Josephine Lonergan

Australian Soprano, Josephine Lonergan, is a versatile singer and actress who performs repertoire across the classical crossover, musical theatre and operatic genres.

 

Josephine  performed the roles of Madam Firmin/Carlotta (cover) in Opera Australia and Cameron Mackintosh’s recent Australian Tour of The Phantom of the Opera.  The tour broke box office records at the Sydney Opera House and Arts Centre Melbourne. Josephine was also cast in a completely new version of The Phantom of the Opera staged on Sydney Harbour in 2022, produced by Opera Australia. This re-imagined version received international acclaim. She has performed as a soloist with the company of The Phantom of the Opera on TV Channel Nine for Vision Australia’s Carols by Candlelight at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, as well as in many operas, and opera excerpts, including performing the role of Queen of the Night in the Magic Flute for National Opera in 2021, under the direction of international baritone Peter Coleman-Wright.

 

Josephine has performed throughout Australasia as ‘Guest Soprano’ on board Princess Cruises, flying on and off to join Princess casts as a featured Guest Entertainer in their classical crossover production shows ‘Encore!’ and ‘Bravo’, and performing her solo show ‘Soprano on Stage: from Broadway to the Opera’ with 7-piece band. In this show, Josephine presents a selection of popular Broadway songs loved by music theatre fans, which appeals to audiences across age groups - spanning from the Golden Age of Music theatre, right through to musicals such as Wicked, Cats and some of the longest running musicals on Broadway and the West End – The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. This show, and her shows ‘Classical Diva’ and ‘Bella Italia’ are available for performances on both land and sea. 

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Her show ‘Classical Diva’ showcases some of the most popular and enduring melodies from the classical crossover and operatic genres, for example: ‘The Prayer’, ‘You Raise me Up’, and famous arias such as ‘Habanera’ from Carmen, ‘Sempre libera’ and ‘O mio babbino caro’. These are some of the most recognisable classical melodies in both opera and popular culture – many songs in the show are featured in movie soundtracks such as The Godfather and Room with a View, and were made popular by artists such as Sarah Brightman, Kiri Te Kanawa, Andrea Bocelli and Luciano Pavarotti. Many of these songs will be recognisable to those who are new to classical music -  and for those who are already classical fans, the show includes some of the most beloved melodies for soprano voice. Included in the show are several virtuosic coloratura operatic arias such as Queen of the Night & Sempre libera, which contain some of the most demanding passages and thrilling high notes in the operatic repertoire from specialty roles which leave audiences astounded.

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In concert Josephine has appeared as a soloist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra under the auspices of the ACO Emerging Artist Programme, directed by Richard Tognetti.  In her younger years, Josephine regularly performed around Canberra venues in a funk, jazz and blues band in a chest belt style. Josephine trained in opera and classical voice at the Royal Northern College of Music and Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the Canberra School of Music. 

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