Kelli-Ann Masterson
Soprano
Irish soprano Kelli-Ann Masterson is an alumna of both the ABL Irish National Opera Studio and Northern Ireland Opera Studio. She is a current Cara O’ Sullivan Associate Artist with Cork Opera House.
Kelli-Ann’s many recent engagements include Norina Don Pasquale and Marzelline Fidelio (both for Irish National Opera) and the title role in an award-winning production of Semele for Opera Collective Ireland, with her 2025 appearances including including Gretel Hänsel und Gretel at the Cork Opera House, Yum-Yum The Mikado for Opera Della Luna, Belinda Dido & Aeneas with the Irish Baroque Orchestra at Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, Phyllis Iolanthe with the National G&S Company at Buxton Opera House and, in concert, Frasquita Carmen and Yum-Yum The Mikado in both Ireland and the UK.
Kelli-Ann’s current and future plans include her debut for English Touring Opera as Casilda The Gondoliers touring the UK in spring 2026, both Dorinda Orlando and Dew Fairy Hänsel und Gretel for Longborough Festival Opera, Rosalia L'equivoco stravagante for Wexford Festival Opera and a return to Irish National Opera to open 2027 as Sémire Les Boréades, with performances across Ireland and at the Royal Ballet and Opera, London.
Her many other operatic roles include Vespetta in Telemann’s Pimpinone and Duchess/Bottle in Will Todd’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland for Opera Collective Ireland, Sharon Graham Masterclass Smock Alley Theatre, Elsie The Yeomen of the Guard and Casilda The Gondoliers with the National G&S Opera Company at the Buxton International Festival, Pamina Die Zauberflöte and Micaëla in Peter Brook’s La tragédie de Carmen at Cork Opera House, Elena in Marianna Bottini's Elena e Gerardo for Random Opera Company, Amor Orfeo ed Euridice at the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival and La Fée in Viardot’s Cendrillon at Wexford Festival Opera.
An avid performer of contemporary music, Kelli-Ann’s many premieres include Donal O Dare Vagabones by Raymond Deane for Opera Collective Ireland, 20 Shots of Opera with INO, cover Alice for Gerald Barry’s Alice’s Adventures Underground for INO/Royal Ballet and Opera, Breathwork by Ena Brennan at Dublin Theatre Festival/INO, Carbon Women by Aine Mallon for Our Place in Space/Dumbworld in Belfast, Rebecca in Amanda Feery’s A thing I cannot name for INO, and the song Moving House by Anselm McDonnell, specially commissioned for Kelli-Ann by the National Concert Hall, Dublin.
A regular oratorio soloist, Kelli-Ann’s many performances include Bach St Matthew Passion with the National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin, Bach St John Passion with the Dublin Bach Singers, Handel Messiah with the Ulster Orchestra/Christian Curnyn and, most recently, Mozart Mass in C Minor with the RTE Concert Orchestra.
Other concert and recital highlights include her recent sold-out Soprano in Hollywood concert at the National Concert Hall (a programme from the Golden Age of Hollywood Movie Musicals), a concert tour in Singapore with Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, opera galas in Cork Opera House with Irish National Opera, and appearances as guest soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra at their summer concert series (broadcast live on RTE Lyric FM).
A multiple-prize winner, Kelli-Ann was the 2022 recipient of the Bernadette Greevy bursary from the National Concert Hall, Dublin and was a finalist in the 2022 BA Lirica International Voice Competition in Italy. Other accolades include the Liam Healy bursary at Wexford Festival Opera. Kelli-Ann is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin (BMus.Ed.) and TU Dublin, formerly DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama (MMus).
Après ses études au Trinity College de Dublin et les cursus de l'Irish National Opera Studio et du Northern Ireland Opera Studio, la soprano irlandaise Kelli-Ann Masterson est actuellement artiste associée Cara O'Sullivan à l'Opéra de Cork.
Elle a récemment incarné Norina Don Pasquale et Marzelline Fidelio à l'Irish National Opera (INO) et le rôle-titre Semele pour Opera Collective Ireland, ainsi que Gretel Hänsel und Gretel à l'Opéra de Cork, Yum-Yum The Mikado (Gilbert & Sullivan) pour Opera Della Luna, Belinda Dido & Æneas avec l'Irish Baroque Orchestra au Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, Phyllis Iolanthe (Gilbert & Sullivan) à l'Opéra de Buxton et, en concert, Frasquita Carmen et Yum-Yum The Mikado en Irlande et au Royaume-Uni.
