Cara O'Sullivan (1962 – 26 January 2021) was an Irish

coloratura soprano A coloratura soprano () is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile run (music), runs, leaps and Trill (music), trills. The term ''coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, whi ...

singer.

Background

O'Sullivan grew up in The Lough, Cork. Both of her parents and her grandparents on both sides were singers, though not professionally. She is survived by 3 siblings, including sisters Aoife and Nuala. Nuala represented Cork at the Rose of Tralee in the 1980s. O'Sullivan had one daughter, Christine, an accountant. O'Sullivan lived in Frankfield, Cork. She was nicknamed "Caradiva" by her friends.

Career

O'Sullivan's family noted that her voice began to develop at the age of 12. She attended the Cork School of Music, where O'Sullivan stated that at 17 the head of the school, Jack Murphy, told her parents: "She can go anywhere in the world, she can be anything she wants to be, she can go to the very top." In her 20s, O'Sullivan took a break from singing for 4 years, returning to music after the birth of her daughter. O'Sullivan achieved her first major role in 1996 at the age of 34, as Donna Anna in ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

'' with Welsh National Opera. The world renowned Australian soprano

Dame Joan Sutherland Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s to the 1980s. She possessed a voic ...

helped O'Sullivan to prepare for the role. In 1997 and 1998, O'Sullivan starred as the Queen of the Night in the Opera North performances of ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

''. ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' praised her "spirit and diamantine accuracy". She appeared on the 2008 anti-domestic violence charity album ''

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

''. She also performed ''

Così fan tutte (''Women are like that, or The School for Lovers''), Köchel catalogue, K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written ...

'', '' La traviata'', Handel's ''Messiah'', and ''

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

''. O'Sullivan's performances included: * East Cork Choral Society *

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...

* Everyman Palace Theatre * Feis Maitiú Corcaigh *

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin The Gaiety Theatre is a theatre on South King Street in Dublin, Ireland, off Grafton Street and close to St. Stephen's Green. It specialises in operatic and musical productions, with occasional dramatic shows. History In April 1871, the broth ...

* Hibernian Orchestra *

National Concert Hall The National Concert Hall (NCH) (An Ceoláras Náisiúnta) is a national cultural institution, sometimes described as "the home of music in Ireland". It comprises the actual concert hall operation, which in various chambers hosts over 1,000 ...

* Opera Nantes *

Palau de la Música Catalana Palau de la Música Catalana (, ) is a concert hall in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Designed in the Catalan ''modernisme, modernista'' style by the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, it was built between 1905 and 1908 for Orfeó Català, a ...

Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

* RTÉ Concert Orchestra *

St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Saint Patrick's Cathedral () in Dublin, Ireland is the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland. Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Christ Church Cathedral, also a Church of Ireland cathedral in Dublin, is designated as the local cathedral of ...

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

* Vlaamse Opera In 2019, O'Sullivan received the inaugural Cork Culture Award by

Lord Mayor of Cork The Lord Mayor of Cork () is the honorific title of the Chairperson () of Cork City Council which is the local government body for the city of Cork in Ireland. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the Council. The incumbent ...

, Mick Finn.

Voice

O'Sullivan was a dramatic coloratura soprano. She has been described as a "fearsome coloratura" with "spitfire-like delivery".

Health

Shortly before O'Sullivan was to begin rehearsals in Wales, she was diagnosed with cancer. The stage 2 leg tumour was discovered by her beautician during a waxing session. O'Sullivan had previously dismissed the lump as cellulite. The diagnosis did not affect her performances, as she received initial radiotherapy treatment in Ireland and then in Wales, continuing to work throughout, performing 20 times in 14 weeks. She suffered from

insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...

. O'Sullivan had nodules removed from her

vocal cords In humans, the vocal cords, also known as vocal folds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through Speech, vocalization. The length of the vocal cords affects the pitch of voice, similar to a violin string. Open when brea ...

at the private Blackheath Hospital, London. After the operation, she recuperated at

Glenstal Abbey Glenstal Abbey is a Catholic Church, Catholic Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery of the Congregation of the Annunciation located in Murroe, County Limerick, Ireland. It is dedicated to Saint Joseph and Saint Columba. In July 2024, Col ...

, where she was completely silent for one week. In 2018, O'Sullivan was diagnosed with early-onset

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

which led to her retirement from professional singing. Celebratory concerts were organised in her honour in Cork and Dublin. On 26 January 2021, it was announced that Cara O'Sullivan had died. Her death was marked by an outpouring of tributes to her talent and her outstanding contribution to music in Ireland and internationally, with ''The Irish Independent'' stating that " s O'Sullivanwas famed for her support of charitable events - and her sense of humour."

Legacy

Following O'Sullivan's death, Cork Opera House announced plans to launch a programme in her memory designed to provide a platform to operatic singers in her name.https://www.corkindependent.com/2021/06/25/series-created-in-caras-memory/ The Cara O'Sullivan Associate Artists programme was founded in O'Sullivan's memory to honour her contribution to her art form and acknowledge the great love her audience had for her. By honouring her life and work, Cork Opera House hopes to contribute significantly to the future of opera in

Cork city Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...

so that future generations can benefit from the legacy she left in her wake. Among the objectives of this programme is to offer a platform to early career / emerging Irish opera artists for repertoire / role development, concert performances with orchestra, semi-staged performances and the curation of recital programmes that meets with their current and future repertoire ambitions. 2021-2023 Associate Artists Emma Nash - Soprano Rachel Croash - Soprano Gavan Ring - Tenor Rory Musgrave - Baritone 2023-2025 Associate Artists Kelli-Ann Masterson - Soprano Niamh O'Sullivan - Mezzo Soprano Dean Power - Tenor Rory Dunne - Bass Baritone

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:OSullivan, Cara 1962 births 2021 deaths Musicians from Cork (city) Irish operatic sopranos 20th-century Irish women opera singers 21st-century Irish women opera singers Alumni of Cork Institute of Technology 1990s in Irish music 2000s in Irish music 2010s in Irish music 2020s in Irish music