Born in Dublin, mezzo-soprano Gemma Ní Bhriain graduated in June 2014
with a BA in Music Performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music where she studied with Dr. Veronica Dunne.
During her 2019/2020 season Gemma made her role debut of Enrichetta di Francia in I Puritani at Opéra Bastille, followed by her mainstage debut at Opéra Garnier singing the role of Le Pâtre and La Chouette in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges.
During the 2018/19 season, Gemma made her company and role debut singing Niklausse (Les Contes d’Hoffmann - Offenbach) with Irish National Opera. She also made her solo recital debut at Opéra Bastille in January 2019. She returned to Opernhaus Zürich to perform Alisa (Lucia di Lammermoor) and Une Pretresse de Diane/Une Matelote/Une Chasseresse in a new production of Rameau’s ‘Hippolyte et Aricie’.
Gemma also made her debut at Radio France and Théâtre de Champs-Elysées, Paris.
In September 2016, Gemma joined the International Opera Studio of Opernhaus Zürich. During her two seasons as a member of the studio she performed many roles including Cléone (Médée - Charpentier), Le Pâtre, La Chatte and L’écureuil (l’Enfant et les Sortilèges – Ravel), Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte - Mozart), Valletto (L’incornazione di Poppea - Monteverdi) and Ramiro (La Finta Giardiniera - Mozart) to name just a few.
From September 2014 until July 2016, Gemma was a member of the Atelier Lyrique Opera Studio at Opéra National de Paris. During her two seasons in Paris she debuted in five roles, including two world premieres; Dorabella (Così fan tutte – Mozart); Diane (Iphigénie en Tauride – Gluck); Proserpina (Orfeo – Monteverdi); Etienne (Maudits les Innocents - Urquiza, Lembke, Rotella, Alvarado) and Le Garçon (Vol Retour /The Way Back Home – Joanna Lee). She also made her main stage solo debut at Opéra Bastille singing the role of Alisa in Lucia Di Lammermoor (Donizetti).
Previous roles include: Mercedes in Bizet’s Carmen in the National Concert Hall with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra conducted by John Wilson; Jenny's Girl (The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny) with OTC and Rough Magic; Fox (The Cunning Little Vixen) with RIAM; Florence Pike (Albert Herring) with RIAM, and Sally (A Hand of Bridge) in RIAM's Opera Briefs series.
Gemma has performed with various orchestras at home and abroad including; L'Orchestre de l'Opéra de Paris, Le Cercle d’Harmonie, Orchestra La Scintilla, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, Orchestre de Pau Pays de Béarn and Orchestre Victor Hugo Franche-Comté.
In January 2013 Gemma was awarded 4th place and also the Dermot Troy Award for Best Irish Singer and the Dame Joan Sutherland Award for Most Promising Young Singer in the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition. In the final she sang with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Patrik Ringborg. In the same year she also took part in the world renowned Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in Amsterdam, where she was awarded the Wil Keune Prize for a Young Singer of Real Potential
Gemma is a grateful recipient of the South Dublin County Council Individual Artists Bursary Award 2016.
