Reviews
Jenůfa
Den Jyske Opera, Denmark
FryensStiftstidend
August 22, 2015
"The Irish soprano Sinéad Mulhern's Jenufa character is both believable and touching. She is the natural focal point and especially in the second acts' intensely dramatic sequence, her oppressive acting is terrifyingly beautiful."
Jenůfa
Den Jyske Opera, Denmark
Kristeligt Dagblad
August 25, 2015
"Finally, they had made something of a coup by getting the Irish soprano Sinéad Mulhern to sing the title role. She covered both vocal and psychological aspects with the many vicissitudes and feelings that Jenufa traverses."
Jenůfa
Den Jyske Opera, Denmark
Nordjyske Stiftstidend
August 22, 2015
"Jenufa's part is sung by Sinéad Mulhern, the lyric-dramatic soprano is perfect for the part. She was able to get around all the emotional facets of the role."
Le Nozze di Figaro
Central City Opera, Colorado
Ray Mark Rinali for The Denver Post
July 12, 2014
"As for the vocalizing, it was a long list of good things that warrants specific call-outs to all the majors: Anna Christy, Michael Sumuel, Edward Parks, Sinéad Mulhern, Tamara Gura."
Le Nozze di Figaro
Central City Opera, Colorado
Kelly Dean Hansen for the Daily Camera
June 29, 2014
"The corresponding aristocratic “upstairs” couple is no less delightful. Soprano Sinéad Mulhern is a surprisingly human Countess, both tragically pathetic and coquettishly flirtatious by turn. The huge aria “Dove sono”, which often creates dramatic problems, is impressively blocked and gorgeously sung. When the Countess forgives her wayward husband at the end, Mulhern makes sure the audience joins her in forgiving him."
Britten "War Requiem"
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Tom Alvarez for the Indianapolis Examiner
May 8, 2014
"The soloists, who interpreted World War I veteran Owen’s heart-wrenching poetry about the horrors of war, gave stellar performances with Mulhern’s exquisite soprano standing out."
Les Contes d'Hoffman
Opera Hong Kong
Sam Olliver for South China Morning Post
July 17, 2013
"...and soprano Sinéad Mulhern (Antonia/Giulietta/Stella) proved consistently on top of the score’s demands."
Les Contes d'Hoffman
Opera Hong Kong
Satoshi Kyo for Timeout Hong Kong
May 28, 2013
"Sinéad Mulhern (Antonia,Giulietta,Stella), remarkably portrayed her three characters with clarity of motivation and with a strikingly nuanced and beautiful voice."
Quartett
Opera de Lille, France
Jean-Marie Duhamel pour la Voix du Nord
November 14, 2013
"La Marquise de Merteuil (la soprano irlandaise Sinéad Mulhern), le vicomte de Valmont (le baryton britannique Robin Adams), se toisent, se provoquent, se jouent avec une certaine perversité dejeux de rôles et de seduction puisés par le librettiste et auteur de la partition, le compositeur italien Luca Francesconi. Il faut prendre le temps d’aller découvrir ce travail parfaitement révélateur de la creation contemporaine européenne la plus aboutie. Visuellement splendide, musicalement passionnant, servi par des interprètes impeccables, les deux solistes comme les instrumentistes d’Ictus dirigés par leur patron Georges-Elie Octors. Ce qu’on appelle de la belle ouvrage."
Quartett
Opera de Lille, France
Laurent Bury pour Forumopera
November 15, 2013
"Il faut saluer bien bas l'extraordinaire travail scénique accompli par les deux chanteurs, Robin Adams et Sinéad Mulhern... Par son physique pulpeux et son allure de grande dame, et par sa longue fréquentation du répertoire classique, la soprano irlandaise correspond peut-être mieux à l'image qu'on peut se faire de Merteuil, et elle est également convaincante dans toutes ses incarnations, qu'elle se change en mâle conquérant ou qu'elle se fasse prendre sur scène par Valmont lorsqu'elle devient la petite Volanges."
