PRESS MATERIAL PRESS MATERIAL PRESS MATERIAL
NAOMI LOUISA O'CONNELL www.naomioconnell.com
2017 - 2018 SEASON
MANAGEMENT
OPERA ORCHESTRAL, RECITAL & CABARET
Ken Benson Concert Artists Guild, Steven D. Shaiman
675 West End Ave., 14D 850 Seventh Ave., PH-A New York, NY 10025 New York, NY 10019
(212) 280-2796 (212) 333-5200 Ext. 116 [email protected] [email protected]
SHORT BIOGRAPHY
NAOMI LOUISA O'CONNELL made her professional debut in 2012, starring on London’s West End as Sharon Graham in Terrence McNally’s Tony Award-winning play Master Class. A singer, actress and cabaret artist, her recent engagements include recitals at Carnegie Hall, Stanford University and Rockefeller University, Bernstein's Jeremiah Symphony with l'Orquestra Jovem do Estado de São Paulo, her one-woman German cabaret FRAU at New York's Neue Galerie, a workshop of Richard Nelson's new play Oblivion with Lincoln Center Theater and performances with Geneva Opera, Opera Omaha, and Spoleto Festival USA.
Last season, she appeared with the Cincinnati Symphony as Mélisande in the Maeterlinck play Pelléas & Mélisande and will return for the same role in the opera of Debussy this October, conducted by Louis Langrée. Notable operatic roles include Monteverdi's Poppea with Oper Frankfurt, Cherubino with Welsh National Opera and Atlanta Opera, and Offenbach's La Périchole with Garsington Opera.
As an actress, she made her US stage debut as Rosine/Countess Almaviva in The Figaro Plays of Beaumarchais at the McCarter Theatre and recently played the role of Lilli Vanessi/Kate in Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate. Prizes include 1st Prize in Operetta in the 2008 International Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition, and 1st Prize in both the Caruso/Altamura International Singing Competition and Concert Artists Guild Competition in 2011.
Hailed by The New York Times as "a natural in the recital format" for her Carnegie Hall debut recital entitled ‘Witches, Bitches, and Women in Britches' at Weill Recital Hall, she has performed in concert venues across the USA, and maintains an active recital career. A proud graduate of The Juilliard School and Royal Irish Academy of Music, Ms. O'Connell is currently based in New York City.
ROLES
COMPOSER ROLE OPERA
Adams Kitty Oppenheimer Doctor Atomic
Berg Marie Wozzeck
Bernstein Dinah Trouble in Tahiti
Bizet Carmen* Carmen
Debussy Mélisande* Pélleas et Mélisande
Dove Adelaide The Enchanted Pig The Stewardess* Flight
Gilbert & Sullivan Tessa* The Gondoliers
Handel Ariodante* Ariodante Sesto Giulio Cesare
Heggie Sr Helen Dead Man Walking
Humperdinck Hänsel Hänsel und Gretel
Langer Serafin* Figaro Gets a Divorce
Lerner & Loewe Eliza Doolittle My Fair Lady
Massenet Charlotte Werther
Monteverdi Poppea*, Ottavia* L'incoronazione di Poppea
Mozart Dorabella, Despina* Così fan tutte Donna Elvira, Zerlina Don Giovanni Cherubino* Le nozze di Figaro
Offenbach La Périchole* La Périchole La Corilla* Vert-Vert
Porter Lilli Vanessi/Kate* Kiss Me, Kate
Poulenc Blanche Dialogues des Carmélites
Purcell Dido* Dido and Aeneas
Ravel L'enfant* L'enfant et les sortilèges Concepcion* L'heure espagnole
Sherman/ Stiles Mary Poppins Mary Poppins
Strauss, J. Prince Orlofsky Die Fledermaus
Strauss, O. Nadina The Chocolate Soldier
Strauss, R. Komponist Ariadne auf Naxos Octavian Der Rosenkavalier
Susa #2* Transformations
Vivaldi Selinda* Farnace
Walton Popova The Bear
Weill Jenny Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny Polly Die Dreigroschenoper Lillian Happy End *indicates roles performed/future engagements
CONCERT REPERTOIRE
COMPOSER PIECE
Berlioz L'enfance du Christ Op. 25 Les nuits d'été
