Bernadette Cullen


Bernadette Eileen Cullen is an Australian dramatic mezzo-soprano who has encomposed all the great leading operatic mezzo roles and concert repertoire in Australia and throughout Europe and Asia.

Early years

Born in Brisbane, the daughter of John Francis Cullen and Maria Sarah Maccheroni, she was educated at All Hallows High School in Brisbane, Queensland. She attended Kindergarten Teachers College in Sydney, New South Wales where she received a Diploma in Kindergarten Teaching. She worked as a Kindergarten teacher in Brisbane and Sydney before entering what was then called the N.S.W. Conservatorium of Music to undertake a Diploma of Operatic Art graduating in 1978. This degree was recognised by Sydney University in 2011. Her singing teachers at the Conservatorium were Helen McKinnon and Valerie Collins-Varga.

Operatic career

She joined The Australian Opera's Schools Programme as a principal artist in 1979 touring N.S.W. schools performing in Sid the Serpent. She then joined the OA chorus for a brief period in 1980. At that time her vocal coach was the American, Ernest St John Metz. During a coaching at the Sydney Opera House, Richard Bonynge, the then Musical Director of OA, walked into the rehearsal room. On hearing her he made her a full-time principal artist of OA – a position she held until 1990 when she decided to move to London. During the ten years she was on contract at OA she continued to study with Jack Metz in Australia and Los Angeles whilst performing all the major mezzo roles throughout Australia for the company. She became an important asset to the company's growing ensemble of singers. Her principal role debut was Cherubino in 1981 with Yvonne Kenny. Her early roles included: Dorabella, Maffio Orsini with Dame Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall in 1982, Madrigal Singer, Stephano, Lady Saphir, 2nd Lady, Antigone, Javotte, The Muse/Nicklausse with Dame Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge, Secretary as well as understudying a number of important roles like Octavian and Adalgisa. In 1986 her career began to escalate after her portrayal of the title role of Angelina in Rossini's La Cenerentola. That same year she was chosen by Dame Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge to appear with them in concert in Perth. She is one of only a handful singers who has had that privilege. Repeating the role of Angelina in 1987 the Weekend Australia declared "A Star is Born" after the opening night. From then until the end of 1990 she sang a number of leading roles for the company including; Rosina, Giulietta, Brangane, Charlotte.
During these years, she also performed: Dorabella for Hong Kong Festival, Adalgisa with Ghena Dimitrova, Eboli and Amneris all for the Victorian State Opera. In 1990 she moved to London making her UK debut as Isolier for Welsh National Opera conducted by Carlo Rizzi. Other performances include: Donna Elvira with Sir Charles Mackerras for the opening of the Tyl Theatre in Prague in 1991, Leonora for WNO, including a Royal Gala Performance in the presence of the Princess of Wales at the , Zaida in Lille, Brangane for Scottish Opera with Sir Richard Armstrong, Dido for Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Donna Elvira for Lyric Opera of Queensland, Brangane and Mistress Quickly with Simone Young at the Hamburg Staatsoper, Amneris at Berlin Staatsoper, Azucena for the Bayerische Staatsoper with Zubin Mehta. Other OA performances include: Cassandre, Sesto, Donna Elvira, Venus Azucena, Amneris with Simone Young, Ortrud with Sebatian Weigle, Ulrica, Eboli Santuzza with Simone Young, Dalila, Komponist, Herodias with Simone Young and Phillippe Augin. She also performed Brangane and Amneris for WAO, Dalila for the Perth Arts Festival and Brangane for the Brisbane Festival. She was scheduled to sing the role of Fricka in Wagner's Ring Cycle for the Adelaide Festival in 2004 however had to withdrawn due to ill health.

Concert career

Equally at home in concert she has a vast repertoire and performance history including: Fricka for Sydney Symphony with Edo de Waart, Third Maid for OA, Mahler Symphony No. 3 with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic in Sydney in 2009 and for the 2010 Kanazawa Festival Japan, Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with Vladimir Ashkenazy, the SSO and NZ Festival. Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with Charles Dutoit, Mahler's Symphony No. 2 with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Markus Stenz and Oleg Caetani and Aldeburgh Festival with Paul Kildea, Herodias for the Hong Kong Festival with Edo de Waart, Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with Simone Young and the Vienna State Opera, also for Adelaide Festival. Verdi Requiem for Halle Orchestra, Opera Australia, Bergen Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony, WA Symphony, Qld Symphony, at Durham Cathedral, Royal Albert Hall. Wagner's Wesendock Lieder – Qld Symphony, Wagner's Gurrelieder for Perth International Arts festival and MSO. Dream of Gerontius in Stavanger, Belfast, Londonderry and Dublin. Beethoven's 9th Symphony Royal Scottish National Orchestra – Scotland, Janáček's Glagolitic Mass & Brahms Alto Rhapsody – WASO, Rossini Petite Messe Solonelle – SSO, Sir Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio in Liverpool – UK, Bergen – Norway, Bolzano – Italy, Cracow – Poland, Handel's Jeptha for Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Sir Charles Mackerras, Berlioz Les Nuits dÉte for New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's national tour. Other notable concerts include a New Year's Eve Gala concerts with Simone Young in Antwerp and Sydney plus a Bellini Gala at the Sydney Opera House in 2002, Richard Bonynge's 80th Birthday Concert at the City Recital Hall, Sydney in 2010 for the Joan Sutherland Society.
In 2011 she will be the National Adjudicator for the IFAC Australian Singing Competition and judge for the Inaugural Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award. She has also adjudicated the McDonald's Aria as part of the Sydney Eisteddfod and Opera Awards. She has spent her life giving charity concerts for various organisations including: Opera Australia, the Australian Opera Benevolent Fund, Tsunami Relief Fund, Aids Research, the Malcolm Sargent Children's Cancer Foundation, Pacific Opera, The Joan Sutherland Society of the Sydney, the Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Opera Foundation, Deaf and Blind Association, Cancer Council of Australia, Opera & Arts Support Group, Opera Foundation Australia and sponsored a child for World Vision Australia for 10 years. She moved back to Australia in 2005 and is still performing.

Recordings

Verdi Requiem with Simone Young, ABC Classics and Opera Australia, Mahler Symphony No.2 with Markus Stenz and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Mahler Symphony No.8 with Vladimir Ashkenazy and Sydney Symphony Orchestra,The Bohemian Girl by Balfe with Richard Bonynge, Lurline by William Vincent Wallace with Richard Bonynge,Stravinsky's Pulcinella with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, DVD – Amneris in Aida for Opera Australia conducted by Simone Young, DVD – Angelina in La Cenerentola for Opera Australia.

Awards, honours & prizes