Jessica O'Donoghue
A misfit from the opera world. Debut EP 'EMERGE' out now. "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 - 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 un
Well, I think it’s time for an end-of-year wrap-up, and geez, it’s been quite the year!!! 🌟
Starting off with the Australian Premier of ‘Antarctica’ for Sydney Festival with Sydney Chamber Opera, to the World Premiere of Andree Greenwell and Christine Evans’ ‘Three Marys’ at the Sydney Opera House, and the creative development of Paul Stanhope’s new opera ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ - it’s been a whirlwind of excitement and creativity. 🎭
Some exciting things happened at The Song Company as well! I was appointed Co-Artistic Director alongside my awesome colleague Amy Moore, and we completed a really red hot season. This included ‘Songs under the Southern Cross’ directed by Amy, ‘Songs of Rosa Mystica’ directed by Jack Symonds, ‘Songs from a Strange Land’ directed by Chris Watson, and I directed a fabulous collaboration with Australian Chamber Orchestra for their ‘Total Immersion’ festival. 🎶
My album ‘Rise Up’ was a finalist for ‘Album of the Year - Experimental’ in The Progspace Awards and arrived freshly printed on vinyl! Plus, I released my new single ‘Lullay my Heart’ with Art As Catharsis. 🎤
On the composing front, I embarked on my Masters in Composition at the Con under the incredible Liza Lim and Paul Stanhope. I had my choral piece recorded by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. I also premiered my Art Song Cycle at the Festival of Art Song and my choral works were premiered by The House That Dan Built in the Town Hall as part of the 100 Women Project. 🎼
With some other gigs spattered in there and my first conference presentation at the Musicological Society of Australia in Adelaide, you could say that it’s been quite a huge year! Massively grateful to you all for your love and support, especially my amazing family who are sticking by me through all of this! I know 2023 has been a huge one for everybody, so I wish everyone a very relaxing and restful break to recharge ahead of another powerhouse year!!! 💕
Photographs by Oliver Miller Keith Saunders .gomez
20/12/2023
01/12/2023
I’m pretty happy with this! Huge thanks to all for listening. Please keep up your support for Indie artists, it’s a tough gig out there ❤️🎉🙏
23/11/2023
Very proud and excited about this program dreamed up with Co-Artistic Director Amy Moore - Soprano in collaboration with our amazing guest directors 🎉🎉🎉
The Song Company – Australia's national vocal ensemble The Song Company is Australia’s leading professional vocal ensemble. Led by world-leading creative artists, the company has a proud tradition of fostering the careers of the nation’s most exciting vocal performers. Since its beginnings in 1984, it has captivated Australian and international audi...
29/10/2023
Heading to a round table discussion today on the future of opera and just brushing up on the reality of where we are currently. I’m going to leave this here. Honestly, it’s shocking and time for radical change in this sector. Only part of the many issues this industry is grappling with.
95% male conductors, 70% ageing classics and zero appetite for risk: what’s wrong with elite Australian opera Our new research has tracked the gender of artists working at Australian opera companies and found evidence of pervasive gender inequality.
24/10/2023
And we’re launched! Beyond excited for this killer season curated by myself and co-artistic director Amy Moore - Soprano in collaboration with with a host of fabulous guest directors we have lined up for 2024.
Yearly subscriptions are back, you won’t want to miss any of these stellar programs!
Susannah Lawergren - soprano Andrew O'Connor Louis Hurley Hayden Barrington The Song Company
23/10/2023
So stoked to be a part of this new and seriously exciting opera as part of Opera Australia 2024 season. An absolutely killer team for this inaugural collaboration between my spirit company Sydney Chamber Opera and OA. Not to be missed!
Gilgamesh at Carriageworks tickets | Opera Australia The world’s oldest poem meets opera’s most cutting-edge artists in this spectacular new work, directed by Kip Williams.
21/10/2023
Full house for our The Song Company show tonight at St David’s Cathedral in Hobart. Huge thanks to Tasmanian Chamber Music Festival for having us. Beautiful pic by Christopher Waterhouse.
15/10/2023
A pleasure and an honour to chat to Radionotes - the podcast with John Murch all things music, life and family. Check it out below! 🙏🙏🙏
Jessica O'Donoghue - radionotes podcast Award winning performer and composer Jessica O'Donoghue speaks with radionotes about her album Rise Up which features her post-Baroque Dramatic Pop style. As well being the daughter of The Aunty Jack Show's Rory O'Donoghue.
13/10/2023
Yes!
10/10/2023
Tune in to hear Amy Johanne Moore and me chatting all things The Song Company with the glorious Diana Simmonds and Suzi Whitehead on Eastside Radio 89.7FM
09/10/2023
Tune in to hear Amy Moore - Soprano and me chatting all things The Song Company with the glorious Diana Simmonds and Suzi Whitehead on Eastside Radio 89.7FM
Very excited about this! Check it out and get involved if this is for you!
27/09/2023
Last night in the Verbrugghen Hall recording my new choral composition with the glorious Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. With pre-recorded track and electronics, it’s not your normal choral piece! Fun times!
