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.
Over the past number of years Gemma has performed various roles in some of the world’s leading opera houses including; Enrichetta di Francia (I Puritani) at Opéra Bastille, Le Pâtre and La Chouette (L’Enfant et les Sortilèges) at Opéra Garnier, Alisa (Lucia di Lammermoor) and Une Pretresse de Diane/Une Matelote/UneChasseresse (Hippolyte et Aricie) at Opernhaus Zürich. She also made her concert debuts at Théâtre de Champs-Elysées, Radio France and solo recital debut at Amphitéâtre Bastille, Opéra National de Paris.
In 2018 Gemma made her company and role debut with Irish National Opera singing the role of Niklausse in Offenbach’s ‘The Tales of Hoffmann’. Since then she has collaborated with INO on a number of online projects, including the Irish language opera ‘GLOACH’ as part of their 20 Shots of Opera Series.
In 2022 Gemma will feature in two more operas produced by Irish National Opera. She sings the role of Mother in Elaine Agnew’s
‘Paper Boat’ and will also sing the role of Anna in Donizetti’s ‘Maria Stuarda’.
Last September Gemma performed for the first time with Blackwater Valley Opera Festival. She performed the role of La Ciesca in ‘Gianni Schicchi’ and also recorded the role of Maid Marion in Ina Boyle’s ‘The Maudlin of Papplewick’.
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 Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte - Mozart), Valletto (L’incornazione diPoppea - 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; Jenny's Girl (The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny) with OTC and Rough Magic; Fox (The Cunning Little Vixen) and Florence Pike (Albert Herring) with Royal Irish Academy of Music.
Gemma has performed with various orchestras at home and abroad including; L'Orchestre de l'Opéra deParis, Le Cercle d’Harmonie, Orchestra La Scintilla, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, Orchestre dePau 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 RTÉNational 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 YoungSinger of Real Potential.
Gemma also has a great love of chamber music. She is a founding member of the chamber ensemble Trio Cantare, with pianist Cahal Masterson and cellist Yseult Cooper-Stockdale.
Their inaugural recital performance opened the Drogheda Classical Music’s Autumn/Winter concert series last October and was met with high acclaim. It has since been broadcast twice on RTÉ Lyric FM.
Gemma is a grateful recipient of the Agility Award 2023 from the Arts Council of Ireland.
