Paula Murrihy

Irish mezzo-soprano Paula Murrihy received her bachelor of music from DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama in Dublin before continuing her studies in North America at the New England Conservatory. She also participated in the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme, San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program and as an apprentice at Santa Fe Opera. A member of Oper Frankfurt’s acclaimed ensemble, her many roles there include Medoro in Orlando Furioso, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Lazuli in L’étoile, Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier, and her role debut as Carmen in Barrie Kosky’s iconic production, which she reprised in Frankfurt for a 2020 revival.

An accomplished recitalist, Paula has given performances at the Wigmore Hall with Malcolm Martineau, the Aldeburgh Festival, the Shannon International Music Festival, the Chancellor’s Concert at the University of Limerick, in Frankfurt and at the Diaghilev Festival in Perm. This season, she releases her debut solo album with American pianist Tanya Blaich on Orchid Classics. Titled I will walk with my love, the disc explores folk inspired songs and myths and features works by Brahms, Mahler, Debussy and Grieg, as well as traditional Irish folksong.

Recent highlights include her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, as Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette, a return to Santa Fe Opera as Ruggiero in Alcina and Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus and the Salzburg Festival as Idamante in Peter Sellars’ production of Idomeneo, conducted by Teodor Currentzis. Last season Paula returned to Frankfurt to sing the title role in Fauré’s Pénélope, and has recently appeared with the Dutch National Opera as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier and Sesto in La Clemenza di Tito, at Opernhaus Zürich as Concepcion in L’heure Espagnole and Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, at the Teatro Real in Madrid as Frances, Countess of Essex in Britten’s Gloriana, at Oper Frankfurt as the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos, and a return to her native Ireland to make her role debut as Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle for Irish National Opera.

Further appearances include her role debut as Elvira in Don Giovanni with Orchestra of the 18th Century, Ino in Semele for Boston Lyric Opera, Ghosts of Versailles for Opera Theatre St Louis, Dido in Dido and Aeneas for Los Angeles Opera, Tebaldo in Don Carlo, and Mercedes in Carmen for Covent Garden, Annio in La Clemenza di Tito at the Théâtre Capitole Toulouse, Medoro in Orlando Furioso for Opéra de Nice, Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier at Staatsoper Stuttgart and Ascanio in Terry Gilliam’s production of Benvenuto Cellini at English National Opera.

On the concert platform Paula enjoys a close relationship with MusicAeterna and Teodor Currentzis and performances include Così fan tutte, The Marriage of Figaro, Purcell’s Indian Queen, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder, Hindemith’s Die junge Magd and Das Knaben Wunderhorn at the Mariinsky Theatre and on a tour of Europe. Highlights include her debut at the BBC Proms in 2016 in Haydn’s Paukenmesse and performing works by Tommaso Traetta with La Nuova Musica and David Bates at the Wigmore Hall, and Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with Sir Mark Elder and the Britten Sinfonia. Further concert appearances include Messiah with the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Elijah with the Spanish National Orchestra and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Christmas Oratorio with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Handel’s Solomon, Alexander’s Feast and Honneger’s Judith for the Nederlandse Programma Stichting, and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In the United States she has worked with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where she premiered John Harbison’s Symphony No. 6, the Philadelphia Orchestra for Handel’s Messiah, the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, the Handel and Haydn Society (Juno/Ino in Semele) and the St Paul Chamber Orchestra in performances of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.