photo by Valentina Gassiy
photo by Valentina Gassiy
"The end of all good music is to affect the soul" - Claudio Monteverdi
Welcome... It is a great privilege to have spent my career performing, communicating, interpreting, learning and sharing music. It is such a joy to journey with it, as it sustains and accompanies us every day. I am so grateful for the wonderful opportunities that have come along over the years and the incredible musicians that I have been so fortunate to work with.
Purchase Pathways here.
Myself and Trudi are so thrilled to introduce our new album "Pathways" It is a collection of beautiful songs that chart how our career paths and friendship have been so joyfully entwined over the decades.
The interpretation and performance of art song has been a cornerstone of my career and it is wonderful to have the opportunity to celebrate this repertoire here. Some of the songs are well known favourites while others are rare gems, but all resonate deeply with myself and Trudi. They have been companions on our journey of music and friendship.
We hope you enjoy "Pathways"
"A beautifully warm lyric soprano, with delightful depth and poise" - The Observer
Irish Soprano Colette Delahunt has had a very busy and varied international career to date, performing in opera, oratorio, concert and as an accomplished recitalist. Originally from Co. Wicklow, Colette's very first singing teacher was Sr. Agnes Cecilia Nolan of St Mary's College Arklow. After her formal training in DIT College of Music with Nancy Calthorpe, Trudi Carberry and winning many senior prizes including The Margaret Burke Sheridan Cup and overall vocal prize The Gervase Elwes Cup, Colette was awarded a scholarship to complete her post-graduate studies with acclaimed singer and teacher Valerie Masterson OBE, at Trinity College of Music, London. In London Colette won a number of prestigious awards including The BBC Young Artists Forum Award and The Royal Overseas League Prize.
"As glorious a Susanna as any I have seen and heard. Her tireless resourcefulness and incomparable warmth combined with mischief reached their pinnacle in a perfectly poised "Deh vieni". She will surely be the worlds ranking performer of this supremely enchanting but tricky role. -The Marriage of Figaro - Glyndebourne Touring Opera. The Spectator
Colette was invited to join Glyndebourne Festival Opera Company and made her debut in Alban Berg’s Lulu in 1998, that same year she was awarded the very prestigious Erich Vietheer Glyndebourne Prize. A career highlight for Colette was singing the role of Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro at Glyndebourne, Colette went on to sing this role many times throughout her career. Many roles followed at Glyndebourne Opera including a performance of Berg’s Lulu at the BBC Proms. Colette has sung many roles with Opera North, Aix-en-Provence Opera, Covent Garden Festival Opera and made her debut in The Bartered Bride with Bernard Haitink at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Here at home Colette has performed principal roles with Opera Ireland, Opera Theatre Company, Lyric Opera and Opera in the Open.
Colette has performed extensively in concert and oratorio throughout Ireland and Britain working most notably with The BBC Philharmonic, The London Sinfonia, The National Symphony Orchestra, The RTÉ Concert Orchestra and Co-Orch. Recent performances have included Mozart’s Requiem, Mozart’s Mass in C, Fauré’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Choral Symphony and the Brahms German Requiem. Recent highlights have included the premiere performance of Anne-Marie O’Farrell’s composition Pomes Penyeach with the ConTempo Quartet and she also had the unique experience of singing at the premiere performance of Handel’s Messiah in Doha, Qatar.
"(The lied) is really the most difficult and what more skill and knowledge requires to pour into a small form a big content" - Gustav Mahler
Colette has performed widely at home and internationally as an accomplished recitalist. The recital repertoire and particularly art song has always represented an area of special interest. Recent recital venues include, the Military Headquarters, Genoa, Italy, Áras an Uachtaráin, NCH John Field Room, St Ann's Church, Dawson Street. Colette has had the huge honour of being the soloist at the National Day of Commemoration 2014, 2016 and 2020, with the bands of the Irish Defence Forces, all of which were broadcast live on RTE Television. Of great pride are her many performances as soloist for televised State Commemorations during the Decade of Centenaries at venues including, Leinster House, Dublin Castle and The Garden of Remembrance. A very notable performance being "A Civil War Cantata" composed by Anne-Marie O'Farrell with the RTE Concert Orchestra.
Colette has been invited to work with acclaimed film composer Stephen McKeon and has featured as soloist in three films, Pilgrimage, Rose Plays Julie and Apocolypse Clown. Another very important aspect of her career and one that she is passionate about is teaching, ecouraging and supporting young singers with their vocal devolpment. She is a busy vocal adjudicator at many festivals throughout the country including, Feile Luimnigh, Arklow Music Festival, Derry Feis(Feis Dhóire Cholmcílle) and The Interschools Festival.