NiamhO’Sullivan

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Mezzo-Soprano
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News

  • 16 June 2023

    Niamh O’Sullivan, Anthony León and Mark Kurmanbayev in Residence at Festival d’Aix

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  • 06 June 2023

    James Atkinson, Alim Beisembayev and Niamh O’Sullivan announced as BBC New Generation Artists

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  • 13 April 2022

    Askonas Holt artists triumph at 2022 Olivier Awards

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  • 03 March 2022

    Niamh O’Sullivan joins main roster at Askonas Holt

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Press

  • Werther (Charlotte)

    Irish National Opera
    Apr 2023 - May 2023

    • Nothing contributes more to this success than the young central pairing of the Italian tenor Paride Cataldo, in the title role, and the Irish mezzo­soprano Niamh O'Sullivan as Charlotte[...] Cataldo and O'Sullivan make you hang on their every word as they travel the road to catastrophe. [...}Likewise O'Sullivan. We learn little about Charlotte in acts one and two other than that she is good and beautiful and spoken for. But in act three, when Christmas Eve finds her alone rereading Werther's letters, O'Sullivan somehow takes the bigness out of her big aria and, matching Cataldo, admits us to intimacy. She avoids display and exaggeration, revealing Charlotte's conflicted heart through highly focused acting and the tender clarity of her voice.

  • Lalla-Roukh (Mirza)

    Wexford Festival Opera
    Oct 2022 - Oct 2022

    • Singing Mirza, Irish mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan sang superbly, and confirmed her reputation as the possessor of one the loveliest voices of its type to be heard anywhere.

    • Niamh O'Sullivan (Mirza) seduces with the breadth of her voice, the warmth of her timbre and the power of her bass.

    • Lalla-Roukh’s attendant Mirza, is sung superbly by Niamh O’Sullivan, showing once again why she is such an exciting singer to watch. She is a smart ensemble partner, while her one aria ‘Si vous ne savez plus charmer’ (‘If you can’t charm any more…’) is perfectly placed.

    • The quartet of leading characters was completed by Niamh O'Sullivan as Mirza, Lalla-Roukh's maid. Hers was delightful comic performance, her seduction of Baskir was done with a lovely knowing air and we rather regretted that O'Sullivan had only the one big aria.

    • Mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan produced a playful performance in the role of Mirza, notably so when she was distracting Baskir by pretending to seduce him, so that Nourreddin was able to meet with Lallah-Roukh. O’Sullivan is a singer very much on the rise at the moment, and this performance, certainly showed off her voice to good effect. Her light vibrato, wonderful vocal coloring, delicate coloratura and attractive phrasing all impressed.

  • Falstaff (Meg Page)

    Opernhaus Zürich
    Jul 2022 - Jul 2022

    • Niamh O'Sullivan superbly complemented as Meg Page. This beautiful voice of Niamh O'Sullivan not only fitted fantastically into the ensembles, but it also aroused curiosity about larger roles in which one would like to experience her!

    • Meg was Niamh O’Sullivan, who gave us an accomplished performance with her bronzed mezzo.

  • Bajazet (Asteria)

    Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House
    Jan 2022 - Jan 2022

    • Vivaldi kept the good characters for himself, though, and a contrasting highlight from his own pen is the aria for Bajazet’s daughter Asteria in which Niamh O’Sullivan’s velvety mezzo-soprano is doubled by a grainy solo violin; accompanied only by cello and theorbo, it’s a touching moment of quiet

    • ...and Asteria (daughter of Bajazet, wonderfully sung by the mezzo Niamh O’Sullivan).

    • ...and Niamh O'Sullivan a warm mezzo to Asteria, never hiding her contempt for her persecutors.

    • Mezzo-soprano, Niamh O'Sullivan, whose star is very much in the ascendancy, sees her star rising further in a sterling performance. It's not just the fire behind O'Sullivan's eyes and voice, its that O'Sullivan wastes nothing visually, performatively or vocally, crafting a detailed, rigorous and complete performance.

    • Niamh O’Sullivan plays the role – arguably the nearest the work has to a central character – with her velvety voice concealing her contempt for those around her, though her face never does

    • On the distaff side, mezzo soprano Niamh O’Sullivan renders the not-quite-hapless heroine Asteria gloriously and richly believable with a vocal dominance as technically impressive as it is emotionally and powerfully moving

    • ...but Niamh O’Sullivan's captivatingly dark mezzo makes it clear that this is no ingénue character. Dressed in a ratty gown, she stalks around in search of vengeance with an Elektra-like dramatic intensity. It’s her gorgeously long-lined “La cervetta timidetta”, though, that stopped the show in a moment of heartrending beauty

    • Mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan sings with touching eloquence, the lovely darkness of her voice making tangible Asteria’s deep, inner feelings...

    • as well as the ferocious, dark beauty of Niamh O’Sullivan’s mezzo – her Asteria no damsel in distress.