BIO
Mezzo-soprano Kinneret Ely, based in New York City and Tel Aviv, is recognized for her work in early music, particularly Händelian repertoire. She returns this season to Salon/Sanctuary Concerts in the role of Mardocheo in Alessandro Stradella’s Ester, Liberatrice del Popolo Ebreo, joining artists from the critically praised Navona Records release of the first and only complete recording of the work for this special live performance. Initially known for her soprano roles, she has since transitioned into the mezzo-soprano fach, building on extensive experience in repertoire that highlights expressive depth, a resonant lower register, and agile coloratura.
In July 2025, she returned to the Jerusalem Lyric Opera Festival to sing the title role in Händel’s Rinaldo, following her March 2025 performance as Ruggiero in Alcina (highlights recorded for Israel’s national classical radio station, Kan Kol HaMusica). In 2024, she appeared with the same company in the title role of Giulio Cesare.
In December 2025, she performed in New York with Salon/Sanctuary Concerts in Kahal, Court, and Casbah: Convivencia and its Discontents — a program of Hebrew, Arabic, and Spanish music presented with Ensemble Lipzodes.
Other recent highlights include her Salle Gaveau debut in Paris with Vincerò Academy in June 2025, where she opened their gala concert; a performance for the American Bar Association’s Annual Conference at Lincoln Center’s Performing Arts Library with conductor-pianist Abdiel Vázquez in May 2025, in which she was the featured soloist; and collaborations spanning opera, concert, and cross-cultural programming.
A versatile artist, Kinneret also performs musical theatre, art song, Israeli folk, and pop, and sings in thirteen languages. Her YouTube channel has garnered more than 70,000 views. Offstage, she works as a social media manager with Lenny’s Studio, collaborating with internationally renowned artists.
Kinneret is committed to the future of the arts, having worked on fundraising and subscription campaigns for American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and the New York Philharmonic, and continues to be involved in young donor programs. Outside her artistic work, she leads an active lifestyle through yoga, pilates, and dance.
She holds a B.A. in Special Honors from Hunter College, where she designed her own degree in languages, history, and literature through the Thomas Hunter Honors Program. Her language studies also include Italian at the Società Dante Alighieri in Siena, French at the Alliance Française in Paris, German at the Goethe-Institut in Berlin, and Russian at the Derzhavin Institute in St. Petersburg.