My Career: ‘I hope to sing until I’m in my 70s’

Name: Niamh O’Sullivan

Age: 30

Lives: Dublin is my base, but I’m rarely there!

Job title: Opera singer

Salary bracket: It varies from season to season!

Education background: Bachelor in vocal studies at Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Hobbies: Fashion, food, social media!

Describe your job in five words: Rewarding, competitive, sacrifice, special, joyful.

Describe yourself in five words: ionate, empathetic, ambitious, sensitive, steady.

Personality needed for this kind of work? Self-assured, flexible, strong.

How long are you doing this job? Professionally, 10 years.

How did you get this job? I started as a child attending musical theatre classes four or five times a week. Singing, dancing, acting, and I absolutely loved it. I couldn’t get enough of it and it’s all I wanted to do up until I went to college in Dublin.

I always knew my voice was quite classical and wasn’t as well-suited to musical theatre. It was when I started studying in Dublin with Ronnie (Dr Veronica Dunne) that I really realised this is for me.

After studying with Ronnie for three years, I got an audition for the Young Artist programme at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and was accepted. This placed me on the world opera map and it’s history since then!

I’ve been lucky to sing at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Opernhaus Zürich, Carnegie Hall, New York, LA Opera, Theatre des Champs Elysées Paris, English National Opera, etc.

Do you need particular qualifications or experience? For our job, experience is the most important thing!

Describe a day at work: Every day varies with my work which is very exciting! A typical rehearsal day could be rehearsals 10am to 1pm and then 2.30pm to 5.30pm. I always like to do a nice warm-up before rehearsal, so I feel as comfortable as I can in the rehearsal room, so I would arrive at the opera house around 9.30am.

Before that... I like to stop in a local coffee shop and get an iced coffee to set me up for the day! My favourite! I’ll usually bring a packed lunch with me and have that at the break while I continue to study my music.

After rehearsals are done for the day, I usually like to go home and rest for the next rehearsal day! Rest is the most important thing as an opera singer! Our body is our instrument!

How many hours do you work a week? This also varies! But usually Monday-Saturday are rehearsal days of six hours a day!

That said, there are certain engagements you make time for, no matter how busy your schedule is. Singing at Blackwater Valley Opera Festival is one of those for me. Even if it’s just for a single concert, I’ll always make the trip home to Ireland.

What do you wear to work? Comfortable clothing! It’s important to be able to move around freely and to be able to do what the director wants without feeling restricted! I like to wear something chic but comfortable like loose tros with a t-shirt and oversized blazer and runners!

Is your industry male or female-dominated? I would say more male-dominated.

Does this affect you in any particular way? Luckily, no!

Is your job stressful? How? Rate it on a scale of 1-10: Yes... it’s definitely a stressful job but I’m always learning new ways of dealing with the stress. Stress and pressure can also be good! I would rate it a 7.

Do you work with others or on your own? Both! Opera is very much a team effort. So many talented people coming together to create a monster that is an opera! It takes a team! I work on my own so often also... preparing my music, working on my voice, etc. It can be lonely for sure!

When do you plan to retire or give up working? I hope to sing until I’m in my 70s for sure! That’s the plan!

Best bits: Bringing joy into people’s lives, moving people, having a big success with a new role, working with incredibly talented people. But some of the most special moments are the unexpected ones - like singing at a special venue like Dromore Yard during Blackwater Valley Opera Festival on June 1. It’s one of those rare places where music, landscape, and audience come together perfectly.

Worst bits: the travel, the rejection, the difficult criticism, the loneliness.

Advice to those who want your job? Work hard and believe in yourself. Find what you have that no-one else has and build on that!

Cork-born mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan, one of Ireland’s most exciting voices, performs When Birds Do Sing at Dromore Yard, Waterford, during Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2025 (May 27 – June 2).