“We saved the radiant soprano of the Australian Eleanor Lyons for last, whose vocal means are reminiscent of those of Gundula Janowitz in her prime. A straight and powerful voice that is capable of the most delicate nuances and whose heights seem unlimited”
With a luminous voice and virtuosic technique, she moves effortlessly from the most dramatic, powerful outbursts to the subtlest, delicate pianissimi, bringing every phrase to life. Equally at home on stage, Eleanor passionately shapes every detail of opera, orchestral concerts, chamber music, and solo recitals. Her deep affinity for Beethoven and Mahler has led to acclaimed performances and enduring collaborations with leading orchestras and conductors, creating experiences that resonate with audiences worldwide.
“The highlight is Australian soprano Eleanor Lyons, who starred as fragile-as-crystal Mimi in Hungarian State Opera’s strikingly beautiful Christmas run of ”La Bohème”. It is worth attending “The Rake’s Progress” just to hear this captivating singer.”
“Kaum fassbares Stimmwunder in der Elbphilharmonie: Vor allem die beiden Frauenstimmen sind eine Wucht. Die französische Mezzosopranistin Eva Zaïcik verströmt eine betörende Wärme, und die junge australische Sopranistin Eleanor Lyons überstrahlt alles.
Mit einem sinnlich leuchtenden Timbre, das auch im Pianissimo noch seinen edlen Schimmer bewahrt. Ihr scheint das Stück überhaupt keine Mühe zu machen, sie singt die krasse Partie geschmeidig und einfach hinreißend. Eine Riesen-Entdeckung. Wohlige Schauer garantiert.”
“Simone Young Conducts Beethoven’s Fidelio: Eleanor Lyons’ wide vocal range served her well as she traversed the aria’s tessitura, pitching perfectly as she travelled up and down the scales at breakneck speed, before ending in harmony with the horns during the final stretta. She rightfully brought the house down.”
“Dass ihm trotzdem ein dichtes Gesamtergebnis gelingt, verdankt sich der Emphase dem überragenden Solistenquartett, das mit mustergültigem Ensemblegeist und pointiertem Ausdruck singt, überstrahlt von Eleanor Lyons seraphisch blühendem Sopran. Diesen Namen sollte man sich merken. Großer Applaus.”
Recent highlights from last season include her debut as Leonore in Beethoven's Fidelio at both the Semperoper Dresden and with the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España under David Afkham. She also toured Europe twice as a soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées under Philippe Herreweghe.
Her versatility was further showcased in performances of Britten's Les Illuminations and selected Mozart concert arias with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, and in her debut at Turin’s Teatro Regio as a soloist in Mahler's Second Symphony under Aziz Shokhakimov. She also made notable soloist debuts in Dvořák’s Stabat Mater with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Berlin Philharmonic and Poulenc’s Stabat Mater with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra collaborating again with Kazuki Yamada.
Additional highlights included Mahler's Eighth Symphony with the Tonkünstler Orchestra in the Musikverein with Yutaka Sado, Mahler's Second Symphony with both the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fischer and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, as well as Zeisl's Requiem Ebraico with the RSO Wien.
Eleanor is a winner of various prizes and competitions including the 9th International Obraztsova Competition, The 2018 Vienna State Opera Award from the Australian Opera Foundation for Young Singers, 2015 Competizione dell’Opera and the 2010 Australian Singing Competition.
Her first concert at two years old, was on her family’s coffee table. With time she finished the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and completed a post graduate diploma at the RNCM, UK and then became part of the Mariinsky Academy for Young Singers in St Petersburg, Russia.
Right at the beginning of her career, Eleanor Lyons sang the role of Anne Truelove in Igor Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress at the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest and was also heard there as Mimì in Puccini's La Bohème. She made her acclaimed role debut as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni at Opera Australia in Sydney and in a concert performance at the Jinji Lake Concert Hall in Suzhou (China), while she appeared at the Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp and Ghent as both Mimì and She also appeared on stage as Gretchen in a staged adaptation of Schumann's Scenes from Goethe's Faust.
As a sought-after concert singer, Eleanor Lyons has appeared in Britten's War Requiem with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Philippe Herreweghe and the Noord Nederlands Orkest under Stefan Ashbury and regularly appears as a soloist for Verdi's Messa da Requiem - including one by Christian Spuck Choreographed production at the Adelaide Festival 2023 and at the Zurich Opera House. Further concert collaborations include Mahler's Fourth Symphony and Berio's Folk Songs with the Berlin Konzerthausorchester, Ravel's Chansons Madécasses, Strauss's Four Last Songs with the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Iván Fischer and Mahler's Das Klagede Lied with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Simone Young.
Eleanor Lyons has a special collaboration with Philippe Herreweghe and the Orchestra des Champs Elysées, with whom she toured Europe for both Beethoven's oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives and his Missa Solemnis. She also made her highly acclaimed debut with the MDR Symphony Orchestra with Ralph Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony under Dennis Russell Davies and appeared in Bruckner's 150. Psalm also appeared for the first time in the Vienna Musikverein with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under Petr Popelka. At the Les Chorégies d'Orange festival, she finally appeared as a soloist in Beethoven's Missa Solemnis under John Nelson as part of the French National Day celebrations.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic Eleanor was in Sydney Australia, where with her husband Vladimir Fanshil at the piano she gave over 45 performances for salon and regional audiences. This was the beginning of the new musical phenomenon LIVE AT YOURS, a series of salon concerts in alternative venues which showcase world-class artists in a relaxed, intimate setting.
She currently lives in Vienna with her husband, conductor Vladimir Fanshil and daughters where she loves cooking for crowds and sewing glamorous concert dresses. Her other practical skills include a knack for plumbing and cleaning with a toothbrush!
