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About
Erin Morley is one of today’s most sought after coloratura sopranos. She has stepped into the international spotlight in recent years with a string of critically acclaimed appearances in the great opera houses of the world.
Ms. Morley has brought what the NEW YORK TIMES has called the “silken clarity of her voice and the needlepoint precision of her coloratura” to the METROPOLITAN OPERA, the WIENER STAATSOPER in Vienna, Munich’s BAYERISCHE STAATSOPER, the OPÉRA NATIONAL DE PARIS, GLYNDEBOURNE FESTIVAL OPERA, SANTA FE OPERA, OPÉRA DE LILLE, OPÉRA NATIONAL DE LORRAINE, and the PALAU DE LES ARTS in Valencia, Spain. Renowned for her musicality and deft phrasing, she has appeared as a soloist with America’s premiere symphony orchestras, including the CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA, CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA, BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, and the NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC.
This season, Ms. Morley makes a number of notable appearances at the METROPOLITAN OPERA, first in her role debut as Pamina in THE MAGIC FLUTE, then as the Forest Bird in SIEGFRIED and as Constance in DIALOGUES DES CARMÉLITES. Other appearances include a debut in Debussy’s LE MARTYRE DE ST SÉBASTIEN with Berlin’s DEUTSCHES SYMPHONIE-ORCHESTER and Robin Ticciati, a debut with the LA PHILHARMONIC in MAHLER’S 8TH SYMPHONY with Gustavo Dudamel, and a recital with pianist Ken Noda at the PHILADELPHIA CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY.
Next season includes returns to the WIENER STAATSOPER and the BAYERISCHE STAATSOPER, and Ms. Morley’s debuts with SEMPEROPER DRESDEN and the DEUTSCHE OPER BERLIN, all in leading roles, as well as a debut with the ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA in Amsterdam.
Ms. Morley’s 2017-2018 season included a return to the METROPOLITAN OPERA as Olympia in LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN, back-to-back Strauss roles at the WIENER STAATSOPER (Zerbinetta in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS and Sophie in DER ROSENKAVALIER), a role and house debut with LA OPERA as Cunegonde in CANDIDE (followed by a gala performance of this role in concert at CARNEGIE HALL), MAHLER’S 8TH SYMPHONY with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the ROTTERDAM PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, and a gala appearance at WOLF TRAP in “Bernstein at 100”.
A graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s LINDEMANN YOUNG ARTIST DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, Ms. Morley has now sung more than 80 performances at the METROPOLITAN OPERA. She was hailed by critics as “a major success” when she stepped in last-minute to sing Sophie in an entire run of DER ROSENKAVALIER in the 2013-2014 season. Met audiences also saw Ms. Morley as Sophie in Robert Carsen’s new production of DER ROSENKAVALIER in the 2016-17 season, in her role debut as Olympia (LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN) in the 2014–15 season, and as Constance (LES DIALOGUES DES CARMÉLITES) in 2013–2014, among others.
Equally at home on the concert stage, Ms. Morley has appeared on tour with Harry Bicket and THE ENGLISH CONCERT, Louis Langrée and the MOSTLY MOZART FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA, with the CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER, and with the MET CHAMBER ENSEMBLE in Carnegie’s ZANKEL HALL. Ms. Morley has also appeared in recital with pianist Vlad Iftinca (Salt Lake City’s VIRTUOSO SERIES, Carnegie’s WEILL HALL, and FESTIVAL DU LIED in Fribourg, Switzerland), and with pianist Ken Noda (at BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY and in the ALICE TULLY HALL VOCAL ARTS HONORS RECITAL).
In commercial recording, Ms. Morley can be seen as Sophie in the Met’s GRAMMY-NOMINATED DER ROSENKAVALIER on DVD/Blu-Ray for the DECCA label; as Sandrina (LA FINTA GIARDINIERA) with conductor Emmanuelle Haïm in Opéra de Lille’s production for the ERATO label; as Woglinde (GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG) with conductor Fabio Luisi in the Metropolitan Opera’s GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING Lepage Ring Cycle for DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON; and can be heard as Marguerite de Valois (LES HUGUENOTS, live from Bard SummerScape), for the AMERICAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA; in Carl Nielsen’s SYMPHONY NO. 3 “ESPANSIVA” with Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic DA CAPO RECORDS; and as Sylvie in Gounod’s opéra-comique LA COLOMBE with Sir Mark Elder and The Hallé Orchestra for the OPERA RARA label.
The daughter of a violinist, Ms. Morley spent her early years studying violin and piano, and frequently collaborated with her mother. While obtaining her undergraduate voice degree from EASTMAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC, she continued her piano studies, and accompanied singers in lessons and in recital. She went on to earn her Master of Music voice degree from THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL and her Artist Diploma from the JUILLIARD OPERA CENTER in 2007, where she received the Florence & Paul DeRosa Prize. Ms. Morley also trained at the OPERA THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS as a Gerdine Young Artist, the RAVINIA FESTIVAL STEANS INSTITUTE, and the WOLF TRAP OPERA COMPANY as a Filene Young Artist. She won 1st Place in the LICIA ALBANESE – PUCCINI FOUNDATION COMPETITION in 2006, 3rd Place in LONDON’S WIGMORE HALL INTERNATIONAL SONG COMPETITION in 2009, and received the RICHARD TUCKER CAREER GRANT in 2013.