Organization

Singer

Mezzo-soprano

Paula Murrihy

Pianist

Tanya Blaich

NEC New England Consevatory

Faculty Recital: Tanya Blaich + Paula Murrihy, Mezzo-soprano

Boston

United States

Jordan Hall

Faculty Recital: Tanya Blaich + Paula Murrihy, Mezzo-soprano: Concert Various

Public

Recital

Approved

Great artists give free concerts at New England Conservatory—simply because they teach here.

Tanya Blaich is a member of NEC's collaborative piano and voice departments, co-coordinator of NEC’s Liederabend Series, and teaches classes dedicated to the performance of song repertoire and in language diction and expression
Irish mezzo-soprano Paula Murrihy enjoys a busy career working at the highest level in both Europe and the US. Previously a member of Oper Frankfurt’s acclaimed ensemble, her many roles in Frankfurt included Dido (Dido and Aeneas), Lazuli (L’étoile), Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier), Medoro (Orlando Furioso), and creating the role of Carmen in Barrie Kosky’s iconic production, which she also reprised in Frankfurt for their 2020 revival. Paula 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.

This season, Paula makes her role and company debut as Prince Charmant (Cendrillon) at the Opéra de Paris. Elsewhere in the operatic stage, she returns to Santa Fe Opera as Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) and reprises the role of Dejanira in Barrie Kosky’s Hercules at the Komische Oper Berlin, following her highly praised performance in the production premiere at Oper Frankfurt last season. In concert, Paula can be heard singing Mozart Requiem in Chicago with Music of the Baroque conducted by Dame Jane Glover, Sandström’s The High Mass with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Ryan Bancroft, and Marguerite in a concert performance of Le Damnation de Faust with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. She also performs solo recitals, both at Oper Frankfurt alongside pianist and long-time collaborator Tanya Blaich, and at the Wigmore Hall, London. Last season, Paula returned to the Royal Opera House Covent Garden to sing the role of Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) directed by Kasper Holten, followed by the title role Carmen for her company debut at the Det Kongelige Teater Copenhagen. Her recent notable debuts include singing Komponist in Katie Mitchell’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, the title role Ariodante in a livestreamed concert performance at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conducted by Christian Curnyn and for her house debut at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, her debut as Orfeo in a concert performance of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice with Opera North conducted by Laurence Cummings and broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, and her company debut at the Metropolitan Opera, as Stéphano (Roméo et Juliette). Further operatic highlights include Idamante in Peter Sellars’ production of Idomeneo for the Salzburg Festival, Ruggiero (Alcina) and Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus) for Santa Fe Opera, Nicklausse (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) conducted by Marc Minkowski and Dorabella (Così fan tutte) both at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, the title role in Fauré’s Pénélope for Frankfurt Opera, Sesto (La Clemenza di Tito) and Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) for Dutch National Opera, Concepcion (L’heure Espagnole) and Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) for the Opernhaus Zürich, Countess of Essex in Britten’s Gloriana for Teatro Real Madrid and for English National Opera, Dido (Dido and Aeneas) for Los Angeles Opera, Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) at Staatsoper Stuttgart and appearances in her native Ireland as Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle, title role Carmen and Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) with Irish National Opera.

Paula has toured extensively on the concert platform, more recently performing as Didon for a European tour of Berlioz’ Les Troyens alongside the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestra conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, closing with a performance at the BBC Proms. She joined a European tour of St John Passion with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment; joined Harry Bicket and The English Concert Orchestra as Micah in a performance of Handel’s Samson in London, Ruggiero (Alcina) in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and as Arsamene (Serse) for a tour of Spain and the US, with venues including Carnegie Hall, New York. She has also has worked frequently alongside MusicAeterna and Teodor Currentzis, with performances including Così fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro, Purcell’s Indian Queen, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder, Hindemith’s Die Junge Magd and Das Knaben Wunderhorn. Additional concert highlights include Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) with the Handel & Haydn Society in Boston, Stravinsky’s Pulcinella with the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl, Haydn’s Paukenmesse at the BBC Proms, works by Tommaso Traetta with La Nuova Musica and David Bates at the Wigmore Hall, the role of Sara in Mysliveček's oratorio Abramo ed Isacco alongside Collegium 1704 at the Salzburg Festival and Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with Sir Mark Elder and the Britten Sinfonia. She has performed Berlioz Les nuits d’éte with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, 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 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 Symphony No. 9, the Handel and Haydn Society as Juno/Ino in Semele and the St Paul Chamber Orchestra in performances of Bach’s St Matthew Passion.

An accomplished recitalist, Paula has given performances at the Wigmore Hall with both Malcolm Martineau and Sholto Kynoch, the Aldeburgh Festival, the Oxford Lieder Festival, the Shannon International Music Festival, the Chancellor’s Concert at the University of Limerick, in Frankfurt and at the Diaghilev Festival in Perm. Last season she released 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.

English

Faculty Recital: Tanya Blaich + Paula Murrihy, Mezzo-soprano by Various, Thu 21 Sep 2023, From (2023/2023), NEC, Boston, United States

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Programme, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues