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, as an apprentice at Santa Fe Opera, and was a member of Oper Frankfurt’s acclaimed ensemble
Paula made her role debut as Carmen to critical acclaim with the highly successful team behind Dido and Aeneas – Barrie Kosky and Constantinos Carydis. She maintains a close connection with the United States and has appeared as Ino in Semele for Boston Lyric Opera, 2nd Lady Die Zauberflöte at Santa Fe Opera, and Dido for Los Angeles Opera. In Europe, Paula made her debut at Covent Garden as Tebaldo Don Carlo, and returned as Mercedes Carmen. She has appeared as Annio at the Théâtre Capitole Toulouse, and as Octavian Der Rosenkavalier at De Nationale Opera Amsterdam and the Staatsoper Stuttgart. Recent highlights include her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, as Stéphano Roméo et Juliette, appearances at Santa Fe Opera as Ruggiero in Alcina and Orlofsky Die Fledermaus, Concepcion L’Heure Espagnole for Opernhaus Zürich, her debut for Teatro Real Madrid as Frances, Countess of Essex in David McVicar’s new production of Gloriana, 2nd Dame Die Zauberflöte for the Salzburg Festival and Sesto La Clemenza di Tito at Nationale Opera Amsterdam.
On the concert platform Paula works regularly with MusicAeterna and Teodor Currentzis appearing in concert performances of Cosi fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro and Purcell’s Indian Queen, and at the Diaghilev Festival in Perm Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder and Hindemith’s Die Junge Magd. She made her debut at the BBC Proms in 2017 in Haydn’s Paukenmesse, and appeared with the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris in Handel’s Messiah, the Spanish National Orchestra and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in Elijah.
An accomplished recitalist, Paula has given performances at the Aldeburgh Festival, the Shannon International Music Festival and the Chancellor’s Concert at the University of Limerick. She recently gave a recital in Frankfurt with accompanist Malcolm Martineau, and in Perm with accompanist Tanya Blaich. In her 2018-19 season, appearances include Komponist Ariadne aud Naxos at Oper Frankfurt, Judit Bluebeard’s Castle for the new Irish Opera Company in Dublin, and Idamante Idomeneo at the Salzburg Festival. On the concert platform Paula joins Maestro Teodor Currentzis for a European tour of Mahler Lied at the Munich Philharmonie, Teatro alla Scala, Milan and Müpa Budapest. She will also sing Mussorgsky Songs & Dances of Death at the Casa da Música, as well as recitals at the Wigmore Hall with pianist Malcolm Martineau and tenor Robin Tritschler.