“La Marienka qu’elle incarne ce soir est exceptionnelle. Figure attachante, fine, rusée, épanouie, sensible, elle est servie par des moyens superlatifs d’une grande soprano lyrique, avec la fraîcheur, la rondeur et la souplesse attendues. L’élégance des phrasés, la virtuosité des traits de son ultime duo sont un régal. De surcroît, actrice de talent, l’émotion est constante, au travers de la plus large palette expressive.”
— Yvan Beuvard ForumOpera.com (La Fiancée Vendue) 2023
“ Danae Eleni impressed greatly as the shepherd girl”
— Planet Hugill (Tosca) 2019
“A special mention should be granted to the soprano Danae Eleni, who sang a sweet-sounding Shepherd girl”
— Seen and Heard International (Tosca) 2019
“A delight; vivacious and mischievious, with a glorious voice to match... her comic talents really shone””
— Oxford Times (Cosi fan Tutte) 2015
“fun, sassy, sexy Musetta... the acting is excellent”
— Broadway World (La Boheme) 2015
“subtle, alive, theatrical soloist... subtle in her shading of words”
— Classical Music Magazine (Mrs Lazarus) 2009
Despina - Grimeborn (Cosi fan Tutte - Mozart) Photo by Robert Workman

Despina - Grimeborn (Cosi fan Tutte - Mozart) Photo by Robert Workman

PERFORMER

Danae Eleni is a lyric soprano with a wide range of repertoire, including the core Puccini, Gounod and Mozart roles, and also many world premieres of contemporary music and from baroque back to Hildegaard von Bingen. This season Danae made two major role debuts, as Mimi at the Jerash Festival, Jordan; and as Donna Elvira with Opera Pannonica and Szeged Symphony Orchestra. She also appeared in gala concerts in Canari, Barcelona and Warsaw.

with Enrico Bertelli (The Arrival of the Beat Box - Kelvin Thomson)

with Enrico Bertelli (The Arrival of the Beat Box - Kelvin Thomson)

COLLABORATOR

A dedicated ambassador for contemporary repertoire, Danae often collaborates with composers and directors to devise new pieces of Music and Theatre. Her debut recital for the inaugural NexTus Festival of pieces for Solo Soprano is the foundation for an album to be recorded in 2022. Whilst Danae lived in London, Danae created roles at the Purcell Room & Victoria and Albert Museum and often jumped in for contemporary music performances. She has also performed with Isis Ensemble, Oxford, and been on the panel for the St Anne’s Inaugural Composition Competition.

Radio interview at Pakeman Primary School

Radio interview at Pakeman Primary School

EDUCATOR/Facilitator

Danae is delighted to work with fellow performers of all ages to encourage new ways of approaching singing and performing. Danae's Science and Maths background inspires her to constantly search for links between Science/Maths and Music, developing links with Professors in both fields, and occasionally coaching Science and Maths also. Danae has recently lectured at Yale-NUS Singapore, and led opera workshops in Mostar, Bosnia.

Danae Eleni Biography

 

Born in Bahrain, British/Greek soprano Danae Eleni studied at the Royal College of Music and Oxford University. Danae is the winner of the 2021 Concorso Musica Sacra in Rome, and will therefore tour as a soloist for the Messiah in 2022 to Italy, Greece, Romania and the Czech Republic. Earlier this year, Danae made her role debut as Mimì at the Jerash Festival in Jordan, made debuts in gala performances in Canari & Barcelona, and a role debut as Donna Elvira Don Giovanni with the Szeged Symphony Orchestra in Hungary. Danae is an ambassador for contemporary music and music education, recently co-founding the online international NexTus Festival, and lecturing in “Composition for Solo Voice” at Yale-NUS, Singapore. Danae is currently researching 19th century Greek songs for an upcoming recording and recital tour.

Danae made her Purcell Room debut (London) in 2009 in the world premiere of Mrs Lazarus, a solo opera by Tim Benjamin with Radius Ensemble. Other premieres include: Nirmali Fenn’s Psychotic Episode [ISIS ensemble], Guy Newbury's Adria and Kelvin Thomson’s Bee and The Silence of the Bees: A Science Opera. Danae was soprano in residence for the 2nd international composer/performer conference in Athens, and explored the benefits of collaboration between composers and performers in the writing and rehearsal processes. She was a guest lecture at Yale-NUS, performing and coaching on the “Composition for Voice” undergraduate course.

In addition to operatic premieres by Oliver Brigall, Tim Benjamin, Joy Sigaud, Kelvin Thomson, Christopher Meux and Quentin Thomas, Danae's other operatic roles include Drusilla [Opera de Baugé]; Poppea (cover); Shepherd Girl [Everybody Can!]; Susanna Le nozze di Figaro [TCMS], Musetta [Opera 24], Gariné [Grimeborn Festival], Despina [Metta Theatre + Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra] Adina [Brent Opera], Pamina [Metta Theatre], Despina [Grimeborn Festival], Gretel at the King’s Head Theatre; the title role of Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges [Open Door Opera]; Micaela + Frasquita Carmen [Random Opera + Opera in Concert]; Lucy The Telephone in a Vodafone store and on tour [Opera Anywhere]; Suor Genovieffa Suor Angelica [Giornata Opera]; Zerlina Don Giovanni  [CarteBlancheOpera] and Emilia Marco Attilio Regolo [Ensemble Serse].

