Judi Connelli AM (born 20 July 1947) is an Australian singer and actress in theatre, opera and television. Connelli is best known for her career in opera and stage musicals. As a singer she has starred in performable with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an Australian orchestra based in Melbourne. The MSO is resident at Hamer Hall. The MSO has its own choir, the MSO Chorus, following integration with the Melbourne Chorale in 2008. The MSO relies on f ...

and also internationally in New York and the United Kingdom.

Career

Connelli is also known for her television soap operas such roles most especially ''

The Young Doctors ''The Young Doctors'' is an Australian early-evening soap opera originally broadcast on the Nine Network and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation, it aired from Monday, 8 November 1976 until Wednesday, 30 March 1983. The series is prima ...

'', in which she played regular Annemarie Austin from 1977 to 1978 and ''

Prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

'' playing 'Cookie', in episodes originally aired in 1982. Connelli's work includes leading theatre roles with

Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder ...

in ''

The Rake's Progress ''The Rake's Progress'' is an English-language opera from 1951 in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings '' A Rake's Prog ...

'' (Mother Goose), ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...

'' (Katisha), '' Fiddler on the Roof'' (Golda), '' The Merry Widow'' (Zozo), ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet Stre ...

'' (Mrs. Lovett) and ''

The Gondoliers ''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time the ...

'' (Duchess of Plaza-Toro). Other productions include ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' (The Witch), ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a " play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with mu ...

'' (Mrs. Peachum), ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

'' (Matron Mama Morton), '' The Pack of Women'', '' Jerry's Girls'' and ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

'' (Fraulein Schneider). In concert she has appeared in ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...

'' (Norma Desmond), ''

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

'' (Mamma Rose), ''Australia's Leading Ladies'', ''

Follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fol ...

'', ''Showstoppers'', '' Candide'' and ''The 3 Divas''.

Honours

In 2004, she was made a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Order (distinction), honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of Australia, Queen of Aus ...

(AM) by the

Queen of Australia Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

for services to theatre and charity.

Discography

Solo albums

Cast albums and soundtracks

* ''Chicago'' - original Australian cast (1981) * '' The Pack of Women'' (1986) * ''The Money or the Gun - Stairways to Heaven'' (1992) * '' Once In A Blue Moon - A celebration of Australian musicals'' (1994) * ''Perfect Strangers'' (with Suzanne Johnston) (1999) * ''Mary Poppins'' - original Australian cast (2010)

Awards

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual ceremony presented by

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing ...

(ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the

music of Australia The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. They commenced in 1987. ! , - , 1999, , ''Perfect Strangers'' (with Suzanne Johnston) , ,

ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album The ARIA Music Award for Best Original Soundtrack / Cast / Show Album is an award presented within the Fine Arts Awards at the annual ARIA Music Awards. The ARIA Awards recognise "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres ...

, , , , rowspan="2" , ARIA Award previous winners. , - , 2002, , ''Back to Before'' , , Best Cast or Show Album , ,

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Judi Connelli won four awards in that time. (wins only) , - , 1991 , Judi Connelli , Female Musical Theatre Performer of the Year , , - , 1993 , Judi Connelli , Female Musical Theatre Performer of the Year , , - , 2001 , Judi Connelli , Female Musical Theatre Performer of the Year , , - , 2002 , Judi Connelli , Supporting Musical Theatrical Performer of the Year , , -

External links

References

Actresses from Brisbane ARIA Award winners Australian musical theatre actresses Australian television actresses Australian people of Italian descent Helpmann Award winners Musicians from Brisbane 1947 births Living people Members of the Order of Australia LGBT singers from Australia {{Australia-actor-stub