Mary Nelson

Soprano

Born in Northern Ireland, Mary is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music where she originally studied. 

An experienced oratorio and concert soloist, Mary has performed with the City of London Sinfonia, The King’s Consort, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the Northern Sinfonia, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, The Halle, The Academy of Ancient Music, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, The Prague Philharmonic, the Israel Camerata, the Music of the Baroque in Chicago and the Dutch Radio Symphony Orchestra. Engagements have also included performances of Hansel and Gretel and Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the BBC Proms and recitals at the Wigmore Hall. 

As a company principal with English National Opera, her roles have included Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, Pamina in The Magic Flute, Dalinda in Ariodante, Atalanta in Xerxes, Trash in The Fairy Queen (including performances in the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona), and Lucia in the David McVicar production of The Rape of Lucretia for ENO and the Aldeburgh Festival, which was also broadcast on BBC2. Other roles include Ismene in Mitridate for the Classical Opera Comapany, Piacere in Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno for The Early Opera Company, Gilda in Rigoletto and Micaela in Carmen for Castleward Opera and Carolina in The Secret Marriage for Opera North.

Conductors she has worked with include Nicholas McGegan, Thierry Fischer, Christian Curnyn, Jane Glover, Richard Hickox, Takuo Yuasa, Paul Daniel, Harry Christophers, Harry Bicket and John Nelson.

With London Concert Choir Mary has appeared in the concert performance of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice and in Handel’s oratorio Judas Maccabaeus.

Mary is currently a professor of singing at the Royal Academy of Music.