Biography
Opera Singer, Lylis O’Hara, was born in Cardiff and raised in the idyllic isle of Jersey. Named after the Celtic lily, she remains proud of her Welsh heritage whilst thinking of the Channel Islands as home. Now based in London, Lylis is studying at the internationally acclaimed Royal College of Music as the resident lyric soprano in its Opera Studio. She is the present Stephen Catto Memorial Scholar supported by the Basil Coleman Opera Award, for her Artist Diploma. In September of this year, Lylis was named as Music in Action’s Young Artist for 2022-23.
Lylis began her musical education at Chetham’s School of Music, the United Kingdom’s leading specialist music school. She was invited to join Chetham’s when her potential was spotted at Beaulieu Convent School’s production of the Sound of Music by Rodgers and Hammerstein, at age 16.
From there Lylis attended the UK’s oldest conservatoire, The Royal Academy of Music. In 2019 she graduated as a Bachelor of Music with first class honours. As an undergraduate, she was a recipient of the John Lobb Trust Award and the Olive Brown Bursary. Lylis continued to study at The Royal Academy for her Master of Arts in Performance in which she obtained a distinction. During her studies at The Royal Academy of Music, Lylis was a member of the prestigious Academy Song Circle and the Academy Voices. In 2020 she was recipient of The Douglas Samuel and Birdie Matthew’s Award and The Eldee Scholarship award.
Highlights of Lylis’ career include performances with Diva Opera at the Domaine des Vaux Jersey opera festival, in addition to ‘Diana’ from Orpheus in the Underworld by Jacques Offenbach directed by Louise Barker, ‘Tina’ from Jonathan Dove’s Flight directed by Jeremy Sams, ‘Mutter’ from Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck directed by Stephen Barlow and ‘First lady’ from Die Zauberflote by W.A. Mozart directed by Polly Graham at The Britten Theatre with the Royal College of Music Opera Studio. In 2019 Lylis became a member of British Youth Opera, the UK’s leading training opera company. She has additionally participated in masterclasses with Angela Gheorghiu, Ann Murray DBE, Lucy Crowe and Susan Bullock. Lylis has had countless performance opportunities across a diverse range of vocal genres and settings during her studies, which include being coached in song repertoire by Joseph Middleton, James Baillieu, Richard Stokes and Christian Gerhaher, and working under the batons of Esa-Pekka Salonen, Semyon Bychkov, Sir Mark Elder and Jaq Van Steen. She recently performed ‘Four Shakespeare Songs’ by Cecilia McDowall with The Jersey Chamber Orchestra conducted by Eamonn Dougan. This Spring Lylis returns to the Britten Theatre stage as ‘Sleeping Beauty’ from Ottorino Resighi’s La bella dormente nel bosco conducted by Michael Rosewell.
