Andrew O'Connor

Orontea / Pinchgut Opera / May 2022

One of the most enjoyable scenes in this production involved Gelone, played with comic gusto by Australian bass-baritone Andrew O’Connor // Operawire

Andrew O’Connor singing the buffo Gelone carries a great deal of the action. Clean of line and rich in tone, he is expert in this musical style… revealing to us Gelone’s dark side in a poignant In grembo ai fiori. // Limelight

Andrew O’Connor as the bibulous servant Gelone combines rich depths with stylish agility, not to mention a capacity to hold the stage while blind drunk. // Sydney Morning Herald

And the guzzling Gelone? Lyrically inviting bass-baritone Andrew O’Connor is pure joy to watch as he plays the fool and praises Bacchus, no lightweight role which Cesti shrewdly assigns almost as much music to as he does for Orontea. // Australian Arts Review

The Loves of Apollo & Dafne (Cavalli) / Pinchgut Opera / May 2021

Playing Giove (Jupiter) against her, and later Dafne’s plumber-father, the river god Peneo, Andrew O’Connor sings with a beautifully rounded bass-baritone sound that combines richness and depth. // Sydney Morning Herald

The colours are electric and so are the voices… and bass-baritone Andrew O’Connor, among his three roles, sings a stunner of an aria in the final Act as Peneo. // Australian Arts Review

Adelaide Festival / Pinchgut Opera / March 2022

InReview Acis & Galatea // The quality of singing was simply outstanding. These were clearly Handel specialists, able to capture to perfection the composer’s grand oratorical tone and simple, pure emotion… [the] terrific bass, Andrew O’Connor, who stole the show in [his first aria] conveyed the multiple sides of Polyphemus, from joviality to venomous anger.

The Advertiser Acis & Galatea // Andrew O’Connor had fun as the villainous Polyphemus, providing strong vocal resonance and characterisation… Even music lovers who have never heard all of Acis and Galatea will be familiar with its chart busting numbers such as Polyphemus’ O Ruddier Than The Cherry, which O’Connor’s richly colourful bass hit spot on.

Limelight – Consecration // The ensemble of five singers and three instrumentalists (baroque harp, viola da gamba and the aforementioned claviorgan) featured outstanding contributions from Chloe Lankshear’s sparkling soprano and Andrew O’Connor’s mellow bass.

Limelight – Acis & Galatea // Helyard and his musicians and singers provided tasteful and occasionally lively accounts of the score and the text… especially O’Connor as the cyclops Polyphemus.

Songs Before Sleep / Song Company ‘Farewell’ Recital / May 2019

O’Connor’s rich warm bass baritone voice has an interesting, almost harmonic ‘edge’ to it giving it uncommon power and crispness, but never ear-piercing [...] and he put together a most engaging program. He has excellent control of his light vibrato, coupled with captivating expression (including facially), all underscored by an incredible and effortless range for his vocal register. Never once did he miss a pitch, even in impossible intervals, and his timing was impeccable. // Canberra City News

Australian Vocal Ensemble / Launch / April 2021

Remarkably, Andrew O’Connor flew from Sydney for the performance and learned a full 80 minutes of music in a single day – a genuinely remarkable feat of musicianship… O’Connor’s rich voice shone… it’s quite remarkable that he learned this complex new material in such a short space of time – I don’t think I’d ever have guessed, particularly since he was completely secure even in the most challenging of passages. // Limelight Magazine

With only a day’s notice Sydney-based baritone Andrew O’Connor stepped in. His stirring performance was an astounding display of skill even without having learned the repertoire in a single day! // Backstreet Brisbane

Bach Akademie Australia / Grazie in Grazia / November 2022

The articulation of each voice was crisp and defined, and Andrew O’Connor’s rich and resounding bass voice stood out immediately, as it did for the rest of the performance. […] Andrew O’Connor again shone in the later dialogue between basses […] which is [later] answered by a show-stopping aria – Gott, du hast es wohl gefüget. This aria was one of the night’s highlights. The combination of Susannah Lawergren, Andrew O’Connor and Adam Masters on obbligato oboe was utterly breathtaking and each voice intertwined seamlessly with the others. […] This was in all respects a world-class performance. // State of the Art

The duet from Susannah Lawergren and Andrew O’Connor with the sublime oboe playing by Adam Masters and basso continuo was a jewel in [the] concert [and] led to the superb and dramatic recit by bass Andrew O’Connor // Classikon

Bach Akademie Australia / November 2023 / City Recital Hall

O’Connor’s distinctly clear and booming voice was on full display in the declamatory Wacht auf, ihr Adern und ihr Glieder. A highlight was [O'Connor's] recitative, which recalls the Vox Christi in Bach’s Passions. It is impassioned, declamatory, and varies markedly in tone within the space of a few bars. // State of the Art

Highlights of the program include bass Andrew O’Connor’s narrative artistry and strength, evident in his recitative from BWV 78, and the aria Wacht auf, ihr Adern und ihr Glieder (from BWV 110), featuring trumpeter Leanne Sullivan. Both are wonderful platforms for these musicians’ mastery of Bach’s early style.

Here is another marvellous moment from O’Connor with the recitative Die Wunden, Nägel, Kron und Grab and its aria with oboe d’amore and continuo. // Limelight

But the highlight here was hearing the Akademie’s excellent soloists for the first time. The aria for bass Wacht auf, ihr Adern und ihr Glieder, featuring trumpeter Leanne Sullivan, particularly showcased these musicians’ mastery of the style.

This sense of narrative is further crafted by bass Andrew O’Connor, compelling in the recitative Die Wunden, Nägel, Kron und Grab (the wounds, nails, crown, and grave). // City Hub

Breathtaking dramatic aptitude and undulating vocal exchanges from a very impressive Andrew O’Connor (bass) as Jesus. The duets ‘Wenn kommst du, mein Heil?’ and ‘Mein Freund ist mein’ were incredibly touching. // Sydney Arts Guide

Pinchgut Opera / Giustino / May 2023

Andrew O'Connor['s] glorious bass voice really comes into its own when he appeared as the deux ex machina at the end of the opera. We are very aware nowadays of the castrato voice in late Baroque opera, but the very deep bass voice used, for example, for the part of Charon in Monteverdi's Orfeo was just as special in the 17th century. // Australian Stage

In truth, there isn’t a weak link in the cast with [...] Andrew O’Connor as factotum Polimante anchoring with his sumptuous bass. // Stage Noise

The singers form an impressive ensemble whose dramatic abilities match their vocal prowess. Their delivery is pure and straight-toned, well-blended and athletic, with judicious ornamentation and nuanced phrasing. Andrew O’Connor, versatile in his performance of three, quite different characters, complete[s] the ensemble with smaller but pivotal roles. // Limelight