Annabel Kennedy is a Mezzo-Soprano from Devon. She is part of the Royal College of Music’s International Opera Studio as a Siow-Furniss Scholar supported by the Sir Gordon Palmer Scholarship, under the tutelage of Amanda Roocroft and Caroline Dowdle. In addition, Annabel is grateful to be supported by the Josephine Baker Trust, The Drake Calleja Trust, The Munster Trust Award and the Sybil Tutton Opera Awards. Annabel is a Samling Artist, a Britten Pears Young Artist for 2022-2023 and a Glyndebourne Jerwood Young Artist for 2023.
As part of the RCMIOS, Annabel has performed ‘2nd Lady’ in Die Zauberflöte, ‘Hänsel’ in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, ‘Minskwoman’ in Jonathan Dove’s Flight, ‘Public Opinion’ in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld and ‘L’enfant’ in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges. Recently Annabel jumped in as cover for Longborough Festival Opera’s Double Bill in ’Spell Book’ by Freya Waley-Cohen and ‘La liberazione di Ruggiero’ by Francesca Caccini.
Annabel performed as a Garsington Young Artist in the chorus and cover of ‘Noble Orphan 2’ for their production of Strauss’ ‘Der Rosenkavalier’. She performed her first ever principal role debut as Flora in Verdi’s ‘La traviata’ for Nevill Holt Opera, as well as singing in the chorus of Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’ that season.
Concert highlights include: solo debut at Cadogan Hall performing a ‘Suite of Lieder’ composed by Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha with the London Chamber Orchestra, under Christopher Warren-Green, Mahler’s ‘Rückert-Lieder’ with the RCM Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Martyn Brabbins and Wigmore Hall soloist debut singing the role of Euterpe in Handel’s ‘Parnasso in festa’ as part of the London Handel Festival.
Recent awards include First Prize in the Lies Askonas Competition, Audience Prize at the Somerset Song Prize, Second Prize in the Hurn Court Opera Singer of the Year Competition, First Prize in the RCM Concerto Competition, Second Prize in the ‘Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards’ Competition at Wigmore Hall, First Prize for the ‘AESS Dame Patricia Routledge English Song Competition’, First Prize for the ‘AESS Courtney Kenny Award’ English Song Competition and the ‘Undergraduate Prize’ for the Brooks van der Pump English Song Competition.
