NiamhO’Sullivan

Irish mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan, praised for her “bewitchingly beautiful, dark vibrant voice” (Süddeutsche Zeitung), studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin under Veronica Dunne. She followed her studies by joining the Opera Studio at the Bayerische Staatsoper from 2016 to 2018.

In the 2023/24 season, Niamh sings Wellgunde in the new Barrie Kosky’s production of Das Rheingold at the Royal Opera House; and Wellgunde in both Götterdämmerung and Das Rheingold, and Mercédès Carmen at Opernhaus Zürich. She also makes her role debut as Carmen at Buxton Festival. For 2023-25, Niamh has been named a BBC New Generation Artist, during which time she will have opportunities to debut at major recital venues, including the Wigmore Hall, and partake in several recording projects.

The 2022/23 season saw Niamh perform the roles of Charlotte Werther at Irish National Opera, Mirza Lalla-Roukh with Wexford Festival Opera, Mercédès Carmen at English National Opera, and Second harlot in Handel’s Solomon with the English Concert. She also took part in the Académie du Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.

Other operatic engagements include Meg Page Falstaff at Opernhaus Zürich; Alva in the World Premiere of The First Child, Mercédès Carmen, Tisbe La Cenerentola, Third Maid Elektra and Asteria Bajazet with Irish National Opera; and Paulina Ein Wintermarchen with Wexford Festival Opera.

During her time in the Bayerische Staatsoper studio, Niamh sang the roles of Hänsel Hänsel und Gretel, Kate Pinkerton Madama Butterfly, the Secretary in Menotti’s The Consul, Flora La traviata and Barena Jenůfa. She also travelled with the company for a concert performance of Der Rosenkavalier at Carnegie Hall, New York, conducted by Kirill Petrenko.

In concert, Niamh has performed Elgar’s Sea Pictures at the Prinzregententheater as part of the Munich Festspiele in July 2019 and has sang both Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah with the MüncherHofkantorei. She also performed the main role of ‘Cain’ in Scarlatti’s Oratorio Il Primo Omicidio with The JakobsplatzOrchester conducted by Daniel Grossmann and in Cousser’sThe Applause of Mount Parnassus at the Wigmore Hall with Ensemble Marsyas under the musical direction of Peter Whelan.