Adam McDonagh

Irish countertenor Adam McDonagh won 2nd Prize in the Concours International Léopold Bellan in Paris. Closer to home, he won 1st Prize in the Joseph O’Mara Cup and reached the finals of the Dramatic Cup and Gervase Elwes Cup in Dublin Feis Ceoil. He has performed in several opera scenes at the Oxenfoord International Summer School, including as Refugee (Flight), Ruggiero (Alcina), and Mopsa (The Fairy Queen). While there, he received masterclasses from Malcolm Martineau, Dame Ann Murray, and John-Mark Ainsley. He has also performed the alto solos in Haydn’s Nelson Mass with the TU Dublin Choral Society, and in Vivaldi’s Gloria with the Guinness Choir in St Patrick’s Cathedral. He previously studied with Stephen Wallace and Mairéad Hurley at TU Dublin Conservatoire, and now currently studies voice with James Platt.

As a pianist, Adam graduated with a BMus (Performance) from DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, an MPhil in Music Studies from Cambridge University, and an MMus (Performance) in Répétiteur at TU Dublin Conservatoire supported by the inaugural Irish National Opera Répétiteur Scholarship. A Samling Artist, Adam recently completed training as a Young Artist répétiteur at the National Opera Studio, London. He also received a scholarship this year to attend the prestigious Georg Solti Accademia course in Venice. He has worked on opera productions for Irish National Opera, Buxton International Festival and Opera Collective Ireland. He has also accompanied masterclasses with Tara Erraught, Elīna Garanča, Ryan Speedo Green, Stuart Skelton and Ailish Tynan.

In addition to singing and playing, he conducted Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass during his studies at Cambridge, and he will conduct the RTÉ Concert Orchestra for a RTÉ Lyric FM studio recording as a result of winning First Prize in the Dublin Feis Ceoil Orchestral Conducting Competition.

Adam is thrilled to be making his role début as ‘Oberon’ in Britten’s The Little Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Wexford Festival Opera 2025.