Annabel Kennedy is a 26-year-old Mezzo-Soprano from Devon. She is part of the Royal College of Music’s International Opera Studio as a Siow-Furniss Scholar supported by the Sir Gordon Palmer Scholarship. In addition, Annabel is grateful to be supported by the Josephine Baker Trust, The Drake Calleja Trust, The Munster Trust Award and the Sybil Tutton Opera Awards. Annabel is continuing her studies under the tutelage of Amanda Roocroft and Caroline Dowdle. 

Annabel is a Britten Pears Young Artist (2022-23), a Samling Artist and a Jerwood Young Artist for Glyndebourne Festival Opera 2023.

As part of the RCMIOS, Annabel has performed ‘2nd Lady’ in Mozart’s ‘Die Zauberflöte’, ‘Hänsel’ in Humperdinck’s ‘Hänsel und Gretel’ and ‘Minskwoman’ in Jonathan Dove’s ‘Flight’, ‘Public Opinion’ in Offenbach’s ‘Orpheus in the Underworld’ and ‘L’enfant’ in Ravel’s ‘L’enfant et les sortilèges’.

Annabel has previously performed as a Garsington Young Artist in the chorus and cover of ‘Noble Orphan 2’ for their production of Strauss’ ‘Der Rosenkavalier’. She had her first ever principal role debut as Flora in Verdi’s ‘La traviata’ for Nevill Holt Opera, as well as performing in the chorus for their production of Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’. 

Annabel made her solo debut at Cadogan Hall performing a ‘Suite of Lieder’ composed by Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha with the London Chamber Orchestra, under Christopher Warren-Green. More recently, Annabel performed Mahler’s ‘Rückert-Lieder’ with the RCM Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Martyn Brabbins and made her debut at Wigmore Hall singing the role of Euterpe in Handel’s ‘Parnasso in festa’ as part of the London Handel Festival.

Since beginning her studies, she has had many opportunities, including premiering solo pieces of Karl Rankl’s music at the Austrian Cultural Forum, singing in the chorus of Stravinsky’s ‘Les Noces’ at the Royal Festival Hall with the LPO under Vasily Petrenko and the chorus for Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder at RFH and Paris’ St. Denis Basilica with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Esa-Pekka Salonen. She has performed in the chorus of the RCMIOS production of Mozart’s ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’, directed by Sir Thomas Allen and a semi-staged performance of Mahler’s ‘Des Knaben Wunderhorn’ directed by Roger Vignoles. Annabel has been the alto soloist for Bach Cantatas in the ‘London Handel Festival’ at The Charterhouse and for Mozart’s ‘Coronation Mass’ with the Croydon Philharmonic Chorus. She has also had the pleasure of performing in masterclasses with Sir Thomas Allen, Kathryn Harries, Dennis O’Neill CBE, Dame Ann Murray and Dame Sarah Connolly. 
Her recent awards include First Prize for the Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition Vocal Section, First Prize in the Brooks van Der Pump English Song Competition, First Prize (Molly Townson Award) in the inaugural Ashburnham English Song Awards, First Prize in the Lies Askonas Competition, Audience Prize at the Somerset Song Prize, Second Prize in the Hurn Court Opera Singer of the Year Competition, First Prize in the RCM ConcertoCompetition, Second Prize in the ‘Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards’ Competition at Wigmore Hall, First Prize for the ‘AESS Dame Patricia Routledge English Song Competition’ and First Prize for the ‘AESS Courtney Kenny Award’ English Song Competition.