Mezzo Soprano Reilly Nelson, described by Opera News as “a revelation,” brings her “distinctly warm and burnished” sound to stages across North America and Europe. This past summer, she made her Glimmerglass Festival debut as Gianna in the world premiere of Tenor Overboard to great acclaim. A specialist in the works of Kurt Weill, and Bertolt Brecht, Reilly was a 2018 winner of the Lotte Lenya Competition and a district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions. As a new resident of Toronto, Reilly has been making a name for herself as an expert recitalist performing with the JoM Collective and the Kingston Road United Church concert series.
She has performed with major Symphony Orchestras and opera companies in the USA, Canada, and abroad including the Rochester Philharmonic, Reno Philharmonic, Phoenix Symphony, Cincinnati Opera, Tiroler Festspiele Erl, and Glimmerglass festival. Reilly has completed Young Artist programs with Cincinnati Opera, Kentucky Opera, Tanglewood Music Center, and Glimmerglass. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music in addition to a Master’s and Doctoral Degree in Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Cincinnati and is currently a student of Neil Semer.