Yvonne Kenny | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kenny atAustralia House, 2025 | |
| Born | Yvonne Denise Kenny (1950-11-25)25 November 1950 (age 74) Sydney, Australia |
| Education | University of Sydney Sydney Conservatorium of Music |
| Occupation | Soprano |
Yvonne Denise KennyAM (born 25 November 1950) is an Australiansoprano, particularly associated withHandel,Mozart andbel canto roles.
Born inSydney, Kenny first studied at theUniversity of Sydney in science, hoping to become abiochemist, but decided to pursue a career in music instead. She studied first with Myra Lambert at theSydney Conservatorium of Music, and later won a scholarship to study at the opera school atLa Scala inMilan. After a year of studying there, she went to England, where after a few recitals and TV appearances, her breakthrough came on 11 October 1975, when she replaced, with only four days' notice, the soprano scheduled to sing in anOpera Rara concert performance ofDonizetti'sRosmonda d'Inghilterra at theQueen Elizabeth Hall. It was a triumph and the virtually unknown Kenny became an overnight star.[1]
She made her debut at theRoyal Opera House the following year, in the premiere ofHans Werner Henze'sWe Come to the River, later singing in Handel operas such asSemele,Alcina,Giulio Cesare, and such Mozart operas as:Idomeneo,Mitridate, re di Ponto,La clemenza di Tito,The Abduction from the Seraglio,The Magic Flute. She also sang Sophie in bothWerther andDer Rosenkavalier. She was also a regular guest at theGlyndebourne Festival and theEnglish National Opera. On the international scene, she appeared at opera houses in Zurich, Munich, Vienna, Aix-en-Provence, Washington, etc. She often returned home, appearing at theSydney Opera House in roles including:Mélisande,Manon,Leila,Micaela,Fiordiligi,Pamina, Alcina andCleopatra. Later she sang the roles ofRichard Strauss.
She performed theOlympic Hymn at the closing ceremony of the2000 Summer Olympics inSydney. In 2001 she was awarded theCentenary Medal.[2]
In 2009, Kenny appeared asBlanche DuBois in the Australian premiere ofAndré Previn's adaptation ofA Streetcar Named Desire forOpera Australia.[3] After her initial success with Opera Rara, she appeared in many recordings with them, notably Donizetti'sUgo, conte di Parigi andEmilia di Liverpool,Meyerbeer'sIl crociato in Egitto, andSimon Mayr'sMedea in Corinto. She also provided the voice for the title role in the TV mini-seriesMelba, about DameNellie Melba.[1]
She is the chairman and life president of theAustralian Music Foundation.[4]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [5] | ||
| Recital atWigmore Hall |
| — |
| Britten Folk Songs and Song Cycles (withCarolyn Watkinson) |
| — |
| Mahler Symphony No. 2 |
| — |
| William Walton andConstant Lambert Complete Songs |
| — |
| Simple Gifts |
| — |
| Mozart Arias with Obbligato Instruments |
| — |
| 19th Century Heroines |
| — |
| Bouquet of Melodies |
| — |
| Something Wonderful |
| — |
| Handel Arias |
| — |
| A Christmas Gift |
| 85 |
| A Portrait of Yvonne Kelly |
| 91 |
| Great Operatic Arias Sung in English #1 |
| — |
| Gorecki Complete Songs |
| — |
| Great Operatic Arias Sung in English #2 |
| — |
| Make Believe, Classic Songs of Broadway |
| 91 |
| The Salley Gardens: A Treasury of English Song |
| — |
| Handel Cantatas & Deutsche Arien (withJohn Shirley-Quirk) |
| — |
| Claire de lune |
| — |
| Delius Songs |
| — |
| Vienna, City of My Dreams |
| — |
| Singing for Love (withDavid Hobson) |
| 57 |
| Strauss |
| — |
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music.[12]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Simple Gifts (withMelbourne Symphony Orchestra andVladimir Kamirski) | Best Classical Album | Won |
| 1998 | Handel: Arias (withAustralian Brandenburg Orchestra andPaul Dyer) | Best Classical Album | Won |
| 2022 | Gorecki: Symphony No. 3 (withAdelaide Symphony Orchestra) | Best Classical Album | Nominated |
| 2022 | Make Believe | Best Classical Album | Nominated |
| 2022[13] | Ross Edwards: Frog and Star Cycle / Symphonies 2 & 3 Amy Dickson,Colin Currie,Lothar Koenigs,David Zinman,Sydney Symphony Orchestra,Markus Stenz &Melbourne Symphony Orchestra) | Best Classical Album | Nominated |
TheSir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award is given to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to music in Australia.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Yvonne Kenny | Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award | awarded |
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as theMo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Yvonne Kenny won one award in that time.[14]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Yvonne Kenny | Operatic Performer of the Year | Won |
