Celine Byrne

INTRODUCTION

Irish soprano Celine Byrne is recognized nationally and internationally as one of opera’s great stars. She is widely celebrated for her deep connection to the works of Puccini. She has performed major Puccini heroines on prestigious international and domestic stages, making his romantic, dramatic repertoire a defining cornerstone of her operatic career.

A performer of  ‘fine lyrical quality and a touching actor too’ (Opera Magazine).

RECENT AND FUTURE ENGAGEMENTS

26/27 season sees Celine Byrne perform Tosca at Oper in Steinbruch, Austria, Madama Butterfly with Opera Malta, Liu in Turandot with Irish National Opera, Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes at San Carlo Theater, Napoli, and concerts in Dublin with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Ankara (Turkey) with the Presidential Orchestra, and also in Qatar.

Recently, Celine performed the title role in Madama Butterfly at the Bregenzer Festspiele (2022), Opéra National de Bordeaux (2022), and Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (2024), Die Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier (2023) and Mimi in La bohème (2023) at the Irish National Opera, Mimi in La bohème at the Luzern Theater (2024). She made a role debut as Giorgetta/Il tabarro at Deutsche Oper am Rhein (2026), and she was a cover of Marschallin/Der Rosenkavalier at the Zürich Opera House (2025).

On the concert scene, her recent projects included the concert Video Games in Music with Bamberger Symphoniker in Bamberg and at Concertgebouw Amsterdam, as well as with Noord Nederlands Orkest on tour in Netherlands, concerts with Jose Carreras and Andrea Bocelli around Europe, a USA tour with Barry Douglas and Camerata Ireland (including a Carnegie Hall recital), concerts in the USA with composer and conductor Éimear Noone, and a St. Patrick’s Day concert at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

BIOGRAPHY

Celine made her operatic début in 2010, singing the role of Mimi in La Bohéme. In 2012, she made her Royal Ballet and Opera House debut in the lead role of Dvořák’s Rusalka under Yannick Nézet-Séguin, which she took over at short notice. This was followed by 1. Blumenmädchen in Parsifal, Micaela in Carmen, and most recently Liu in Turandot.

Celine has also recently performed the title role of Madama Butterfly with Irish National Opera to critical acclaim. She also performed the role at Bregenzer Festspiele, and the Opéra National de Bordeaux and Antwerp Opera, Belgium. Other roles include Die Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier and Mimi in La Boheme with Irish National Opera, Mimi in Luzern, Liu in Turandot in Oper In Steinbruch directed by Thaddeus Strassberger, Magda in Puccini’s La Rondine with Minnesota Opera, Floria Tosca at Mikhailovsky Opera, St. Petersburg, Liu (Turandot) and Elizabeth (Don Carlo) in Leipzig and Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf and Madama Butterfly with Staatstheater Kassel, Die Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier in Santiago and Marietta in Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt with RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in the NCH, Dublin, Mimi with Hamburg State Opera and most recently by Gorgetta in Puccini’s Il Tabarro at Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf.

A frequent concert performer, Celine has performed with world-renowned tenors José Carreras, Roberto Alagna and Joseph Calleja and has recently sung with Bryn Terfel accompanied by the Borusan Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Sasha Goetzel). Recent concerts include Richard Strauss’ Vier Letzte Lieder in Dublin with The Irish National Symphony Orchestra, a recording of Verdi’s Requiem with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by André Lenard, a concert with The Sun Valley Summer Symphony in America and a concert at the Bangkok Festival of Music and Dance in Thailand.

Celine received her Master’s in Music from the Royal Irish Academy of Music, receiving the RIAM award for outstanding achievement. In addition, she has an honours Music Degree from the Conservatory of Music and Drama, Dublin, where she was awarded the college Gold Medal for excellence. She also received coaching at the National Opera Studio of London and studied with Christa Ludwig at the Vienna Staatsoper. Celine was awarded many prizes in competitions, including the prestigious Maria Callas Grand Prix in Athens Prize where she won First Prize and Gold Medal at Other awards include the Margaret Burke-Sheridan Gold Medal, the William Young Prize at the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition, Dublin, and First Prize at the IVC International Singing Competition in s’Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.