Kelly O'Connor

Mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor, a native of California who was educated at the Thornton School of Music and the University of California, has developed a reputation in particular as an interpreter of contemporary American music. She created the role of Federico García Lorca in the world premiere of Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar at the Tanglewood Festival and sings on the Grammy Award-winning recording of the opera. She has also earned great acclaim for her performances of Peter Lieberson’s Neruda Songs and The World in Flower. O’Connor performs a concert repertoire that spans from Bach to Berio with such conductors as Gustavo Dudamel, Christoph Eschenbach, Daniel Harding, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Leonard Slatkin, and David Zinman. Engagements in the 2012-13 season include Suzuki in Madama Butterfly at Boston Lyric Opera and performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras.

February 2013