Praised as a "divine" mezzo-soprano (Palm Beach Post) having a “rich” and “beautifully emotional” sound (DC Metro Arts), Anna Kelly is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at the Juilliard School, where she can be seen this season singing Mère Marie in Dialogues des Carmélites and covering L’enfant in L’enfant et les sortilèges. Upcoming engagements include joining the Amadeus Chamber Ensemble for a concert including excerpts of Der Rosenkavalier, Ariadne auf Naxos, and Die Fledermaus, and covering the roles of Waltraute in Die Walküre and Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro with Santa Fe Opera.                          

 

In the past two seasons, Ms. Kelly won first place in the Carolyn Bailey Argento Competition, was a two-time finalist in the Opera at Florham Competition and a finalist in the Giulio Gari competition, and was a semifinalist in the Zachary Competition and Houston Grand Opera Concert of Arias. She received accolades from the Opera Index, Gerda Lissner Foundation and the SAS Performing Arts Company competitions, and was a district winner in the South Carolina district of the Laffont Competition. In 2021-2022, Ms. Kelly was a national semifinalist with both the Laffont and the National Association of Teachers of Singing competitions, and won first place in the Junior Young Artist division of the FGO/Young Patronesses of the Opera competition. In prior years, she won scholarships from the Presser Foundation for Musical Philanthropy, the National Society for the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Friday Morning Music Club, and the Schmidt Vocal Competition.

 

Ms. Kelly recently made her Sarasota Opera debut as Federica in Luisa Miller, and both covered and sang a performance of the title role in Carmen.  She has sung Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro with the Washington Opera Society, and Dorabella in Così fan tutte and Agatha/Hot Box Girl in Guys and Dolls with Opera Saratoga.  Cover credits include Meg Page in Falstaff, Dorabella in Così fan tutte (Palm Beach Opera); Athamas in Semele, and Siébel in Faust (Wolf Trap Opera). With the Yale Opera Studio, she sang Ruggiero in Alcina, as well as scenes interpreting the roles of Alisa, Dorabella, Octavian, Le Prince Charmant, Smeton, and Isolier.

 

Ms. Kelly has been a featured recitalist for the Gerda Lissner Foundation and Bel Canto Society, and made her debut as a recitalist with the Metropolitan Club with her solo recital, Spinning Shadows, in 2023. She recently made her debut with MidAmerica Productions as a soloist in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, and sang as a soloist in Saint-Saens’Oratorio de Noel  with Connecticut Lyric Opera. She has performed opera galas with the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony, and the Washington Opera Society. In 2021, Ms. Kelly performed with New Music New Haven as the mezzo soloist in the live premiere of David Lang’s let me come in.

Ms. Kelly has trained with Santa Fe Opera, Sarasota Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Palm Beach Opera, the Music Academy of the West, and Houston Grand Opera YAVA.  Ms. Kelly holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at the Catholic University of America, and a Master of Music in Opera from the Yale School of Music.