25/09/2023
Thanks to all the legends who pre-ordered my vinyl. Shipping soon! If you haven’t got yours yet, they’re here and they’re gorgeous! Head over to Bandcamp to grab yourself one! Link in comments 🙏🎉❤️
Jessica O'Donoghue's Rise Up LPs have just landed in our offices! Grab a copy over on Bandcamp. Pre-sales will ship shortly.
24/09/2023
I’m performing one of my brand new compositions next week at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney as part of the ‘Festival of Art Song’! Wed 27th September in West Recital Hall at 10am. Would love to see you there. Other amazing works being performed by Oliver Cameron, Aija Draguns, Hao Zhen and Anna Hueneke.
15/09/2023
A day in the office with my awesome Co-Artistic Director Amy Moore - Soprano planning some seriously exciting things for The Song Company next year!
09/09/2023
Wanna come along to our last show for 2023 for free? This is going to be a beautiful and timely concert, hope to see you there!
Songs From A Strange Land – Win a double pass to a performance of your choice Enter to win your tickets! The Song Company biggest tour of the year, visiting Wollongong, Sydney, Newcastle, Hobart, Melbourne and online. Here is a chance to enter our giveaway of a double pass to a performance of your choice. Submit your entry today!
Whoop! So exciting! Get amongst it peeps and thank you all for your ongoing love and support 🙏❤️🙏❤️
Dunk!records
Art As Catharsis
Daniel Boud
01/09/2023
Something fun is coming!!! 🎉🎉🎉
Other labels & independent artists Dunk!records is offering post-rock, post-metal and related genres on vinyl since 2011 with a strong focus on audio quality as well as the visual aspect of a vinyl release. To ensure a perfect match between those two, we started pressing our vinyl in-house in 2018. We're upgrading our equipment and w...
30/08/2023
This is so great test to hear! As an advocate for new music, especially new opera, I am so blessed to be able to premier so many amazing new works, often with the amazing Sydney Chamber Opera. But they are very rarely ever staged or seen again. Biographica by Mary and Tom is a fabulous work that definitely deserves more stagings. Get along to Lyric Opera of Melbourne to see this fabulous opera. Let’s keep getting these new works repeated people and embedded into the standard repertoire!!!!
02/08/2023
Exciting news!
The Song Company
The Song Company announces dual artistic directorship Singers Jessica O’Donoghue and Amy Moore to serve as Co-Artistic Directors for the 2024 season, the company's 40th.
28/07/2023
So stoked to continue being an Ambassador for Listen Up Music, a wonderful charity organisiation focused on mental health awareness and su***de prevention, harnessing music and it’s ability to share stories, process life experiences and create community through deep and meaningful artistic connection. Thanks to and the team for all the amazing work that you do and I can’t wait to be a part of it all again this year.
25/07/2023
Huge day today with more new opera workshopping (a very exciting project, stay tuned for more deets!) and a pre-record sesh with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for a new piece I’m currently writing for them. Can’t wait to share more on this too! So grateful for the incredible people/artists I get to work with, my heart is so full!!! ❤️🎉❤️🎉
Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney
Sydney Chamber Opera
OMG - finally listening to the test pressing of the vinyl for Rise Up!!! Have you pre-ordered yours? Link in comments 👏🙌🎉
Art As Catharsis
Dunk!records
09/07/2023
Thank you all for reaching out after my last post with love and concern. I am totally fine! I’ve had a hectic start to the year and I really was deeply exhausted (and got pretty sick), but have bounced back as always and am incredibly grateful for the amazing opportunities I’ve had (and am having) this year. Nothing that a GF doughnut and a cuppa (and some self care/therapy/sleep) can’t fix 😉😆❤️🙏
04/07/2023
Crashed and burned after an enormous 6 months so have been off the radar for the last coupes of weeks. Dragging myself back out and shifting gears into composing mode. Head back down and watch this space peeps!
23/06/2023
‘Lullay My Heart’ still 🔥🔥🔥 peeps!!! Have you listened yet?
Huge thanks to the legends at The Progspace for the love and support 🙏❤️🙌
Art As Catharsis
Madds O'Donoghue
Inner West Voices
🔥🔥 WHAT'S HOT?! UPDATE 🔥🔥
https://theprogspace.com/wh-playlist
Our newest What’s Hot?! Playlist is up and running, ready to cover your proggy listening needs over the weekend - Dive in, have fun!
