Paula Murrihy
Mezzo-soprano Paula Murrihy is a native of County Kerry, Ireland. She received her Bachelor in Music from DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama in Dublin before going on to study for a Masters in Vocal Performance at New England Conservatory, where she was the recipient of the prestigious John Moriarty Presidential Scholarship and the Presser Award.
Paula has participated in many young artist programmes including the Britten-Pears Young Artist Program and those at the Tanglewood Music Center, William Walton Foundation, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and more recently Santa Fe Opera. As a participant on the 2003 Vocal Fellowship Program at Tanglewood, she performed in the world premiere of the opera Ainadamar by Osvaldo Golijov, a work which she went on to perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in Disney Hall.
Recent operatic performances include the title role in Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas and Messagiera Orfeo with the Handel and Haydn Society, 2nd Lady Die Zauberflöte for Santa Fe Opera, title role Ariodante for Emmanuel Music and Good Witch Transformations for Wexford Festival Opera. Other stage roles include Suzy La Rondine with Boston Lyric Opera, Hänsel Hänsel und Gretel, 2nd Lady, Nancy Albert Herring and Diana La Calisto with New England Conservatory Opera Theatre.
Paula’s extensive oratorio repertoire includes Vivaldi’s Gloria, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle, Schubert’s Mass in C, Mozart’s Requiem, and Bach’s St. John Passion. In the 2005/2006 season she was soloist in Bach’s St Matthew Passion with North Carolina Symphony and the Handel and Haydn Society. More recently, Paula was invited to perform as guest soloist with the Charlotte Symphony for performances of Messiah, Utah Symphony for Mendelssohn’s Elijah and the Gabrieli Consort, London for Haydn’s Harmoniemesse. Paula made her Italian debut as Dido for the Lugo Opera Festival in 2007.
An accomplished recitalist, Paula has also performed at the Aldeburgh Festival, UK, and was invited to participate in the Marilyn Horne Foundation Masterclass Series at Carnegie Hall, New York.
Engagements this season include further performances as Dido in Italy at the Teatro Comunale, Bologna and Paukenmesse for Boston Symphony Orchestra as part of the Tanglewood Season. Paula will also be joining the San Francisco Opera Merola Program where she will create the role of Lucy Perez in the world première of Pasatieri’s Hotel Casablanca.
Promoters please note: if you wish to include this biography in a concert programme etc, please contact Hazard Chase to ensure that you receive the most up to date version.
Email: Kate Baylis
