Niamh O’Sullivan

Irish mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan, praised by the Süddeutsche Zeitung for her “bewitchingly beautiful, dark vibrant voice,” 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, Munich from 2016–18.

For the 2022–23 season, O’Sullivan returns to London to make her company debut with the English National Opera as Mercédès and cover the title role in Carmen. She returns to Irish National Opera for further performances of The First Child before making her role debut as Charlotte in Werther with the company. She also makes an eagerly awaited return to Wexford Festival Opera for her role debut as Mirza in Lalla-Rouhk.

Her numerous operatic engagements in Munich include Hänsel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, the Secretary in Menotti’s The Consul, Flora in La Traviata, and Barena in Jenůfa. She also travelled with the company of the Bayerische Staatsoper for a concert performance of Der Rosenkava­lier at Carnegie Hall, conducted by Kirill Petrenko. Other  operatic highlights include her 2018 Irish National Opera debut as Tisbe in La Cenerentola, appearing later with the company as Mercédès in Carmen, Alva in The First Child, and in a co-production between the Royal Opera House and INO as Asteria in Bajazet. In 2022, O’Sullivan made her debut at the Zurich Opera as as Wellgunde in Andreas Homoki’s new production of Das Rheingold, later returning to the house to make her role debut as Meg Page in Falstaff opposite Sir Bryn Terfel.

In concert, O’Sullivan has performed Elgar’s Sea Pictures at the Prinzregententheater as part of the 2019 Munich Festspiele and has sang both Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah with the Müncher Hofkantorei. She also performed the role of Cain in Scarlatti’s oratorio Il Primo Omicidio with the Jakobsplatz Orchester conducted by Daniel Grossmann.