As a concert artist, Danae has performed in St George’s, Hanover Square; St John’s Smith Square; Southwell Minster; Holywell Music Room and numerous college chapels (Oxford), Cardiff, Edinburgh, Berlin, Athens, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. She works closely with Guy Newbury, performing with him frequently in Oxford, London and Edinburgh, and premiering his works for soprano voice. Equally at home on the recital stage Danae has discovered and recorded songs by Greek composers Samaras and Spathis, and also sings many Lieder and Melodie, most recently by Berg, Chausson, Hahn, Maconchy, Poulenc, Ravel, Riadis, Satie, Schumann.

A recent recital tour in Berlin with organist Sam Baker, premiered works by Howard Blake, Richard Moore and Sam Baker, alongside Vierne's Les Angelus and a programme derived from English and New Zealand folksongs for the Mendelssohn Remise.

Danae made her debut with the Oxford Philomusica at the New Theatre, Oxford, singing the role of Despina opposite Donald Maxwell’s Don Alfonso. She sang the title role in the world premiere of Gerald Papasian’s translation of Dikran Tchouhadjian’s Armenian Opera Gariné, and Musetta for the Grimeborn Festival. Danae performed at the Inaugural Opera Sark Festival, alongside Yvonne Howard, Mark Llewelyn-Evans, Jassy Husk, Christopher Diffey, Claire Filer and Liz Rowe. Concert credits include: Britten's Les Illuminations (Crossing Borders Festival, Brighton); Sark Opera Festival; Purcell Room; St John’s Smith Square; Blenheim Palace; Poulenc Gloria at LSO St Luke’s; and recent recitals in Athens, Bahrain, Berlin, Edinburgh and Jüterbog.

As an educator, Danae has led workshops for Garsington Opera Education, Baseless Fabric, and across the UK and the Middle East. Danae has also performance-lectured on Maths and Music for “Maths Teams”, a charity making Mathematics more popular and inclusive. As a storyteller and performance artist, Danae has performed for the Malala Fund and the Young Muslim Writers’ Awards.

Copyright September 2021 - to request a biography for programme use, please email contact@danaeeleni.com

 

 
"Roles: Susanna" - Photo by Bob Workman - Production by Metta Theatre at the V&A Museum - London

"Roles: Susanna" - Photo by Bob Workman - Production by Metta Theatre at the V&A Museum - London

Recital at Yale-NUS Photograph by Fabien Chareix

Recital at Yale-NUS Photograph by Fabien Chareix

Musetta; Adina, with Belcore (Ian Helm)

Musetta; Adina, with Belcore (Ian Helm)

Finale of Gariné - Dikran Tchouhadjian (Directed by Gerald Papasian) Photograph by Robert Workman

Finale of Gariné - Dikran Tchouhadjian (Directed by Gerald Papasian) Photograph by Robert Workman

Video clips below

 

Prize-winning performance of Lauretta’s aria - Puccini - at Let’s Sing Competition with Oliver Dohnanyi & the orchestra of the Sofia National Opera, Bulgaria 2022

Danae Eleni sings Adelaide’s aria from Jonathan Dove’s “The Enchanted Pig”, accompanied by Mikhail Shilyaev.
Recorded by Oscar Torres at St Gabriel's Church, Pimlico, London early 2018

Danae Eleni sings Lehar's "Warum hast du mich wach gekuesst?" from Friederike accompanied by Naomi Woo; Recorded by Svanholm Productions London 2016

Ilia's first aria from Mozart's Idomeneo "Padre! Germani!" Accompanied by Naomi Woo. Recorded by Stephen Svanholm London 2016

Danae Eleni Manon Massenet from Danae Eleni on Vimeo.

Live Performance of "Adieu! Notre petite table" - Massenet with Victor Ong for a recital funded by Saga College and the Yale-NUS Singer's Guild (by the invitation of Nirmali Fenn and Rector Sarah Weiss) Recorded by Eddie Ong.

Recital in 2014 Danae Eleni accompanied by Guy Newbury for the Munster Square Music Recital Series
A collaborative composition project by Kelvin Thomson - composer Danae Eleni - soprano Enrico Bertelli - body percussion Created for the Second Composer Performer Athens' Conference (October 2011), the piece received its English premiere at the Royal Holloway - University of London (September 2011), Greek at the DEREE College - Athens (2011) and is scheduled for its Scottish debut in March 2012

Songs composed by Guy Newbury. Accompanied by Guy Newbury Recorded in Rugby, 2013

Guy Newbury's "Adria" and "O Ombre Vane" - accompanied by Guy Newbury.
Recorded by Kimon Pallikaropoulos in Rugby 2014.

