Simon O'Neill

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Simon O'Neill (born 1971) is a New Zealand-born operatic tenor.

O'Neill was born in Ashburton, New Zealand and received his musical training at the University of Otago, Victoria University of Wellington, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Juilliard Opera Center.

Awards received include the 2005 Arts Laureate of New Zealand, grand finalist in the 2002 Metropolitan Opera National Auditions, the 2003 Sullivan Foundation Award of New York, 2003 United Kingdom Wagner Society Prize, 2001 Circle 100 Career Grant, 1999 Metropolitan Opera Audition Competition Encouragement Award, 1998 Fulbright Scholarship, 1996 Tower Opera Scholar, Creative New Zealand Professional Development Award and was the inaugural Young Artist in Residence with Opera New Zealand.

While studying at the Juilliard Opera Center, he sang the title role in Idomeneo, Sam in Susannah, and Chevalier de la Force in Dialogues of the Carmelites under the baton of Julius Rudel. Subsequently at San Francisco's Merola Opera Program, he performed Rodolfo in La Bohème as well as the title role in La Clemenza di Tito with Wolf Trap Opera.

Currently on the rosters of the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the Salzburg Festival, he has worked with conductors such as James Levine, Riccardo Muti, Valery Gergiev, Antonio Pappano, Sir Charles Mackerras, Seiji Ozawa, Julius Rudel, and Christoph Eschenbach.

In 2006-2007 Simon O'Neill made his Metropolitan Opera debut as the Gran Sacerdote in Mozart's Idomeneo with James Levine, performed the role of Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire at Theater an der Wien and sung Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Leonard Slatkin and the Orchestra Sinfonica Giuseppe Verdi. He also debuts as; Florestan in Fidelio and Siegmund in Die Walküre in the new complete Ring at Covent Garden with Antonio Pappano. Other 2007 roles include; Rodolfo in the New Orleans Opera production of La Bohème and Don Jose in Carmen at Wolftrap. Future seasons include Siegmund at the Metropolitan Opera and in the Ring at Opera du Rhin, Gurrelieder in Finland with Esa-Pekka Salonen and in title roles of Lohengrin at Houston Grand Opera and Covent Garden and Parsifal at Barcelona's Teatro Liceu and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia with Daniele Gatti.