Mezzo-Soprano
Irish mezzo-soprano Rachel Kelly continues to delight audiences with “sheerly lustrous singing” (Arts Desk) and her “credible, touching” portrayals (Guardian) in an impressive range of repertoire. Notable international debuts in recent seasons have taken her to both Opéra de Rennes and Opéra de Rouen Normandie as Isolier (Le comte Ory), Maggio Musicale Firenze as both Idamante (Idomeneo) and Nancy (Albert Herring), Staatstheater Karlsruhe as Annio (La clemenza di Tito), and as La Eternità/Giunone (La Calisto) at Teatro Real Madrid, where she returns this season as Second Nymph in Christof Loy’s new staging of Rusalka, conducted by Ivor Bolton. She will also make her debut as the title role in Rossini’s La Cenerentola with Latvian National Opera, in a new production directed and designed by Renaud Doucet and André Barbe.
Closer to home, Rachel made her Wexford Festival debut last season in the title role of Rossini’s Adina under Michele Spotti, and has appeared as Hansel (Hansel and Gretel) with English National Opera, Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) with Northern Ireland Opera, Dorabella (Così fan tutte) with Glyndebourne on Tour, and Annio at Glyndebourne Festival Opera. A graduate of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden’s Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, Rachel returns there this season in her debut as Siebel in Gounod’s Faust, and sings the title role of Vivaldi’s Bajazet for Irish National Opera at the Linbury Theatre, and on an extensive tour of Irish venues.
In concert, Kelly has performed as Nerone (Agrippina) with the Irish Chamber Orchestra under Jonathan Cohen, Sesto (Giulio Cesare) with Early Opera Company under Christian Curnyn, Idamante with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, and Marguerite (La damnation de Faust) with The Hallé under Sir Mark Elder. A keen lover of french music, Rachel has performed Berlioz’s Les Nuits D’été with both the Ulster Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. In lesser-known repertoire, Rachel Kelly has joined Keri-Lynn Wilson and Münchner Rundfunkorchester as Anagilda in Rossini’s Sigismondo (recently released on BR Klassik), Laurence Cummings in The Choice of Hercules at the Internationale Händel-Festspiele Göttingen, and Ian Page in both Jomelli’s Il vologeso at Wigmore Hall and a programme of Guglielmi and Mozart at Cadogan Hall. A keen recitalist, Rachel Kelly appears at Wigmore Hall, and West Wicklow Festival this season alongside pianist Fiachra Garvey.
Whilst a member of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, Rachel appeared in a wide variety of roles such as Zaida (Il turco in Italia) conducted by Evelino Pidò, Javotte (Manon) conducted by Emmanuel Villaume, Mercédès (Carmen) conducted by Alexander Joel, and Pisana (I due Foscari) conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano, receiving particular acclaim for her performances as Mirinda (L’Ormindo) under Christian Curnyn at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and Proserpina (Orfeo) under Christopher Moulds at London’s Roundhouse.
2020/21 season only. Please contact HarrisonParrott if you wish to edit this biography.