Bernstein Symphony No. 1: Jeremiah Arias and Barcarolles
Chausson Poème de l'amour et la mer
Duruflé Requiem Op. 9
Elgar The Music Makers Op. 69
Lieberson Neruda Songs
Ravel Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé Shéhérazade
Martucci La canzone dei Ricordi, Op. 68b
Mahler Des Knaben Wunderhorn Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen Rückert Lieder Symphony No. 4
Mozart Mass in C Minor K427 (Sop II)
Poulenc La dame de Monte-Carlo
PRESS ACCLAIM
Kiss Me, Kate at Opera North, NH
“The troupe bringing us Kiss Me, Kate has some standouts beginning with Naomi Louisa O’Connell as Lilli/Kate. She has a supple, bright voice and star quality, but perhaps more important, for this piece, she has comic chops, that extra something that makes you pay attention when she comes on stage.” - Valley News, July 31st 2017
Farnace at Spoleto Festival USA
“Other standout cast members included… Naomi Louisa O’Connell, a sweetly manipulative Selinda” - Wall Street Journal, May 30th 2017
“Lit by a single bulb hanging in her prison cell, the audience finds Selinda, played with grit and complexity by Naomi Louisa O’Connell.” - Charleston City Paper, May 28th 2017
Pelléas et Mélisande (Play) with the Cincinnati Symphony
“O’Connell, a mezzo-soprano, was superb in her role and performed Fauré’s Chanson with alluring beauty.” - Cincinnati Enquirer, October 1st 2016
Figaro Gets a Divorce at Welsh National Opera
“There seemed to be more hope for the younger generation, represented by Rhian Lois’s Angelika and Naomi O’Connell’s Serafin – both played with conviction and sung with clear, clean tone.” - Opera News, February 21st 2016
The Marriage of Figaro at Welsh National Opera
“As Cherubino, O’Connell, too, gives a brilliant performance – cheekily bouncing off the other characters and playing the page as minstrel, soldier and lady with light-hearted wit and charm.” - Reviews Hub, February 19th, 2016
“Naomi O’Connell (Cherubino) sang earnestly, with admirable expressive depth.” - Bachtrack, February 22nd, 2016
Le nozze di Figaro at Atlanta Opera
…with mezzo-soprano Naomi O’Connell in the trouser role of the amorous youth Cherubino as an early standout. She’s a delight, a fine singer as well as an impressively alert and supple comedienne. She turns the largo passages of “Non so più” into a dreamy show-stopper, and her “Voi che sapete” had real longing and depth. - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 7th, 2015
Poppea in L’incoronazione di Poppea at Oper Frankfurt
“The Irish mezzo-soprano Naomi O’Connell as Poppea joins Oper Frankfurt for the first time in a role debut. She is a terrific partner of Nerone, sometimes chillingly calculating, sometimes melting away in passion.” - Feuilleton Frankfurt, December 23rd, 2014
“Naomi O’Connell as Poppea gives a remarkable debut... To ensnare Nerone is Naomi O’Connell’s Poppea, also vocally the command, worth a sin anytime...” - Offenbach-Post, December 22nd, 2014
“Naomi O’Connell with an effortless, appealing voice is a Poppea cunningly groomed as an object of male and narcissistic desire.” - Frankfurter Rundschau, December 22nd, 2014
“Naomi O’Connell, dressed at first in a black midriff-exposed devil’s outfit, is extremely enchanting in showing the art of seduction. The strong-voiced Irish mezzo soprano uses expressions and gestures familiar to film and TV.” - Deutschlandfunk - Kultur heute, December 21, 2014
Vert-Vert at Garsington Opera
"Yet when Irish mezzo Naomi O'Connell opens her mouth as the popular chanteuse La Corilla, the whole musical experience zooms onto a whole new level. Coloratura to the gills, O’Connell is, inescapably, the big hit of this production.” - The Arts Desk, June 11th, 2014
