+++
date = "2019-03-18T22:22:23+00:00"
discipline = "Mezzo-soprano"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1552839420/media/2019/03/sqSarahConnollyJanCapinski.jpg"
primary_image_credit = "Jan Capinski"
related_companies = ["scene/companies/english-national-opera.md", "scene/companies/opra-national-de-paris.md", "scene/companies/gran-teatre-del-liceu.md", "scene/companies/teatro-alla-scala.md", "scene/companies/welsh-national-opera.md", "scene/companies/wiener-staatsoper.md", "scene/companies/glyndebourne.md", "scene/companies/the-metropolitan-opera.md", "scene/companies/bayerische-staatsoper.md", "scene/companies/royal-opera-house.md"]
slug = "sarah-connolly"
title = "Sarah Connolly"
website = "https://www.sarah-connolly.co.uk/"
[[social_media]]
platform = "Twitter"
template = "social-media"
url = "https://twitter.com/spconnolly"

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Born in County Durham, Sarah Connolly studied piano and singing at the Royal College of Music, of which she is now a Fellow. She was made a DBE in the 2017 Birthday Honours, having previously been made a CBE in the 2010 New Year’s Honours. In 2011 she was honoured by the Incorporated Society of Musicians and presented with the Distinguished Musician Award. She is the recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s 2012 Singer Award.  
   
Highlights in her 2017/18 season include her debut at the Wiener Staatsoper in a new production of _Ariodante_, the title role in _Giulio Cesare_ at the Glyndebourne Festival and Brangäne _Tristan und Isolde_ for the Gran Teatro del Liceu.   
   
Past highlights have included Fricka (Covent Garden & Bayreuther Festspiele) Brangäne _Tristan und Isolde_ (Covent Garden & Festspielhaus Baden-Baden); Komponist _Ariadne auf Naxos_ and Clairon _Capriccio_ (Metropolitan Opera); the title role in _Giulio Cesare_, Brangäne and Gertrude in the world premiere of Brett Dean's _Hamlet_ (Glyndebourne Festival); the title role in _Ariodante_ and Sesto _La clemenza di Tito_ (Festival d’Aix-en-Provence); Purcell’s Dido (Teatro alla Scala & Covent Garden); Jocaste in Enescu's _Œdipe_ (Covent Garden); Gluck’s Orfeo and the title role in _The Rape of Lucretia_ (Bayerische Staatsoper); Phèdre _Hippolyte et Aricie_ (Opéra national de Paris) and the title role in _Agrippina_ and Nerone _L’Incoronazione di Poppea_ (Gran Teatro del Liceu).  
   
She has also sung the title role in _Maria Stuarda_ and Roméo _I Capuleti e i Montecchi_ (Opera North); Komponist (Welsh National Opera) and Octavian _Der Rosenkavalier_ (Scottish Opera). A favorite at the English National Opera, her many roles for the company have included Geschwitz _Lulu;_ Octavian; the title roles in Charpentier’s _Medée_ and Handel's _Agrippina_, _Xerxes_, _Ariodante_ and Ruggiero _Alcina_; the title role in _The Rape of Lucretia_; Didon _Les Troyens_; Roméo, Susie _The Silver Tassie_ and Sesto - for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.  
   
The future sees her return to the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, the Opéra national de Paris and make her debut at the Teatro Réal in Madrid.  
   
Her many concert engagements include appearances at the Lucerne, Salzburg, Tanglewood and Three Choirs Festivals and at the BBC Proms where, in 2009, she was a memorable guest soloist at The Last Night. Other notable engagements have included _The Dream of Gerontius_ (Boston Symphony Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis & Mozarteumorchester Salzburg/Bolton); Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 at the BBC Proms (LSO/Haitink); _A Child of our Time_ and Brangäne (Berliner Philharmoniker/Rattle); Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (Leipzig Gewandhausorchester/Chailly, Boston Symphony Orchestra/von Dohnanyi & Philadelphia Orchestra/Nézet-Séguin); _Das Lied von der Erde_ (Concertgebouworkest/Harding, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra/Nézet-Séguin & LPO/Jurowski); _Des Knaben Wunderhorn_ (L’Orchestre des Champs-Elysées/Herreweghe) and _La mort de Cléopâtre_ (Hallé/Elder, CBSO/Gardner & BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir Andrew Davis).

She has appeared in recital in London, New York, Boston, Paris, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, San Francisco, Atlanta, Stuttgart; at the Incontri in Terra di Siena La Foce and the Schubertiada Vilabertran and at the Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, Edinburgh and Oxford Lieder Festivals.

Committed to promoting new music, her world premiere performances include Judith Bingham’s _The Colour of Fire_ (Two Moors Festival); Torsten Rasch’s _A Welsh Night_ (Three Choirs Festival); Gareth Farr’s _Relict Furies_ (Edinburgh Festival); Jonathan Harvey’s _Songs of Li Po_ (Aldeburgh Festival) and Sir John Tavener’s _Tribute to Cavafy_ (Symphony Hall, Birmingham) and _Gnosis_ (BBC Proms).

A prolific recording artist, her many discs include Purcell’s _Dido and Aeneas_ (OAE); _Des Knaben Wunderhorn_ (L’Orchestre des Champs-Élysées/Herreweghe - winner of an Edison Award); Brangäne _Tristan und Isolde_ (LPO/Jurowski); Elgar’s _Sea Pictures_ and _The Dream of Gerontius_ (BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir Andrew Davis – winner of a Gramophone Award); Britten's _Phaedra_ (BBC Symphony Orchestra/Gardner) and Mendelssohn’s _Elijah_, Mozart’s _Mass in C Minor_ and Haydn’s _Scena di Berenice_ (Gabrieli Consort/McCreesh). Her roles on DVD include Giulio Cesare, Nerone, Clairon and Purcell’s Dido. Her recording of Handel arias with The Sixteen and Harry Christophers was described as ‘the definition of captivating’ and her three solo recital discs _The Exquisite Hour_, _Songs of Love and Loss_ and _My true love hath my heart_ have all won universal critical acclaim. She features on the soundtrack _Fragments of a Prayer_ by Sir John Tavener, for the feature film _Children of Men_.