ABOUT
Jessica O'Donoghue
"Hypnotic, powerful and haunting" - Indie Shuffle
biography
Jessica studied her Bachelor of Music at the University of Sydney, Diploma of Opera at VCA and has over 20 years professional performing experience. She was a Young Artist with Opera Queensland and a guest Young Artist at The Royal Opera House Covent Garden (London) where she worked with some of the world’s best singers and conductors. In 2018 she was awarded a Fellowship from the Australian Institute of Music for Outstanding Achievements and Services to the Australian Music and Performing Arts Industry.
Jessica’s eclectic and extensive career spans opera, early/medieval music, contemporary/new music, pop and cabaret/musical theatre making Jessica a unique asset to the arts industry and well known for her musical excellence across a wide variety of genres. She is highly sought after for collaborative new music projects and has worked extensively with local artist and composers such as Nick Wales, Andrée Greenwell, Huw Belling, Alice Chance, Bree Van Reyk and Aristéa Mellos. Jessica appears regularly with elite new music group Sydney Chamber Opera Company, is a principal artist with The Song Company and has featured at all the major Australian festivals including Vivid Sydney, Sydney Festival and Dark MOFO as well as numerous international festivals throughout Europe and Asia.
In 2017 Jessica released her debut EP ‘Emerge’ to critical acclaim and launched the album to sell out shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Reviews include “A mercurial talent, Jessica has created songs with real depth. Listening to the album is a full-bodied experience: theatrical and intimate, operatic and haunting, raw and urgent, at once dark and contemplative and inspiring. It’s pop music with a difference.” – Ashleigh Wilson, Arts Editor at The Australian
In addition to performing and recording, Jessica also produces live music shows, composes her own works and leads and initiates large scale artistic collaborations. She produced a mini festival of Women in Music for Vivid Sydney. The event premiered in 2019 to sell out audiences and had received funding for a second year in 2020 (but was cancelled due to Covid-19). After receiving a Creative Fellowship from the City of Sydney and funding from the Inner West Council and Create NSW, Jessica is currently leading the development of a new music based, multi-disciplinary stage show which is a collaboration between a group of leading Australian female artists including composers, performers, video artist, designer, writer and director exploring the topic of modern day motherhood.
PRESS QUOTES
'emerge' - debut ep
“Engaging and eclectic, Jessica O’Donoghue charges through unchartered waters on Emerge…Revelling in her raw and righteous vocal power, Jessica O’Donoghue dances above an alternative pop backdrop with the ease of a true artisan.” - HappyMag
“A mercurial talent, Jessica has created songs with real depth. Listening to the album is a full-bodied experience: theatrical and intimate, operatic and haunting, raw and urgent, at once dark and contemplative and inspiring. It’s pop music with a difference.” – Ashleigh Wilson, Arts Editor at The Australian
“Hypnotic, powerful and haunting. The vocals remind me of Sarah Blasko, soaring with an unrestrained strength. The production has so much depth, and a uniquely raw edge that keeps me completely captivated. It’s safe to say that I’m a fan.” – Delia Bartle, Journalist – Indie Shuffle
“This was a standout. Hypnotic composition, skillful delivery.” – Jessie Cunniffe (Music Critic for Rolling Stone Magazine)
“Engaging and eclectic, Jessica O’Donoghue charges through unchartered waters on Emerge…Revelling in her raw and righteous vocal power, Jessica O’Donoghue dances above an alternative pop backdrop with the ease of a true artisan.” – HappyMag
FUTURE REMAINS (Sydney Festival)
“O’Donoghue railed and unravelled through emotional extremes. Her performance was a tour de force of dramatic range held together with brilliant vocal precision and control” – Peter McCallum (Sydney Morning Herald 4.5 stars)
“O’Donoghue’s powerhouse performance drives it forward with wry humour and relentless fury, the singer deftly juggling vocal virtuosity and searing energy. In the rear-view mirror, Janic’s keening is simply the jumping off point for her own blistering performance” – Angus McPherson (Limelight 4 stars)
“Jessica O’Donoghue is magnificent as she commands the stage, using extended vocal techniques in a fiery display of female power” – Matthew Westwood (The Australian)
BREAKING GLASS (Sydney Chamber Opera)
“The vocalists – Jane Sheldon, Simon Lobelson, and Jessica O’Donoghue in this work – showed exceptional range, with virtuosic execution of techniques such as vocal fry, portamenti and fricative sounds along with beautifully phrased melodic material.” – The Conversation
“O’Donoghue, Sheldon, Lobelson, and Riley spanned remarkable vocal demands and range with exemplary professionalism.” – Sydney Morning Herald (four stars)
“Jessica O’Donoghue makes a memorable feminist hero, a grimly determined woman who sets her face into the storm.” – Limelight (four stars)
“O’Donoghue’s performance is mesmerising. The music is tumultuous and rhythmic, but her singing is as slow and tentative as her steps. Her voice is a perfect vehicle for the almost mediaeval style of her part.“ – The Saturday Paper
BIOGRAPHICA (Sydney Chamber Opera)
“…five excellent soloists: Jane Sheldon, Simon Lobelson, Andrew Goodwin, Anna Fraser and Jessica O’Donoghue. Every one of these is worth lining up early for – so you can get a seat close to the stage; you may be amazed by the strength and quality of these voices.” – Timeout (four stars)
“The omni-talented Jessica O’Donoghue (a wonderful pop singer-songwriter as well as classical performer) finds an elegant awkwardness for the tragic daughter of Cardano. One hopes to see more of her on the opera stage in future.” – Partial Durations
“As his syphilitic daughter Chiara lies dying – Jessica O’Donoghue’s voice rich and lamenting over Rowan Phemister’s harp…” – Limelight (four stars)
“Jessica O’Donoghue, creates a parallel moment of expressive force as his daughter dying of syphilis.” – Sydney Morning Herald (four stars)
THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA (Victorian Opera/Sydney Chamber Opera)
“Doing double duty, particular kudos goes to Jessica O’Donoghue who portrays the menacing Tarquinius and Jeremy Kleeman the chaste Lucretia. Both were stunningly able to embody the roles of other singers… You may never have the opportunity to hear a better cast than this.” – Sounds Like Sydney
“Tarquinius receives smooth vocal representation from Nathan Lay and lynx-like stage portrayal from Jessica O’Donoghue, who sang Bianca with beguiling colour.” – Sydney Morning Herald (four stars)
“Jessica O’Donoghue has the rather difficult task of singing Lucretia’s pragmatic and devoted nurse Bianca, while performing the actions of Lucretia’s attacker. O’Donoghue handles this duality brilliantly.” – Daily Review (four stars)
“…the menacing Jessica O’Donoghue [whose] physical characterisation of Tarquinius was particularly excellent…” – Bachtrack (four stars)
VICTORY OVER THE SUN (Biennale/Sydney Chamber Opera)
“Special tribute is due to the brave, expressive and highly skilled performers…The two near-identical soprano Strongwomen—wonderfully sung and performed by Jessica O’Donoghue and Sarah Toth” – Real Time Arts
