Kelli O'Hara

Kelli O'Hara, recognized as a three-time Tony Award nominee, has established herself as a staple on Broadway through her work as both a singer and an actress. Having been born in Oklahoma, she obtained her bachelor's degree in music at Oklahoma City University, where her opera and vocal studies were guided by Florence Birdwell, the same instructor who mentored Kristin Chenoweth. O'Hara's victory in the State Metropolitan Opera Competition paved the way for her relocation to New York, where her Broadway introduction came in 2000 via Jeckyl and Hyde. Subsequent appearances included parts in Follies during 2001, Sweet Smell of Success: The Musical in 2002, and Dracula: the Musical in 2004. The year 2005 marked her initial Tony Award nomination, earned for embodying Clara Johnson in The Light in the Piazza. Additional nominations followed in 2006, when she played Babe Williams alongside Harry Connick Jr. in The Pajama Game, and in 2008 for her interpretation of Nellie Forbush in the Lincoln Center Theater revival of South Pacific. Beyond her stage work, she has contributed to multiple cast recordings while also issuing solo projects such as Wonder in the World in 2008 and Always in 2011.