The famous Nigerian-France based soprano singer, Omo Bello, has been nominated for the 2014 edition of the “Victoires de la Musique 2014” awards in France. She is one of the three nominees in the “Lyrical Revelation of the Year” category.
This annual French award ceremony is said to be equivalent to the American “Grammy Awards” for music. She recently sang famous arias at the “Grand Christmas Concert,” with the Radio France philharmonic orchestra, conducted by Mikko Franck, broadcast on the French national television station France 3 to an estimated 2 million viewers on December 25, 2013.
The public gets to vote the winner of this award. It is very easy to vote, and online voting is from January 6 to 26, 2014: Online: go to www.omobello.com to vote for her. The awards ceremony will be broadcasted live on France 3 (or online at site http://www.francetv.fr/les-victoires-de-la-musique/classique/) from the Grand Theatre in Aix en Provence, France on Monday, February 3, 2014.
After five years of studying Cell Biology and Genetics at the university in her native country, the Franco-Nigerian soprano Omo Bello entirely devoted herself to music, studying singing at the Conservatoire de Paris – CNSMDP, in the class of Peggy Bouveret, and enriched her repertoire with Jeff Cohen, Susan Manoff and Olivier Reboul. She holds a diploma in singing performance from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London (ABRSM) and has gained enormously from the musical and technical counsels of Jorge Chaminé, Teresa Berganza, Thomas Quasthoff and Grace Bumbry.
She won the first prize in the Luciano Pavarotti Giovani 2010 competition (thus lauded by the Italian press critic Gianni Gori as «a talent of Gold!»), and also won the first prize in the 2011 Anselmo Colzani international singing competition. She became a laureate of the Cziffra Foundation in 2011 and she will be awarded with Italy’s prestigious international Arca d’Oro prize for young artistes in 2013.
Since 2006, she had her first successes in Toulouse with the Mozartian repertoire, taking on the role of Barbarina Le Nozze di Figaro, under the artistic direction of Gabriel Bacquier. She then sang the roles of Solis Magdalena by Villa-Lobos at the Théâtre du Châtelet, La Jeune Femme d’Hara Kei Soie by Yves Prin, in the world premiere of the opera at the Théâtre du Rond Point, the Erste Dame Die Zauberflöte by Mozart and Female Chorus The Rape of Lucretia by Britten with the CNSMDP, Silvia L’Isola Disabitata by Manuel Garcia at the Auditorium of the CNR of Nice, Eurydice Orphée et Eurydice by Gluc at the St Petersburg theatre for opera and ballet. She sang in a New Year’s concert in Wuhan, China with the Wuhan Philharmonic orchestra, directed by James Liu and recently sang the role of Barbarina Le Nozze di Figaro at the Opéra National de Montpellier.
She sings regularly as a soloist in numerous concerts and recitals in France and abroad (the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, the Radio house in Paris, the UNESCO house, the salle Pleyel, the salle Cortot, the Théâtre des Champs Elysées…), performing the motet Exsultate, Jubilate by Mozart, the Concerto for soprano and orchestra by Gliere, the Stabat Mater and the Salve Regina by Pergolesi, the soprano solo in the Symphonie no. 4 and Des Knaben Wunderhorn by Mahler at the salle Pleyel. She also sang the soprano part in Le nubi non scoppiano per il peso by Mauro Lanza, which she created at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in September 2011, and at the Ultima Festival in Oslo.
Since 2007, Omo Bello has been regularly invited to the Operabuja festival in Nigeria. This involves an ambitious project with a vision to build a music conservatory in Nigeria and in doing so promote classical music and the lyrical art, a project she holds dear to her heart as an artiste. She also puts her talent to the service of medical research associations such as Hôpital 2000, the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Association and the Children of Kedougou, giving charity concerts, or singing in old people’s homes.
Omo Bello sang the role of Contessa Le Nozze di Figaro at the 2012 Verbier Festival, by invitation from Thomas Quasthoff, after appreciating her talents during his masterclasses in Paris. This season she takes on the same role of Contessa Le Nozze di Figaro on tour with Opéra de Montpellier, debuts in the roles of Juliette Roméo et Juliette by Gounod on tour with Opéra de Tours, Jeanne La Vivandière by Benjamin Godard at the Festival de Radio France et Montpellier.
In concert she makes her debut with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, singing Bach’s Magnificat in D at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées (house debut), and at the Verbier Festival Christmas concert. Her debut album, Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn will be distributed by Harmonia Mundi.
In 2013/14 she will debut in the role of Donna Anna Don Giovanni by Mozart at the Opéra de Tours and Opéra de Reims, Contessa Le Nozze di Figaro at the Opéra de Montpellier and Elvira L’Italiana in Algeri by Rossini at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées. In concert she will sing Beethoven’s Egmont at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées.
In 2014/2015, she will make a European recital tour with the pianist Clémént Mao-Takacs as part of the Rising Stars programme, under the Cité de la Musique de Paris.
Omo Bello is supported by the Bettencourt-Schueller Foundation, the Cziffra Foundation, the Fondation de France, and Les Fonds de Tarrazi. She is a laureate of the Société Générale Musical Funds as well as the ADAMI funds. She is a goodwill ambassador of Rotary International.
