Dame Sarah Connolly

Dame Sarah Connolly is an English mezzo-soprano known for her performances in Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and contemporary opera and concert repertoire. She has appeared with major opera houses, orchestras, festivals, and recording labels across Europe and North America, and has been recognized with national honours and prominent awards.

Early life and education

Born in London, Connolly studied at Gresham's School, St Hilda's College, Oxford, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Her teachers and mentors included figures associated with institutions such as the Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Royal Northern College of Music, English National Opera, and Royal Opera House. Early influences in her development connected her with performers and pedagogues linked to Benjamin Britten, Georg Friedrich Händel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Gustav Mahler traditions. She participated in masterclasses and young artist programs related to ensembles and organizations including Aldeburgh Festival, London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Proms, Wigmore Hall, and Covent Garden.

Career

Connolly's professional debut led to engagements with companies such as English National Opera, Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, Comédie-Française, La Scala, Opéra National de Paris, and Bayerische Staatsoper. Collaborations with conductors and directors connected her to names associated with Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Mark Elder, Antonio Pappano, John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Neville Marriner, and Sir Charles Mackerras. She has worked with ensembles including the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Academy of Ancient Music, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Festival appearances have involved the Salzburg Festival, Aix-en-Provence Festival, Edinburgh Festival, BBC Proms, and Lucerne Festival.

Her operatic roles span Baroque and Classical parts like those in works by George Frideric Handel, Claudio Monteverdi, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Romantic and modern roles in works by Richard Wagner, Giacomo Puccini, Gioachino Rossini, Hector Berlioz, Gustav Mahler, Benjamin Britten, Richard Strauss, Alban Berg, and Thomas Adès. She has premiered contemporary works linked to composers such as Oliver Knussen, Harrison Birtwistle, Mark-Anthony Turnage, George Benjamin, and James MacMillan.

Repertoire and recordings

Connolly's discography and live recordings include interpretations of oratorios and cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, and Henry Purcell, song cycles by Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Gustav Mahler, and Benjamin Britten, and operatic recordings from Mozart to Strauss. She has recorded with labels and producers associated with Decca Records, EMI Classics, Hyperion Records, Chandos Records, Sony Classical, and Harmonia Mundi. Notable recorded projects feature works such as Handel's operas and oratorios, Haydn's masses, Mahler's song cycles, Britten's chamber operas, and contemporary song cycles by Oliver Knussen and George Benjamin. Her collaborations for recordings and broadcasts have involved conductors and ensembles connected to Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Christopher Hogwood, Nicholas McGegan, Antonio Pappano, Sir Mark Elder, and orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Awards and honours

Connolly's recognitions include nominations and awards from institutions linked to the Gramophone Awards, Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards, South Bank Show Awards, Classical BRIT Awards, and honours conferred by the British monarchy such as appointment to the Order of the British Empire. She has been the recipient of prizes and fellowships associated with Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, and arts councils including the Arts Council England. Her services to music were recognized by the award of a damehood in the New Year Honours.

Personal life

Connolly's personal and professional circles connect her with musicians, conductors, directors, and institutions such as Dame Janet Baker, Felicity Lott, Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Thomas Allen, Anthony Hopkins, Peter Sellars, and managers and agents associated with Askonas Holt, Intermusica, and IMG Artists. She maintains links to festivals and venues including Wigmore Hall, Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and educational institutions such as St Hilda's College, Oxford and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Category:English mezzo-sopranos Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Category:1963 births Category:Living people