Celebrated soprano, Sylvia O'Brien is a dazzling force of nature, captivating audiences with her soaring vocals and magnetic stage presence.
OPERA: Since her critically acclaimed debut as the Governess in The Turn of the Screw with Opera Theatre Company in 2004 and at the Buxton Festival with English Touring Opera under the direction of Michael Rosewell. Ms O’Brien moved to England for a period of two years touring with English Touring Opera. In 2005 she premiered and recorded the role of Gabriel in Gerald Barry’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant with The National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland (conductor Gerhard Markson) and in 2006 performed Morton Feldman’s Neither (conductor Stefan Ashbury). In 2004 she recorded the title role of Martinu's Mirandolina for Wexford Opera Festival. She sang Konstanze (Die Entführung), Gräfin (Der Wiener Bluth) and Jenufa with English Touring Opera, Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro) with Opera Theatre Company), Zerlina Don Giovanni (Opera2005), Aspasia/Mitridate (Opera in the Open), Despina (Cosi Fan Tutte) with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland under Kenneth Montgomery and Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance) with the Rathmines & Rathgar Musical Society. Between 2007 and 2013, she regularly performed Gilbert and Sullivan Concert Galas with members of the D’Oly Carte Opera Company. In 2012 Ms O’Brien made her debut concert performance in the title role of Turandot which she revisited in 2020 with Opera in the Open. She has performed the world premieres of the operas The Things We Throw Away (2015) and The Oldest Woman in Limerick (2016) by Brian Irvine with Irish National Opera. More recently, Ms O'Brien has performed the roles of Anne Truelove (A Rake's Progress) 2018, Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) 2019, Lucia (Lucia di Lammermor) (2019), Turandot (2012/20), Fiordiligi (Cosi Fan Tutte) 2021, the title role of Tosca (2022), La Rondine (2023) with Opera in the Open.
CONCERT: Sylvia is a regular guest soloist with orchestras, chamber ensembles, recital halls and festivals throughout Europe. Concerts include Mozart’s Die Schuldigkeit des Ersten Gebots with the NDR Radio Philharmonie, Mozart’s C minor Mass and Requiem in the Mozart Festival with the Orchestra of St.Cecilia conducted by Kenneth Montgomery, Verdi’s Requiem with the Ulster Orchestra conducted by David Milne and the National Concert Orchestra of Ireland, Bach's St John Passion with the Irish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Stephen Layton, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle conducted by Celso Antunes, Carmina Burana and Gliere’s Concerto for soprano and Orchestra Op 82 with the Irish Concert Orchestra conducted by Laurent Wagner, Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate with the Orchestra of St.Cecilia conducted by David Agler, performed and conducted Britten’s Les Illuminations with the Evlana Chamber Ensemble and Les Nuits d’Ete by Berlioz with the Goois Symfonie Orkest and Zuid Hollands Symfonie Orkest and Chausson’s Poèmes de l’Amour et de la Mer with the Goois Symfonie Orkest. She performed her Concertgebouw Amsterdam debut, singing Bachianas Brasileiras No.5 and the Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde. She performed Symphony No 14 by Shostakovich with the Magogo Kamerorkest, Tilburg, Nono’s Il Canto Sospeso with the Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi in Milan conducted by Francesco Maria Colombo, Shostakovich’s Blok songs Op 107 with the SyriusTrio, Carnegie Hall, New York .
CONTEMPORARY: Sylvia O’Brien’s specialist vocal and interpretative skills have established her internationally as a leading interpreter of contemporary music having performed numerous prestigious international premieres as well as works by many composers who have written specifically for her voice. She was resident performer at the Malkovich International Composers Competition in 2002 and since then has performed with many leading contemporary ensembles. Sylvia is founding member of Evlana, the Irish sinfonietta orchestra www.evlana.com. She has collaborated with many composers most notably the Irish composer's Seóirse Bodley (1933-2023), Raymond Deane, Sean Doherty, Siobhán Cleary and Benjamin Dwyer, with whom she has performed on many occasions. Sylvia created the role of Gabriel in the premiere and recording of Gerard Barry’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (Gabriel). She has performed Irish (2006) and Finnish (2009) premiere of the one act opera Neither by Morton Feldman with National Symphony of Ireland premiere under conductor Stefan Asbury and the Helsinki Philhamonic (conducted by Dmitry Slobodeniuk). She premiered Joseph Phibb’s Silence at the Song’s End for soprano and string quartet, at the Jubilee Hall Aldeburgh. She premiered Kevin O'Connell's Apollo and Marsyas with Crash Ensemble and the Irish premiere of Here (in circles) by Michel van der Aa with the Crash Ensemble conducted by Alan Pierson. Porat songs with the Nieuw European Ensemble in the Netherlands. She performed the Irish premiere of Claude Vivier’s Lonely Child with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland conducted by Nicolas Cleobury. 2025 performances include Judith Weir’s King Harold’s Saga, George Crumb’s Apparition, premiere of John Buckley's work for soprano and flute and John Corigliano’s Mr Tambourine Man, New Music Dublin Festival premiere performances 2018 -2025,
RECITAL: As a recitalist, chamber and festival collaborations include the Solstice Quartet, Vogler Ensemble, the Clara Schumann Trio and the Grieg Piano Trio, Triocca Ensemble, Isabelle O’Connell, Priya Mitchell, Guy Johnston, William Dowdall, Keith Pascoe, Charles Owen, Michael McHale, Hugh Tinney, Catherine Leonard, Hanna Shybayeva, Mia Cooper, White Crow Music Festival Leiden, Cork Music Festival (Bantry House), St. Barrahane’s Music Festival Castletownsend, the Vogler Festival, Nieuw European Ensemble.