Patricia O'Callaghan
Encyclopedia
Patricia Mary O'Callaghan (born 2 October 1970 in Dryden, Ontario
, Canada
) is a Canadian
soprano
singer.
She spent her childhood in various Northern Ontario
towns and in Pine Falls, Manitoba, considering whether her career should be in rock music or in a convent. Her first teacher was Rosanne Simunovic from Timmins. She eventually planned to become an opera
singer and proceeded and completed a music degree at the University of Toronto
. She also pursued further education and practice in Banff, Alberta
. But she would ultimately establish her career performing and recording European cabaret
-style music by such composers Francis Poulenc
, Erik Satie
and Kurt Weill
.
O'Callaghan was featured as a singing character on the 1999 CBC Television
series Foolish Heart and on the television special Youkali Hotel.
Her 1999 album Slow Fox includes the first known English-language recording of Kurt Weill's "Langsamer-Fox/Algi-Song" and "Der Abschiedsbrief" (in English, "The Farewell Letter"), as well as the second known English-language recording of his "Nanna's Song" (the first being done by Tammy Grimes
on Ben Bagley
's Kurt Weill Revisited, vol. 2).
Dryden, Ontario
Dryden is the second-largest city in the Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located on Wabigoon Lake. It is the smallest community in the province of Ontario designated as a city...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
singer.
She spent her childhood in various Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
towns and in Pine Falls, Manitoba, considering whether her career should be in rock music or in a convent. Her first teacher was Rosanne Simunovic from Timmins. She eventually planned to become an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer and proceeded and completed a music degree at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. She also pursued further education and practice in Banff, Alberta
Banff, Alberta
Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise....
. But she would ultimately establish her career performing and recording European cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
-style music by such composers Francis Poulenc
Francis Poulenc
Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and a member of the French group Les six. He composed solo piano music, chamber music, oratorio, choral music, opera, ballet music, and orchestral music...
, Erik Satie
Erik Satie
Éric Alfred Leslie Satie was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde...
and Kurt Weill
Kurt Weill
Kurt Julian Weill was a German-Jewish composer, active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fruitful collaborations with Bertolt Brecht...
.
O'Callaghan was featured as a singing character on the 1999 CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
series Foolish Heart and on the television special Youkali Hotel.
Her 1999 album Slow Fox includes the first known English-language recording of Kurt Weill's "Langsamer-Fox/Algi-Song" and "Der Abschiedsbrief" (in English, "The Farewell Letter"), as well as the second known English-language recording of his "Nanna's Song" (the first being done by Tammy Grimes
Tammy Grimes
-Early life:Grimes was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, the daughter of Eola Willard , a naturalist and spiritualist, and Nicholas Luther Grimes, an innkeeper, country-club manager, and farmer. She attended high school at the then-all girls school, Beaver Country Day School, in Chestnut Hill,...
on Ben Bagley
Ben Bagley
Ben Bagley was an American musical theatre and record producer.-Career:Born in Burlington, Vermont, Bagley moved to New York City during the early 1950s, and in 1955, at age 22, he produced his first hit, Shoestring Revue, starring Beatrice Arthur and Chita Rivera , and with songs by Charles...
's Kurt Weill Revisited, vol. 2).
Discography
- 1 October 1994: I Remember December
- 1997-1998 (separate releases): Youkali
- 6 April 1999: Slow Fox
- 20 March 2001: Real Emotional Girl
- 1 May 2001 Scenes From A Dream
- 3 February 2004: Naked Beauty
- 20 September 2011: Broken Hearts & Madmen (with Gryphon Trio)