Quartett
Opera de Lille, France
Audrey Chaix pour Toute la culture
November 15, 2013
"... Sinéad Mulhern, la soprano, se glisse parfaitement dans la peau de Valmont une fois enfilé son costume. L'alchimie entre eux fonctionne parfaitement et dans l'espace confiné de la petite boite le jeu de rôle fissure peu à peu et se transforme en jeu de pouvoir entre les deux personnages. Une belle surprise que ce Quartett."
Peter Grimes
Des Moines Metro Opera, USA
James Sohre for Opera Today
July, 2013
"Sinéad Mulhern has a warm and full soprano with a generous vibrato that made Ellen more womanly and assertive than is often the case. Her heartfelt, soothingly melismatic Embroidery Aria was one of the evening’s highpoints."
Peter Grimes
Des Moines Metro Opera, USA
Richard Boyum for Opera
July 20, 2013
"Irish soprano Sinéad Mulhern was a most human Ellen Orford. For the first time in experiencing this opera, I sensed that she really needed Grimes rather than just taking on a new project. Mulhern has a wonderful voice and major career. She has sung Jenufa and I certainly would love hear her in that role."
Peter Grimes
Des Moines Metro Opera, USA
Opera News
October 2013
"Soprano Sinéad Mulhern, was at her best in Ellen’s Embroidery Aria, where her lower-middle register glowed beautifully."
The Turn of the Screw
Central City Opera, Colorado
Kyle Macmillan for Opera News
October 2012
"Sinéad Mulhern was excellent as the Governess. Possessing a striking, gleaming voice, the Irish soprano was equally effective at handling the role’s sometimes extreme technical demands and conveying the character’s most painful, plaintive moments."
The Turn of the Screw
Central City Opera, Colorado
David Patrick Stearns for Artsjournal.com
July 2012
"The cast was uniformly distinguished, both theatrically and vocally. Naturally, the two adversaries claimed the most applause....Intentionally or not, Sinead Mulhern resembled the great British operatic icon, Kathleen Ferrier, whose public persona embodies the attractive fusion of passion and naivete of the governess who is in far over her head with the paranormal activities and demonic possession. The balance between articulation of the words and vocal weight (necessary to telegraph the importance of the opera’s subtext) is rarely achieved, but Mulhern came closer than most."
Fidelio
Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore
Singapore Straits Times
19 February, 2012
"The semi-staged production conducted by Shui Lan with direction and narration from David Edwards was glorious from first to last. Particularly distinguished were soloists Sinéad Mulhern (Fidelio/Leonore) and Stuart Skelton (Florestan), who sang the sympathetic wife-and-husband duo."
The Turn of the Screw
Central City Opera, Colorado
The Daily Camera, Boulder
July 2012
"The central character of the Governess is an extraordinarily demanding role. Soprano Sinéad Mulhern remarkably projects the character's struggling emotions as she decides how to handle the appearance of the two threatening specters and how best to protect the two children in her care. Singing with flawless diction and precise pitch, Mulhern completed the trio of magnificent female leads...."
Fidelio
Hessisches Staatstheater, Wiesbaden
Frankfurter Neue Presse
13 September, 2011
"Sinéad Mulhern, who in this production transformed herself back from Fidelio to Leonore, really sings these two roles; with the great warmth of an unconditional lover."
Mazeppa
Opera Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
Das Opernglas
May 2009
"In particular, Sinéad Mulhern had an extremely successful role debut as Maria, very impressive proof for her extraordinary potential in the lyric-dramatic fach. The soprano, who was engaged Fest for some years at the Komische Oper Berlin and who was recently heard as Violetta there, has full command of vocal agility and a very secure technique. The voice is just as capable of great emphasis as when it is required to sing an internalised piano which carries without effort. This was used with great effect in the incredibly touching lullaby which brings the opera to such a tragic end.....the big scene between Mother and daughter was the breath-taking high point of the performance. Grandios!"
