Angela Feeney
Encyclopedia
Angela Feeney is a Northern Irish
opera singer.
She made her professional singing debut with the as Cherubino in "The Marriage of Figaro
" in 1977 and continued her studies at in Munich
.
She was the first Irish singer to be signed as a soloist by the Munich State Opera and has made guest appearances with the Bamberger Symphoniker and the Hamburg State Opera
and Frankfurt Opera companies.
Her performances include: Elvira in English National Opera
's Don Giovanni
and Un giorno di regno
, as Guilietta at the Wexford Festival
(recorded live for BBC Radio 3). She opened Cork City
Opera's first season as Leonora in Il trovatore
and returned the following year in La bohème
as Mimi. She has performed Madame Butterfly at the Berlin State Opera
. Other performances have been as Marie in the The Bartered Bride
, Michaela in Carmen
and Nedda in Pagliacci
Angela Feeney is founder of the Belfast Classical Music Bursary Scheme and initiated Féile an Phobail
's West Belfast Classical Bursary Awards, and has promoted various charities and tourism in local and wider Northern Ireland. In 2002 she was recognised by the through the Belfast City Council and given a special award by the judges in recognition of her outstanding services.
In 2006 she was honored by Queen's University
at Belfast at which Queen’s Senator Brian Hanna stated: "“Angela is an international opera singer who has made an outstanding contribution to the arts both on the international stage and here in her native city where her name is synonymous with the West Belfast Classical Music Bursary Awards which began in 1994 and now continue as the Belfast Classical Music Bursaries."
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
opera singer.
She made her professional singing debut with the as Cherubino in "The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
" in 1977 and continued her studies at in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
She was the first Irish singer to be signed as a soloist by the Munich State Opera and has made guest appearances with the Bamberger Symphoniker and the Hamburg State Opera
Hamburg State Opera
The Hamburg State Opera is one of the leading opera companies in Germany.Opera in Hamburg dates back to 2 January 1678 when the "Opern-Theatrum" was inaugurated with a performance of a biblical Singspiel by Johann Theile...
and Frankfurt Opera companies.
Her performances include: Elvira in English National Opera
English National Opera
English National Opera is an 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, Covent Garden...
's Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
and Un giorno di regno
Un giorno di regno
Un giorno di regno, ossia il finto Stanislao is an operatic melodramma giocoso in two acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on the play Le faux Stanislas by Alexandre Vincent Pineu-Duval...
, as Guilietta at the Wexford Festival
Wexford Festival Opera
The Wexford Festival Opera is an opera festival that takes place in the town of Wexford in South-Eastern Ireland during the months of October and November.-Festival origins under Tom Walsh, 1951 to 1966:...
(recorded live for BBC Radio 3). She opened Cork City
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
Opera's first season as Leonora in Il trovatore
Il trovatore
Il trovatore is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El Trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. Cammarano died in mid-1852 before completing the libretto...
and returned the following year in La bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
as Mimi. She has performed Madame Butterfly at the Berlin State Opera
Berlin State Opera
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden is a German opera company. Its permanent home is the opera house on the Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, which also hosts the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.-Early years:...
. Other performances have been as Marie in the The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The opera is considered to have made a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It was composed during the period 1863–66, and first performed at the...
, Michaela in Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
and Nedda in Pagliacci
Pagliacci
Pagliacci , sometimes incorrectly rendered with a definite article as I Pagliacci, is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. It recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell'arte troupe...
Angela Feeney is founder of the Belfast Classical Music Bursary Scheme and initiated Féile an Phobail
Feile an Phobail
Féile an Phobail , also known as the West Belfast Festival is a community arts organisation known for its August Féile . The organisation is prominent for its promotion of Irish and international culture...
's West Belfast Classical Bursary Awards, and has promoted various charities and tourism in local and wider Northern Ireland. In 2002 she was recognised by the through the Belfast City Council and given a special award by the judges in recognition of her outstanding services.
In 2006 she was honored by Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
at Belfast at which Queen’s Senator Brian Hanna stated: "“Angela is an international opera singer who has made an outstanding contribution to the arts both on the international stage and here in her native city where her name is synonymous with the West Belfast Classical Music Bursary Awards which began in 1994 and now continue as the Belfast Classical Music Bursaries."
Sources
- Cummings, David (ed), "Feeney, Angela", International Who's Who in Classical Music, Routledge, 2003, p. 234. ISBN 185743174X
- Queen's University, Belfast, "Queen's honours Angela Feeney", 7 July 2006. Accessed 28 February 2010.