 

Reviews

Smetana - La fiancée Vendue

Marienka she plays this evening is exceptional. An endearing figure, fine, cunning, fulfilled, sensitive, she is served by the superlative means of a great lyric soprano, with the freshness, roundness and flexibility expected. The elegance of the phrasing, the virtuosity of the lines of his final duet are a delight. In addition, a talented actress, the emotion is constant, through the widest expressive palette. - Yvan Beuvard (forumopera)

Mozart - czarodziejski flet - opera na koszykach

Danae Eleni's beautiful, round and interesting voice, very bel canto, is a bit too dramatic for the role of Pamina, although on stage the artist was wonderful in scenes of rejection, despair and joy. - Tomasz Pasternak (Orfeo)

Poulenc Gloria - Pangbourne Choral Society

“Danae Eleni, whose clean, poised and focused tonal quality was ideal for this work. Her considerable dynamic range was demonstrated… added lustre to the performance” - Julia Rowntree (Newbury Weekly News)

“crystal clear tones carrying well above the orchestral accompaniment… atmospheric and well-judged” - John Burleigh (Henley Standard)

shepherd girl (tosca) everbody can! - st james’s piccadilly

“Danae Eleni impressed greatly as the shepherd girl” - Robert Hugill (Planet Hugill)

“A special mention should be granted to the soprano Danae Eleni, who sang a sweet-sounding Shepherd girl“ - Tamara Cooper (Seen and Heard International)

Gariné (Gariné) Grimeborn Festival - Arcola Theatre

"Danae Eleni (Gariné) impressed in her lovely entrance aria, her attractive soprano dusky in its lower register" - Mark Pullinger (Bachtrack)

"actress Danae Eleni gives a more serious and convincing performance as Gariné, sincerely depicting the plight of a young lady who wants to act despite her father’s disapproval" - Josephine Ababio (ayoungertheatre)

"Danae Eleni delivered the title role with winning conviction" - Mark Valencia (whatsonstage)

musetta (La Boheme) grimeborn festival - arcola theatre

"Danae Eleni acted out Musetta’s contrasting roles as both café flirt and Mimi’s loyal friend very well" - Tim Hochstrasser (britishtheatre)

"a convincingly sexy Musetta" - Owen Davies (playstosee)

"a sassy, sexy Musetta... the acting is excellent" - Gary Naylor (broadwayworld)

Despina (Cosi Fan Tutte) metta theatre/oxford philharmonic orchestra - new theatre, oxford

"The real scene-stealers, though, were Danae Eleni’s feisty Despina and Donald Maxwell’s wily Alfonso. Eleni was a delight; vivacious and mischievous, with a glorious voice to match, and her comic talents really shone when she was disguised as a notary" - Nicola Lisle (oxfordtimes)

"Eleni exemplified Despina’s irrepressible spirits with a sparkling performance, not milking the comedy of her disguises as the doctor and the notary any more than necessary " - Curtis Rogers (seenandheardinternational)

"the highlight of this performance must be the humour injected by the characters of Despina (Danae Eleni) and Don Alfonso (Donald Maxwell)" - S. Mitchell (oxfordculturereview)

Olive (Possession!) tete á tete festival - central st martin's

"Saklatvala and Eleni both give committed performances in which Saklatvala’s acting impresses, while Eleni’s voice is warm and smooth" - Charlotte Valori (bachtrack)

Despina (cosi fan tutte) opera 24 - arcola theatre

"The performance was highly amusing in places, particularly Danae Eleni who plays a farcical crystal healer and a Scottish registrar as well as her main role as a shrewd and vengeful maid" - Tamara Stanton (playstosee)

"Danae Eleni (Despina) shows off her range and the supported power of her voice through her different disguises" - Belle Lupton (belletells)

Scientist (The silence of the bees: A science opera) kelvin thomson

 "the performers were absolutely amazing, particularly Danae Eleni representing ‘the Scientist" - Liz (thepoddelusion)

Gretel (Hansel and Gretel) Open Door Opera - King's Head theatre

"This is an intimate opera house, so we’re close enough to count the stitches in Gretel’s knitting. The major strength of this production is the casting and direction of the title roles. Laura Kelly’s Hansel is a sulky boy, a reluctant dancer at first; Danae Eleni’s domestic Gretel chides and cajoles him. The dance sequence, so often twee and tedious, is full of fun and character here. They both sing their roles beautifully, their two voices, carefully tempered to the tiny venue, blend well. And they act every second of the score – gobbling strawberries, scoffing marshmallows, licking up the cream, sharing a broomstick to fly off home at the end." - Michael Gray (thepublicreviews)

Mrs Lazarus (Mrs Lazarus) Radius Ensemble - Purcell Room

"subtle, alive, theatrical soloist... subtle in her shading of words" - Andrew Stewart (ClassicalMusicMagazine Dec 2009)

Interviews

Gulf Life November 2015

For Upcoming Performances please visit: www.danaeeleni.com/calendar