La Traviata
Komische Oper, Berlin, Germany
Opera Magazine
March 2009
"...Violetta was Sinéad Mulhern, a former ensemble member and a very expressive singer.....'Amami, Alfredo', was devastatingly moving, seconded to the hilt by St. Clair and the orchestra."
Le Vin Herbé
Ruhrtriennale, Duisburg, Germany
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
4 September, 2007
"….both of the main characters are movingly young and physically flexible in their gestures, the most fascinating of all, with her controlled vibrato in the legato line, was the Irish soprano Sinéad Mulhern…."
Die Fledermaus
Komische Oper, Berlin
klassik-in-berlin
15 July, 2007
"…in her Fest position at the Komische Oper, Sinéad Mulhern has already sung challenging roles like Zerlina and Jenufa. With Rosalinde, she has now successfully crested the next vocal hurdle. Mulhern’s soprano - as the Czárdas exemplarily demonstrated – has developed wonderfully. This does have consequences – she too will now leave the ensemble of the Komische Oper…."
Jenůfa
Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna
Wiener Kurier
2 May, 2006
"The sudden illness of the soprano scheduled to sing, lead to the much celebrated Wiener Staatsoper debut of the young Irish soprano, Sinéad Mulhern. This artist, who is currently performing at the Komische Oper in Berlin, possesses a beautiful, slender, pure-timbred, well-produced soprano and her interpretation of Jenufa is most believeable. Because of this, Mulhern seduces, touches and turn Jenufa’s destiny, (with flawless German!), into a drastic experience. A successful Vienna debut."
Eugene Onegin
Komische Oper, Berlin
klassik.com
3 March, 2006
"Mulhern is a Tatyana of the highest calibre. She can play a young, childlike, passionate and vulnerable role and still mange to capture the controlled emotions of a character that is all the more tragic. Her soprano flirts, sparkles and oscillates between jubilating heights only to be plunged by sad, dark gloominess into a brooding and self-doubting piano. She delivers a performance that is musically a starlit sheen on a grieving basecoat."
La Bohème
Komische Oper, Berlin
Mundoclassico.com
10 January, 2006
"Now to the Irish soprano Sinéad Mulhern whose interpretation of Tatyana, in June, really impressed me. This young singer demonstrates that she can sing, without any problem, one of the most demanding roles of the lyric soprano repertoire. Her ‘’Mimì’’ was sung with good line and good phrasing but more than anything, had the security of a good technique"
Eugene Onegin
Komische Oper, Berlin
Süddeutsche Zeitung
May 2005
"…leading the cast is the wonderful Sinéad Mulhern. Her Tatyana sounds, even when emotions surge, never pressured, never exalted; This melancholic, touching yet soulful voice never needs to indulge in over-sentimentality for it to fulfill its’ passionate expression-filled interpretation."
Jenůfa
Komische Oper, Berlin
Opera Magazine
March 2004
“…..Sinéad Mulhern’s radiant but tormented Jenufa…… …. Jenufa’s scene immediately after the abduction profited not solely from the technical mastery and beauty of Mulhern’s singing, nor from her intense acting. Rather these were doubly effective because they fed off the high human drama that had preceded them.”
Jenůfa
Komische Oper, Berlin
The Financial Times
24 November, 2003
”…..has precisely the combination of innocence and depth that the title role demands, and a voice capable of representing Jenufa's huge emotional journey without ever losing its purity of tone.”
Jenůfa
Komische Oper, Berlin
Tagesspiegel
18 November, 2003
"… the Jenufa, Sinéad Mulhern, is of course the only singer from whom one feels her longing. After a hesitant beginning, the Irish soprano acquires more and more colours to her gracious soprano and consequently, is capable of showing the maturity that the heroine gains through the piece."