Sarah Connolly

Born in County Durham on June 13, 1963, mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly spent her childhood in Middleton St. George, where early involvement in a village choir complemented her studies of piano and cello. At Queen Margaret’s Boarding School she remained focused on the keyboard, even after her sister’s appearance in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas left a strong impression. Later, at Clarendon College of Further Education, she pursued piano studies while also claiming college titles in tennis and table tennis. Only after completing a piano teaching degree at the Royal College of Music did she turn fully to singing.

Following graduation she sang with the BBC Singers and worked as a freelance choral artist, briefly exploring jazz as well. A second-place finish in the opera category at the International Vocal Competition ’s-Hertogenbosch and her introduction to teacher Gerald Martin Moore steered her decisively toward classical music. During the 1990s she performed Bach solos under Philippe Herreweghe; her recording debut came in 1997 on Harmonia Mundi with Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale in Bach Advent Cantatas.

She soon established herself in early music, appearing as the title character in Handel’s Xerxes at houses that included New York City Opera and recording Rameau’s Les Fêtes d’Hébé with William Christie’s Les Arts Florissants. Although widely recognized as a Handel interpreter, Connolly also embraced Romantic and contemporary scores, performing Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder and Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius. In 2011, marking the Mahler centenary, she presented all of his vocal works with the Philharmonia Orchestra. Contemporary music found an advocate in her performances and recording of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Twice Through the Heart.

Many of her recital discs originated from her own programming ideas. The Exquisite Hour, issued by Signum in 2006, began a continuing association with the label. In 2017 she joined the choir Tenebrae for A Walk with Ivor Gurney and received the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Additional projects for Chandos between 2018 and 2022 surveyed music by Elgar, Arthur Bliss, and Frank Bridge, while a complete recording of Henri Duparc’s songs appeared on Signum Classics in 2022.