‘As R, baritone Owen Gilhooly, making his Royal Opera debut, looks the part and sounds it as well; his voice has all the requisite heft’
— Seen and Heard International
 
 

Irish baritone Owen Gilhooly-Miles is a graduate of the Royal College of Music, National Opera Studio and the Verbier Festival Academy. He made his Royal Opera House debut singing Fauré Requiem for the Royal Ballet and in 2007 represented Ireland at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World.

Owen is a Professor of Singing at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin, where he was recently elected to the Board of Governors.

2023/24 highlights include the Irish Premiere of Jake Heggie’s Song Cycles for Baritone ‘Thoughts Unspoken’ and ‘The Moon is a Mirror’, PJ Shine in The Ballybruff Trilogy a new commission by Luke Byrne & Shirley Keane for Opera Workshop, Fauré Requiem at Ballintubber Abbey & Carmina Burana with Limerick Choral Union.

2022/23 included the world Premiere of Morrígan at Cork Opera House, Johann Werther for Lyric Opera, Leuthold Guillaume Tell and Johann Werther for Irish National Opera, Scarpia (Cover) Tosca for Opera North, Schubert’s Schwanengesang for Irish Songmakers, Brahms: Requiem Limerick Choral Union and Liedtreffen - Song Meeting with Irish Songmakers at the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival..

His operatic performances include Robert in the world premiere of Luke Bedford’s Through His Teeth (Royal Opera House, Covent Garden); Papageno Die ZauberflöteGuglielmo Così fan tutteEscamillo Carmen, Figaro The Barber of SevilleDandini La CenerentolaMarcello La bohèmeFather Hansel and Gretel, and Don Fernando Fidelio (all for Opera Theatre Company); Emilio Il Cappello Di Paglia di FirenzeKing Louis XVI The Ghosts of VersaillesLord Salt The Golden TicketElder Ott SusannahTooley The Mines of Sulphur, and Bob The Old Maid and the Thief (all for Wexford Festival Opera); Ivan in Rimsky Korsakov’s Kaschey the Immortal and Bailiff in Sibelius’ The Maiden in the Tower (Buxton International Festival); the title role Don Chisciotte in Sierra Morena for Musikwerkstatt Wien; Malatesta Don Pasquale(English Touring Opera); Albert Werther (Les Azuriales); Eckbert Blond Eckbert and The General Seven Angels (The Opera Group); Capellio I Capuletti e I Montecchi (Grange Park Opera); Dr Falke Die Fledermaus, Schaunard La bohème (Scottish Opera); Count Almaviva Le nozze di Figaro and Figaro The Barber of Seville (Lismore Music Festival); Valentin Faust (Everyman Theatre, Cork); and Mandarin Turandot and Valentin Faust (Opera Ireland).

 

In concert, Owen has performed extensively with both national and international orchestras. With the BBC Symphony Orchestra performances include Berlioz L’enfance du ChristThe Bridegroom in Judith Weir’s The Vanishing Bridegroom and at the BBC Proms Bill Bobstay HMS Pinafore and Konečký Osud. Other appearances include Fauré Requiem (Ulster Orchestra and The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden); Mozart Requiem (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra); Carmina Burana(Royal Liverpool Philharmonic); Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony (Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonia Orchestra) Mahler Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (London Philharmonic Orchestra; Mendelssohn St Paul (RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra); Haydn Harmoniemesse (Irish Chamber Orchestra); Handel Messiah (Irish Baroque Orchestra); and Verdi Requiem (Cork International Choral Festival).

Notable recordings include The Vanishing Bridegroom with the BBC Symphony Orchestra (NMC Recordings); The Aspern Papers with the Ulster Orchestra (Lyriata); James Joyce’s Musical Dublin with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra (RTÉ lyric fm); and Sunlight and Shadow with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra (RTÉ lyric fm).

 

Steven Swales Artist Management represents Owen Gilhooly-Miles worldwide