Praised for her “divine” (Palm Beach Post), “deliciously smooth and clear” (Parterre Box), and “sonorous, well-produced plush mezzo with an easy top” (Opera Magazine), Anna Kelly continues to distinguish herself as a compelling mezzo of exceptional musicality and impressive versatility.​

 

A recent graduate of The Juilliard School’s Artist Diploma program, where she was the sole 2026 recipient of the Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation, and also the recipient of the Tatiana Troyanos Scholarship, Kelly’s 2026/27 season includes multiple debuts in the United States and Europe.

 

Following her finalist performance at the 2026 Tenor Viñas Competition, Ms. Kelly debuted as the Alto Soloist in Mahler's Symphony no. 3 with Glacier Symphony, and Beethoven's Symphony no. 9 with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and will return to the Santa Fe Opera to debut as Hélène Allatini in the American premiere of Tobias Picker's Lili Elbe. At Juilliard, she covered the role of Mrs. Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff and appeared in recital in Brahms’s Alto Rhapsody, and with the Juilliard Orchestra as Marcellina in the Act II Finale of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. 

 

In 2025, Ms. Kelly performed at Juilliard as Mére Marie in Juilliard Opera's spring 2025 production of Dialogues des Carmélites, Hänsel in the fall 2025 production of Hänsel und Gretel, and also covered the title role in L'enfant et les sortiléges. Additionally, she performed in concert with the Phoenix Symphony as the alto soloist in Handel's Messiah, with the Irish National Symphony as the second-place winner of the international Veronica Dunne Competition in Dublin, and with the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra in Knoxville as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier and as Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos in substantial excerpts. Ms. Kelly closed the spring season by receiving a Laffont Education Grant from the Metropolitan Opera. During the summer, she joined Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Artist, where she covered the roles of Waltraute in Wagner's Die Walküre and Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro.​

 

In 2024, Ms. Kelly made multiple role debuts: as Dorabella in Così fan tutte with Opera Saratoga, and as Federica in Verdi's Luisa Miller with Sarasota Opera, where she also covered the title role in Carmen. In concert, Ms. Kelly made her Carnegie Hall debut as the alto soloist in Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass with the New England Symphonic Ensemble.​​

 

In past seasons, Ms. Kelly was an apprentice artist with Wolf Trap and Palm Beach Operas, and appeared in concert and recital with the Metropolitan Club of Washington DC, the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, and the Washington Opera Society. 

 

A successful vocal competitor, Ms. Kelly has recieved numerous accolades from many organizations (full list here). Notably, she received 2nd place & audience favorite in the 2025 Veronica Dunne Competition, 1st prize & audience favorite in the 2024 National Opera Association competition, and appeared as a semifinalist in both the 2022 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and in the 2024 Houston Grand Opera's Eleanor McCollum Competition. Additional honors include 1st place wins in the 2023 James Toland Vocal Competition, 2024 National Opera Association’s Carolyn Bailey Argento Competition, and the Young Patronesses of the Opera Competition (2022 junior division and 2024 senior division). Further competition highlights include awards from the Opera Index Competition, the Gerda Lissner Foundation, and the Loren L. Zachary Competition.​

​

Ms. Kelly is a graduate of Yale University's School of Music, and has trained with esteemed young artist programs such as Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera Young Artists’ Vocal Academy, Palm Beach Opera, and Wolf Trap Opera.​