Biography
Irish soprano, Carol-Ann McKenna has been a wedding singer for the past 15 years, working consistently throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom. In January 2012, she relocated to Australia and works at wedding ceremonies in Tasmania and Melbourne.
She holds a BA (Hons) in Music Industry Management & Live Production from Buckinghamshire New University, and worked for several years in arts administration. Specifically, project management of national music education programmes.
She has performed at literally hundreds of wedding ceremonies: Catholic and non, church and registry office. She sings in small local churches and cathedrals alike, including such beautiful locations as Cork's Honan Chapel, Cobh Cathedral, Kinnitty Castle, and Ballintubber Abbey.
Carol-Ann began her training at the Abbey School of Music in Dublin. Studies continued at the Cork School of Music, under the tuition of Helen Hassett and Robert Craig. While living in Cork, Carol-Ann won a Young Artist's Training Scholarship with Opera 2005, and went on to work with the company in the role of Executive Assistant.
After singing in Opera 2005's production of Dido and Aeneas in 2004, Carol-Ann went on to perform in Figaro's Wedding, which was nominated for an Irish National Theatre Award. This was followed by a run of Bizet's Carmen at Cork Opera House. With Co-Opera Ireland, she had the great pleasure of touring France in 2005 with an exciting production of Madame Butterfly.
For four years, Carol-Ann worked in the Irish female chamber choir Seraphim. Seraphim performed, amongst other works, the commissioned C.S.L. Parker's Songs for Seraphim and Songs for Sonya, as well as Britten's Ceremony of Carols. With Cork Opera Works, she has performed in Madam T at the Everyman Palace, and Judith and Holofernes at St. Finbarre's Cathedral.
She was an active member of the Choral Society of University College Cork, travelling to several choral festivals in Spain and Italy. She has also performed with the Irish Youth Choir in the National Concert Hall and City Hall Cork. While living in London, Carol-Ann sang with the London Philharmonic Choir.
In Dublin, Carol-Ann performed regularly as a member of the Dublin Bach Singers. In November 2010, she performed as backing vocalist for Catatonia's Cerys Matthews in Dublin's National Concert Hall.