Mezzo soprano Janet Shell worked as a Head of Music before retraining at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She quickly established herself in recital and won several prizes for French song in Paris and was outright winner of the Royal Tunbridge Wells International Competition. She continues to remain one of the leading mezzos of her generation. She was the first mezzo to be taken on by YCAT and the first singer to give a live broadcast on Classic FM. She has also broadcast on several occasions for the BBC on "Friday Night is Music Night" including the first female duet programme in their history.

Janet has sung for Welsh National Opera, Opera North, English National Opera and for the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. It is, however, for her oratorio and recital work that Janet remains best known and her extensive repertoire continues to impress. She has performed in many major venues in the UK including the Royal Albert Hall, Beethoven Missa Solemnis and Mahler Symphony 8 ), Birmingham Symphony Hall,  (Mahler Symphony 8), Barbican (Haydn Nelson Mass), Cadogan Hall (Verdi Requiem).  Her affinity with the music of Elgar is often commented upon, in particular Dream of Gerontius which she sings regularly, notably at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and, during the anniversary year, The Sage. This year she will sing it at Ely Cathedral in June.  Abroad she has worked with the RPO, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Lille Philharmonic. She was invited to sing in Tokyo by the then Prime Minister, John Major, for his honoured guests, and subsequently at Downing Street. Recital engagements have taken to the Middle East, Yemen, Far East, South America and Europe. In December 2008, she sang Faure's rarely heard song cycle, "La Chanson d'Eve" in a recital to mark 21 years of working with her accompanist, their "coming of age" recital! Future recital work includes a much anticipated collaboration with Lucy Parham in the Schumann anniversary year.  

She regularly sings with Opera Interludes at celebrity corporate events and is on their Operatic Highlights. She had a setting of a poem by Ben Okri specially composed for her in 2008 by Keith Burstein and together they gave the first performance with Ben present, at St James', Piccadilly.  

Janet maintains a busy performing schedule, but also teaches singing and gives workshops. She has given invited vocal master classes at Stetson University, Florida and at the Music Conservatoire in Tokyo.