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ANNA DEVIN

SOPRANO

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Irish soprano Anna Devin is widely admired for her “vocal control, artistry and musico-dramatic intelligence” (Opera News) and has gained recognition across the world for her work in the Baroque and Classical Repertoire, in particular her interpretation of Handel’s Heroines.

This upcoming season Anna will perform at the Royal Opera House in the role of Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, followed by her house and role debut at the English National Opera as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Seviglia. She will also make her staging debut as Cleopatra in Handel’s Guilio Cesare a role she has received critical praise for  ‘one of the finest London has heard’ (Opera Magazine).  In concert Anna will perform with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Barcelona y Nacional de Cataluña in Barcelona in a world premier by Josep Maria Guix, tour Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with Irish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Christian Curnyn, and appear at the Winter Chamber Music Festival with the Fidelio Trio in Dublin.

Last season Anna debuted as Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte with the Irish National Opera. Her concert work included Carmina Burana with NSO Ireland, Messiah with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, her concert debut with Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment on a tour of B Minor Mass, her debut with the CBSO for New Years Galas and chamber music festivals in Ireland. In 2021-22, Anna started the season off with a last minute jump in to debut the title role in Handel’s Rodelinda with the Moscow Philharmonic, conducted by Christopher Moulds. She made her debut at Opera National de Lyon in Deborah Warner’s production of Messiah. She finished the season with a debut of Elisabetta in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda which saw Devin move into new depths vocally and receive praise for her spiteful queen.

In recent years, Anna Devin’s other successes have included Melissa in Amadigi with Garsington Opera; Almirena in Rinaldo with Glyndebourne on tour and Michal in Saul in Paris Théâtre du Châtelet; Title role Calisto in David Alden’s iconic production and Celia in Lucio Silla in Madrid under Ivor Bolton; the title role of Semele with the Karlsruhe-Festspiele; Tusnelda in Arminio at the International Handel Festival in Göttingen; Michal in Saul at Glyndebourne and Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare for the Early Opera Company and Kilkenny Arts Festival. She has sung Galatea in Acis and Galatea for Mozartwoche Salzburg; Nannetta in Falstaff and Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi for Covent Garden; Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro for Welsh National Opera, Glyndebourne Tour and Scottish Opera; Sophie in Werther and Zerlina in Don Giovanni for Scottish Opera; la bergère Louis XV and la chauve-souris in L’enfant et les sortilèges for La Scala; Poppea in Agrippina for Opera Collective, Ireland; and Clotilde in Faramondo for Brisbane Baroque, which earned her the Best Supporting Singer in an Opera at the 2015 Helpmann Awards, Australia. Other roles have included Governess in Turn of the Screw, la Comtesse Adèle in Le Comte Ory, Marie in La fille du Régiment, Morgana in Alcina, and Ilia in Idomeneo. 

Along with her love of opera, Anna’s concert career has seen her travel world wide, and most recently she has given time to developing her chamber music and recital programmes.  Last season she appeared at West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Boyne Music Festival, Westport Festival of Chamber Music and collaborated with Julius Drake on a recital based on Irish Poetry. Next season she will return to West Cork Chamber Music festival to join with Julius again and her collaborations will continue later in the year with fellow Irish pianist Fiachra Garvey.

As a concert performer throughout Europe and the USA, Anna’s repertoire encompasses a vast range of sacred and secular works including Handel’s great oratorios, along with Mahler, Haydn, Mozart and early Baroque. She has appeared at the London Handel, Göttingen Handel, Lausanne Bach, Brighton Early Music and Belfast festivals, the BBC Proms and Carnegie Hall. She has worked with the Vienna Philharmonic, Hallé, RTÉ NSO, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Halle, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Ulster and Minnesota orchestras and Houston, Charlotte and Seattle symphonies, among others. Recent season highlights, Mozart Concert Arias with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Harry Bicket; and a concert tour performing Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate with Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre.  Other conductors she has worked with include Sir William Christie, Laurence Cummings, Christian Curnyn, Ottavio Dantone, Ivor Bolton, Sir Colin Davis, Yannick Nézet, Sir Mark Elder and Sir Antonio Pappano.

Anna Devin’s recordings include La Bohemia for Signum with Irish Nationa Opera, Arminio and Faramondo for Accent from the International Händel Festspiele Gottingen; Mozart in London, Il re Pastore and Mitridate, Re di Ponto with Classical Opera for Signum Classics; and ‘Arias for Benucci’ with Arcangelo for Hyperion.

An alumna of the Royal Opera House’s Jette Parker Young Artist programme, the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and the National Opera Studio.  Anna is passionate about nurturing new talent, she has given masterclasses and coaching at the Royal Academy Opera Course, London and at her Alma mater Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin.  Along with this she continues to teach from her home studio and online.

In addition to her work on stage, Ms Devin is proud to be an Ambassador for the British Dyslexia Association. She has always been open with the public through the media and events about growing up with dyslexia, saying: “Being different is not a bad thing. Not fitting in with the crowd is a blessing as we all have our own journey, and being forced to find your own path brings originality.”

Apollo 13 in Concert poster

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