Biography

As a multidisciplinary crossover performer she has worked in both the traditional and the avant-garde. An accomplished vocalist, she has sung with everything from solo piano to chamber ensembles, symphony orchestras, and big bands. She has recorded four CD's ranging from big band to jazz standards, electronica to original material.

Onalea's original pieces are a unique blend of music and the theatrical. REQUIEM FOR A LOST GIRL: A Chamber Musical About Homelessness and BLANCHE: The Bittersweet Life Of A Wild Prairie Dame premiered in New York City as a special events of the New York Musical Theatre Festival. BLANCHE was named a top 20 show in New York in 2011 by the Huffington Post. REQUIEM will premiere with the Vancouver Opera in May of 2018.

As a theatre artist select roles include: Sleep no more (Hecate); Mata Hari in 8 Bullets (Rhymer/Brooker) directed by Peter Schneider at the New York Musical Theatre Festival (outstanding individual performance award; Into the Woods (Cinderella); The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Drood); Assassins (Squeaky Fromme); Falsettos (Cordelia) and Bernstein's MASS with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra - Hans Graf conducting (Mezzo Soprano/Blues singer). Onalea performed for 7 seasons as an ensemble member with the award-winning Canadian physical performance theatre company One Yellow Rabbit, creating many original characters and starring as Sylvia Plath in Sylvia Plath Must Not Die.

With Dandi Productions, she co-created and performed shows as an actor, singer and puppeteer, with symphony orchestras internationally.

Onalea created the role of Petty in HOME an indie film by Sandi Somers (Ampia Award nomination best actress) and her animation voice work has been featured on Cartoon Networks around the world including USA, Canada, UK, Australia and Pakistan.
- IMDb mini biography by: Onalea Gilbertson