Sondra Kelly

2003 District Judge

During the past two seasons, Sondra Kelly has emerged as a formidable interpreter of the dramatic mezzo repertoire, with recent successes as Ulrica in the Deutsche Oper Berlin's new production of Un Ballo in Maschera where her singing was described as "sumptuous" and "...some of the most beautiful singing heard at the Deutsche Oper" in Opera Magazine, the same role in Lausanne, Switzerland and San Juan, Puerto Rico; Azucena in Il Trovatore for the Connecticut Opera, described by the Hartford Courant as "vivid, convincing," also in Regina, Saskatchewan, Charlotte, North Carolina and Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Herodias in Salome for the Utah Opera, where the Salt Lake Tribune singled her out for "her strong voice and effective projection of the calculating Herodias' not so righteous indignation..."

Ms. Kelly began her professional career at the Metropolitan Opera, where she appeared in over 250 performances of 23 different roles ranging from Mozart to Wagner with notable conductors and directors such as James Levine, James Conlon, Nello Santi, Otto Schenk, Frano Zefferelli amd Giancarlo del Monaco. She also has been featured on recordings of Il Trovatore for Sony Classical and La Traviata for Deutsche Grammaphon, both conducted by Maestro Levine, and "Live from the Met" videos of La Fanciulla del West, Die Walkure, The Ghosts of Versailles and the Opening Night Gala (Otello).

Elsewhere, Ms. Kelly has performed at Glimmerglass Opera as Fidalma in Jonathan Miller's Il Matrimonio Segreto and Long Beach Opera as Carolina in Henze's Elegy for Young Lovers. Notable engagements this season include performances of Dalila in Samson and Dalila in Hanoi, Vietnam, and the Innkeeper in Boris Godunov for Florida Grand Opera in Miami.

Notable future engagements include Herodias in Salome for both Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Connecticut Opera in Hartford, and Mirinda in L'Ormindo for Opera International, Washington, DC.

Ms. Kelly was the third place winner of the Met New England Regional Auditions in 1982.

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