“Naomi O’Connell as the singer La Corilla takes the stage by storm with a beautifully rich yet silvery voice.” - Music OMH, June 9, 2014
“Naomi O’Connell radiates seductive glamour as a diva of the music halls.” - The Telegraph, June 11th, 2014
Beaumarchais Figaro Plays at the McCarter Theater
“Naomi O’Connell develops compelling[ly] from the first play as her feisty, resourceful Rosine becomes the elegant, subdued, self-doubting Countess — and eventually rediscovers her youthful spirit.” - The Star-Ledger, April 15th, 2014
“Naomi O’Connell gorgeously sings the only song which is employed in this Seville.” - Talking Broadway, April 15th, 2014
“Witches, Bitches & Women in Britches” recital at Carnegie Hall
“Ms. O’Connell, who recently finished graduate studies at Juilliard, proved a natural in the recital format, winning over the audience with her rich, silvery voice and charming stage presence... Ms. O’Connell offered a compelling rendition of Poulenc’s “Dame de Monte Carlo,” her impassioned delivery of the final line embodying the bitterness of the faded female gambler. Her control, shadings and elegant vibrato rendered Arthur Honegger’s “Trois Chansons de la Petite Sirène” a delight.” - The New York Times, March 15th, 2013
Ravel’s Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé at the Marlboro Music Festival “Naomi O’Connell was the outstanding mezzo-soprano, her voice cool, precisely controlled, and perfect for this music.” - The Boston Globe, August 7th, 2012
La Périchole at Garsington Opera
"Making her U.K. opera debut as La Périchole was the Irish, Juilliard-trained mezzo Naomi O’Connell, her streetwise manner and gift for vivid dialogue enhancing a performance that was notable for warmth, clarity and cleanness." - Opera News, June 18th, 2012
“It's hard to imagine how Geoffrey Dolton's Viceroy, Naomi O'Connell's Périchole and Robert Murray's Piquillo could be bettered in these parts...this production is O'Connell's UK operatic debut, and she is a star in the making. Hardly surprising, given that she's a postgraduate of the Juilliard who will make her Carnegie Hall debut in 2013.” - Music OMH, June 24th, 2012
“In the title role and looking delectable, Naomi O’Connell’s creamy tone and elegant phrasing ravished the ear.” - Seen and Heard International, June 21st, 2012
“Naomi O’Connell and Robert Murray are unbeatable in the principal roles of La Périchole and Piquillo. Their sometimes tempestuous relationship is beautifully observed, and their singing is a joy to listen to. This is O’Connell’s UK operatic debut, and she’s very definitely a name to watch.” - Oxford Times, June 20th 2012
Master Class – West End Debut
“Naomi O'Connell does a spectacular Lady Macbeth, hurling it virtually through gritted teeth as Callas torments her.” - The Times, February 8th, 2012
“She, and we, are even more rewarded by the turnarounds in Naomi O'Connell’s tremendous performance of the letter scene in Macbeth...” - WhatsOnStage, February 8th, 2012
Così fan tutte - MET+Juilliard production
“Bass-baritone Evan Hughes and mezzo Naomi O’Connell could easily take their Alfonso and Despina straight to the stage of the “big house” a block downtown.” - Opera Canada, January 1st, 2013
“Naomi O’Connell, a rich mezzo-soprano and a student at Juilliard, makes a sassy Despina, the maid to the sisters. This is a Despina who reads newspapers, knows how the real world works, and thinks her bosses a little ridiculous.” - The New York Times, November 15th, 2012
L’incoronazione di Poppea with Juilliard Opera
“Ottavia, the abandoned empress (Naomi O’Connell, a radiant mezzo-soprano) comes across as a regal and attractive woman, too trusting to see her rapacious husband’s betrayal coming.” - The New York Times, November 18th, 2010