RING VAN MÖBIUS , Seyr , Dream the Electric Sleep , MOLYBARON , The Zenith Passage , Rivers of Nihil , Blackbriar , Frayle , Bernth , HAKEN , Sun God Motel , Theraphosa , Silversoul , Les Fantômes du Jour , Sammary feat. Adam Holzmann , Horrendous , Blut Aus Nord Blut Aus Nord , Werewolves , Sifting , Spirit Adrift , At the Grove , Hessdalen Light , Black 7 , Maxi Curnow , IKONIK , Seeing Things , Comaniac , Stu Brooks feat. Poppy & Danny Elfman , Voivod , Rick Wakeman
Still hot: The Hirsch Effekt , Jessica O'Donoghue , Thomas Cucé feat. Adam Janzi Thomas Cucé , Adam Janzi , Archaeologist , Stream of Passion , Humanity's Last Breath , Arch Echo feat. Anthony Vincent & Adrián Terrazas-González , Below Carbon , BEAR , Unquiet Music Ltd
Compilation by Dario & Colin
Chart by Colin
16/06/2023
Huge thanks to Dario Albrecht and the team at The Progspace for the love on my new single ‘Lullay My Heart’. Always such amazing curation, stoked to be amongst this line up of artists this week 🙏🙏🙏
Art As Catharsis
Madds O'Donoghue
Inner West Voices
🔥🔥 WHAT'S HOT?! UPDATE 🔥🔥
https://theprogspace.com/wh-playlist
Already up since last night: our newest update of the What's Hot?! Playlist on Spotify with all the brand new singles from the prog world! Check it out!
The Hirsch Effekt , Jessica O'Donoghue , Thomas Cucé feat. Adam Janzi , Archaeologist , Stream of Passion , Humanity's Last Breath , Arch Echo feat. Anthony Vincent & Adrián Terrazas-González , Below Carbon , BEAR , Unquiet Music Ltd , Seth Angerer , Cthulhu Dreamt , Bernth , Samtar , Peter Gabriel , The Circle , Fen , UADA , King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard , VAREGO , Melted Bodies , Marco Ragni , Jonsjooel , STORM , Nita Strauss feat. Dorothy , Zac Tiessen & Quintessence Ensemble , IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT , Silent Skies , Rolo Tomassi , Epica
Still hot: Lucidreaming , OBESITY , Hemina , Anima Tempo , Dream the Electric Sleep , DAATH feat. Periphery , Levy feat. Jacob Umansky, REZN feat. Vinnum Sabbathi , Melt Motif feat. Processor, Sleep Dealer , The Old Dead Tree , KEN mode , Sylosis , The Gorge , Damnation Plan
Compilation by Dario & Colin
Chart by Colin
14/06/2023
A wonderful review of my new single ‘Lullay My Heart’. Huge thanks to Happy Mag for this really stunning and thoughtful piece 🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️
Inner West Voices
Madds O'Donoghue
Jessica O’Donoghue releases ghostly new single Lullay My Heart Jessica O'Donoghue's "Lullay My Heart," an ethereal composition that serves as an ode to the late Rory O'Donoghue.
Huge thanks to Gig Life Pro for featuring me as their member spotlight. They gave a fantastic interview, I really enjoyed answering their questions and delving deep into all facets of my music life. Go and have a read!!! 🙏🙏🙏🎉🎉🎉
13/06/2023
🙏🎉🙏🎉
Symonds and The Song Company - simply mind blowing - classikON The Song Company | Songs of Rosa Mystica Friday June 9, 2023, The Neilson, ACO Pier 2/3 Is it possible to grow more intelligent by simply attending a concert? Can music stimulate the synapses and promote neuron connectivity? I certainly felt that way on leaving The Neilson last night. The…
11/06/2023
Hey y’all, so stoked to be included on this list of tunes!!! Tune in and text in to vote for ‘Lullay My Heart’ 🙏❤️🙏❤️
Pulse 89.9FM Radio
Art As Catharsis
Madds O'Donoghue
Inner West Voices
Coming up on Thursday evening 7pm-10pm another amazing listing of Australian artists, who, for the biggest part, are as yet 'undiscovered' but truly deserve far more recognition across Australia and the rest of this flat earth. As always, the listener vote is important, so please join in, ONLY while the show is on air, by texting 0434 440 553 with the artist name/ song title. Don't forget, to SPREAD THE WORD GETS THE MUSIC HEARD, so please feel free to share this post as far as you can, sharing costs nothing but makes a big difference.
Kevin Borich feat Joe Camilleri (Black Sorrows ) - Don't Cry
Saralyn - Little River Girl
Border Rangers - Loneliness
Lara Nakhle Music - New Day
Bailey Perrie Music - Maybe I'd Be
Jun Parker Music - All Because of The moon
Ramona Sky - Say
The SunBears - Loaded Gun
Indigo Parade - New Normal
Kurilpa Reach - Chicken Rendang
Brendan McMahon Music - It's Good To Be Alive
Jessica O'Donoghue - Lullay My Heart
Jo Caseley Music - Special
Dallas Atkins Music - R U READY
Markus T - Adagio
George Arnare - Reverie
Bohemian Rogue - Coastal Groove
Kaiwyn - The Cut After The First
Georgia Renée - Two Hearts Alive
Angie - That Something
DiViNiUM - Pressure
Sarah Stockholm - Outspoken (From the release TRACE OF HUMANITY)
Amanda Brown - The Unguarded Moment (From the release EIGHT GUITARS)
Chris McKenzie Music (Christo Mac) - Mr Putin
ƵOE - Sun
Sadie Mustoe - I'll Be Alright
The Elsewheres - Run Away With Me
LANES - Green
Sines - Better Left Behind
The Pacific Nationals - Around Here
This is a listing you don't want to miss if you love your Aussie music, tune in, hear something new, and support all these amazing artists. I look forward to your company on Thursday, have a good week, Dave
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