Parmi ses projets présents et futurs, ses débuts avec l'English Touring Opera dans Casilda The Gondoliers (Gilbert & Sullivan) en tournée britannique au printemps 2026, Dorinda Orlando (Haendel) et le Taumännchen Hänsel und Gretel, tous deux au Longborough Festival Opera, Rosalia L'equivoco stravagante (Rossini) à Wexford et son retour à l'Irish National Opera dans Sémire/Les Boréades au début 2027, avec des représentations à travers l'Irlande ainsi qu'au Royal Ballet and Opera à Londres.
Son riche répertoire d'opéra comprend entre autres Vespetta Pimpinone (Telemann) et La Duchesse/La Bouteille Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Will Todd) pour Opera Collective Ireland, Sharon Graham Masterclass au Smock Alley Theatre, Elsie The Yeomen of the Guard et Casilda The Gondoliers (tous deux de Gilbert & Sullivan) avec la National G&S Opera Company au Festival international de Buxton, Pamina Die Zauberflöte et Micaëla dans La tragédie de Carmen de Peter Brook à l'Opéra de Cork, Elena Elena e Gerardo (Marianna Bottini) avec la Random Opera Company, Amor Orfeo ed Euridice au Blackwater Valley Opera Festival et la Fée Cendrillon de Pauline Viardot au Wexford Festival Opera.
Interprète passionnée de musique contemporaine, Kelli-Ann Masterson a créé de nombreuses œuvres, dont Donal O Dare Vagabones (Raymond Deane) pour Opera Collective Ireland, 20 Shots of Opera avec l'Irish National Opera, d'Alice Alice's Adventures Underground (doublure) de Gerald Barry pour l'INO et le Ballet Royal de Londres, Breathwork (Aine Mallon) avec Our Place in Space/Dumbworld à Belfast, Rebecca A thing I cannot name d'Amanda Feery pour l'INO, et la mélodie Moving House d'Anselm McDonnell, commandée pour elle par le National Concert Hall de Dublin.
Ne délaissant pas l'oratorio, elle a maintes fois chanté la Passion selon saint Matthieu avec l'Orchestre Symphonique National de Dublin, la Passion selon saint Jean avec les Dublin Bach Singers, le Messie avec l'Ulster Orchestra et Christian Curnyn ainsi que, plus récemment, la Messe en Ut mineur de Mozart avec le RTE Concert Orchestra. On peut aussi mentionner son récent concert à guichets fermés « Soprano in Hollywood » au National Concert Hall (un programme évoquant de l'Âge d'or des comédies musicales hollywoodiennes), une tournée de concerts à Singapour avec le Blackwater Valley Opera Festival et de nombreuses apparitions avec l'Orchestre symphonique national lors de sa série de concerts d'été (retransmis en direct sur RTE Lyric FM).
Reviews | The Gondoliers | The Guardian | English Touring Opera 2026
“Kelli-Ann Masterson and George Robarts are a side-splitting double act as secret lovers Casilda and Luiz.”
Reviews | The Gondoliers | Planet Hugill | English Touring Opera 2026
“Kelli-Ann Masterson was nicely pert as Casilda, full of faux naivety”
Reviews | Dido & Aeneas | Das Openglas | Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2025
“Kelli-Ann Masterson displayed sparkling coloratura in her dual roles of Belinda and the First Witch”
Reviews | The Mikado | Opera Magazine | Opera Della Luna 2025
“Kelli-Ann Masterson’s Yum-Yum proved ideal in both lyricism and comic timing”
Reviews | Don Pasquale | The Irish Times | Irish National Opera 2023
“Masterson proves to be the star, a delight, and everything Norina needs to be – charming and coquettish, young and energetic, game for anything - while at the same time sweetly navigating the famous vocal demands of Donizetti’s bel canto”
Reviews | Don Pasquale | OperaWire | Irish National Opera 2023
“Masterson exhibited a flair for comedy, which allowed her to spark off the other characters. Her piercing, bright, versatile soprano was nicely suited to the role; her voice tripped easily along the line, moving easily up and down the stave, which she embellished with pleasing detail, trills and an impressive coloratura. It was also done with an eye toward affect, so that her singing was closely allied to her characterization”
Reviews | Semele | Opera Magazine | Opera Collective Ireland 2022
“All the singing and acting was outstanding, with Kelli-Ann Masterson a remarkable Semele, her delivery of her elaborate arias being a highlight of this very accomplished production”