Naomi O’Connell, mezzo-soprano Management: www.naomioconnell.com Ken Benson: Opera (212) 280-2796 Steve Shaiman: Recital, Cabaret & Orchestral (212) 333-5200 Ext. 116 Upcoming Neris Medea Opera Omaha 2018 Julia The Rivals (musical) Bristol Riverside Theatre 2018 Anna The Flood (new opera) Opera Columbus 2019 Roles Mélisande Pelléas et Mélisande Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra 2017 Serafin Figaro Gets A Divorce Geneva Opera 2017 Lilli/Kate Kiss Me, Kate Opera North 2017 Selinda Farnace Spoleto Festival USA 2017 Stewardess Flight Opera Omaha 2017 Mélisande Pelléas & Mélisande (play) Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra 2016 Cherubino Le nozze di Figaro Welsh National Opera 2016 Serafin Figaro Gets A Divorce Welsh National Opera 2016 Cherubino Le nozze di Figaro Atlanta Opera 2015 Poppea L’incoronazione di Poppea Oper Frankfurt 2014/15 La Corilla Vert-Vert Garsington Opera, UK 2014 Rosine/Countess Almaviva The Figaro Plays McCarter Theatre 2014 Despina Così fan tutte MET+Juilliard 2012 Berginella, Frasquinella, La Périchole* La Périchole New York City Opera 2013 La Périchole La Périchole Garsington Opera, UK 2012 Sharon Graham Master Class (play) West End, London, UK 2012 Concepcion* L’heure Espagnole The Juilliard School 2011 Ottavia L’incoronazione di Poppea The Juilliard School 2010 Ariodante* Ariodante The Juilliard School 2009 L’Enfant L’Enfant et les Sortilèges Chautauqua Music Festival 2009 Lucretia The Rape of Lucretia The Juilliard School 2009 Dido Dido and Aeneas Yorke Trust Opera, UK 2007 Carmen Carmen DIT Conservatory, Ireland 2007 *Cover
Prizes/Awards Weill Hall Debut Recital Prize Concert Artists Guild Carnegie Hall 2013 Novick Career Advancement Award The Juilliard School New York, NY 2012 Leonard Ingrams Award Garsington Opera London, UK 2012 First Prize Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition New York, NY 2011 First Prize Altamura/Caruso International Singing Competition New York, NY 2011 M. Narumi Outstanding Mezzo-soprano Award The Juilliard School New York, NY 2011 Vocal Arts Honors Recital at Alice Tully Hall The Juilliard School Alice Tully Hall 2010 First Prize: Operetta International Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition Vienna, Austria 2008 Hugo Wolf Lieder Prize Veronica Dunne International Singing Competiton Dublin, Ireland 2007 Most Promising Young Singer Award Veronica Dunne International Singing Competiton Dublin, Ireland 2007 John McCormack €10,000 Bursary Feis Ceoil Dublin, Ireland 2007
Education The Juilliard School Artist Diploma in Opera Studies New York, NY 2012 The Juilliard School Master of Music New York, NY 2010 Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre Summer Intensive Program Blue Lake, CA 2016/17 American Conservatory Theatre Shakespeare Intensive San Francisco, CA 2016 Barrow Theatre Group Acting for Film/TV I New York, NY 2016 Internationale Meistersinger Akademie Young Artist Summer Program Germany 2013 Marlboro Music Festival Chamber Music Festival Vermont, USA 2011/12 Steans Musical Institute at Ravinia Summer Festival Chicago, USA 2011 Royal Irish Academy of Music First Class Honors BA Perf Degree Dublin, Ireland 2008 Opera Theatre Company Young Associate Artist Dublin, Ireland 2008
Voice Teachers Conductors Directors Composers Dr. Robert White Alan Gilbert Stephen Wadsworth Ricky Ian Gordon Victoria Livengood Harry Bicket David Pountney Christopher Berg Marlena Malas Lothar Koenigs James Darrah Tom Cipullo Mary Brennan David Peter Bates Garry Hynes John Kennedy Archie Simpson Gary Wedow Evan Pappas Harold Meltzer