Elizabeth Peters's TOMB OF THE GOLDEN BIRD, Kathy Reichs's BARE BONES and the newer BREAK NO BONES, and Diane Mott Davidson's DARK TORT picked up a handful of Earphones Awards and will likely see Audie nominations. Barbara shares her passion for her job--voice artist--at public appearances around the country.

December 2005 Update
Barbara was an Audie finalist in the Solo Narration--Female category for Neta Jackson's THE YADA YADA PRAYER GROUP GETS DOWN and Hal Glatzer's A FUGUE IN HELL'S KITCHEN. Her newer recordings include ONE DANGEROUS LADY by Jane Stanton Hitchcock, CROSS BONES by Kathy Reichs, Lisa Scottoline's DEVIL'S CORNER and the newest Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody adventure, SERPENT ON THE CROWN. She also did a stage reading for the revival of "The Killing of Sister George" in New York City, appeared in "Law & Order: SVU," and enjoyed meeting audiobook fans at library appearances across the country.

December 2002 Update
Barbara has taken good care of the new books from favorite series authors Elizabeth Peters, Nevada Barr, and Lisa Scottoline. She notes a particular pleasure in recording Michael Dorris's YELLOW RAFT IN BLUE WATER. Barbara's first master class for actors on the Art of the Audiobook played to a full house this summer.

December 2001 Update
Variety is the spice of the narrator's life as Barbara's recordings this year testify. Within the mystery category Barbara has tramped the National Parks--Nevada Barr's BLOOD LURE, the Pyramids--Elizabeth Peters's LORD OF THE SILENT, and the fashion runways--Lisa Scottoline's MOMENT OF TRUTH. The Scottoline was an Audie Finalist for Best Mystery. Some of the romances Barbara recorded this year caught our attention, including THE WILD CHILD by Mary Jo Putney, WICKED WIDOW by Amanda Quick, and DANGEROUS KISS by Jackie Collins. BRONX PRIMITIVE, a memoir by Kate Simon of growing up in NYC, was one of Barbara's personal favorites. In November, Barbara appeared in New York in a new play by Elizabeth Karlin, THE MOONCALF. Barbara tells us it was a refreshing change to play just one character!

December 2000 Update
Barbara is loved by the many fans who follow the numerous mystery series she records, including Elizabeth Peters's Egyptologist, Amelia Peabody; Nevada Barr's park ranger, Anna Pigeon; and Diane Mott Davidson's caterer/sleuth, Goldy Schulz. All of these characters made appearances this year, and Barbara enjoys every minute. ""Recording a series is always fun as it's like meeting old friends in a new restaurant."" At the exciting Audie event in June, Barbara received the 2000 Audie Award for Best Female Narrator for her recording of BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY. This is wonderful recognition for one of the most versatile and skilled female narrators. Barbara is in demand for a variety of vocal projects, including museum Acoustiguides, TV commercials, and most recently a History Channel documentary. Library programs and national mystery conventions have offered Barbara a chance to meet many fans and audiophiles. Barbara's enthusiasm for audiobook work was a true inspiration to the aspiring voice talent attending the Audio Publishers Association's panel in November.

December 1999 Update
Barbara creates an energy field around her that extends to everyone she meets and electrifies each book she records. She is superb with accents, unfailingly accurate and consistent. Her repertoire of dialects enlivens characters from cockney to Castillian, Broadway to Budapest. She owns numerous mystery series, with characterizations including Elizabeth Peters's Amelia Peabody, Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax and, recently, Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon. All would simply not be right with another reader. Her astute sense of timing and sensitivity to the characters are intrinsic to her work. Barbara found this past year "full of variety and surprises." She participated in a radio production of THE DYBBUK and got to interact with other actors in a studio after countless hours in the booth by herself. A singer and lover of jazz, she recently sang snippets from AIDA and DON GIOVANNI in the recording of SUSPICION OF DECEIT, a mystery at the opera. That was just the kind of "personal stretching" Barbara loves.

December 1998 Update
Barbara has great fluency with accents and dialects. It's one of her passions. She's in great demand for her language skills, which she continues to hone. Friends send her tapes from regional radio broadcasts--recently a BBC Radio local program from Cornwall. She collects anecdotes and stories. Appearing in Minneapolis this fall, she found a Norwegian-American bookstore and stored away the correct pronunciation of Edina and Charlotte. About to record a Sharyn McCrumb mystery, Barbara met someone from Roanoke, Virginia. "Perfect," she thought. "Talk to me a while." The "dialect sponge" went into action. An audiobook of which she's particularly proud this year is THE RAPE OF NANKING. Barbara also started a new mystery series for Recorded Books featuring Nevada Barr's Anna Pidgeon.