Michelle O’Rourke is a singer based in Dublin, Ireland. Empowered by a background in Baroque vocal music, and ever-fascinated by the role of voice in the ritual of performance, Michelle maintains a diverse portfolio of work: from contemporary classical music, to devised interdisciplinary projects, to holistic vocal coaching.

Michelle’s natural sound, unaffected expressivity, and technical ability make for an interpreter of rare dynamism. Several Irish composers have created work specially for her, including: Andrew Hamilton, Simon O’Connor, Karen Power, Judith Ring, Anna Murray, Benedict Schlepper-Connolly, and Garrett Sholdice.

Since 2016, Michelle has worked on a number of interdisciplinary projects, including work by Louise White Performance, Rob Heaslip Dance, Tonnta, theatre-makers Oonagh Murphy & Maeve Stone, and choreographer Catherine Young. In 2019, Michelle was co-curator of Listening Bodies, a durational performance event presented by Tonnta and Kirkos.

Michelle has featured on a number of critically acclaimed releases, including: Left Behind: Songs of the 1916 Widows (with Simon O’Connor, Ergodos label) and Andrew Hamilton: Music for People (with Crash Ensemble, NMC label). Michelle can be heard contributing to Inside Out, the recent release by Dutch violinist Diamanda La Berge Dramm (Genuin label).

Current and upcoming activity includes: the development of new performance collaborations, including a new duo with flautist Lina Andonovska; solo albums featuring work by Andrew Hamilton and original self-composed material; and an album featuring folk-inspired ensemble music with Ficino Ensemble.