Award for mezzo soprano

A 27 year old mezzo-soprano is the latest Cork Person of the Month.

Those behind the August award said Niamh Caitriona O’Sullivan is a rising star of the opera world has received praise for her “bewitchingly beautiful, dark vibrant voice" from some of Europe’s best known impresarios.

It was in school singing with the Regina Mundi College Choir in Douglas Road that Niamh’s voice was discovered, further nurtured and developed. She also studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin under the late and legendary Veronica Dunne. Then in 2016 she moved to Munich and joined the opera studio at the Bayerische Staatsoper.

She said: “Arriving in Munich as a 21 year old was a major challenge. I had to learn a lot very quickly, including coming up to speed in several languages. But I love this world, the people, the music, the excitement and the spontaneity. As a freelancer, you never know what’s coming next."

Niamh O’Sullivan's work to date includes, singing the role of Flora in ‘La Traviata’ alongside the great Placido Domingo. She also received rave reviews for her concert performance of ‘Der Rosenkavalier’ at New York’s Carnegie Hall.

Her numerous operatic engagements in Munich includes Hansel in Humperdinck’s ‘Hansel und Gretel’, Kate Pinkerton in ‘Madama Butterfly’ and Barena in ‘Jenufa’. In concert her performances included Mozart’s ‘Requiem’ and Handel’s ‘Messiah’.

Niamh's upcoming Cork appearances include The First Child with the Irish National Opera at the Cork Opera House on 17 and 18 September.

At the Cork award presentation, Niamh thanked her mother and father Regina and Paul, sister Nicola, for their massive support over the years.