Tara Erraught

Tara Erraught (born 1986, Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish mezzo-soprano, a graduate of the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM).

She is noted for her work with Bavarian State Opera, for which she has been given a de award.

Her international stature has continued to grow since she stepped in on five-days' notice, learning the role of Romeo in Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi at the Bayerische Staatsoper in 2011, her performance winning worldwide acclaim. In the seasons since, Erraught has sung a world premiere, made her US opera debut, numerous role debuts, and successfully toured North America twice.

Career

Past performances include: an acclaimed American opera debut with the Washington National Opera as Angelina in La Cenerentola; role debuts as Carlotta in Strauss's Die Schweigsame Frau, Christa in Janáček's The Makropulos Affair, Despina (having previously sung the role of Dorabella) in Mozart's Così fan tutte, Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, as well as singing Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel with the Bayerische Staatsoper; Rosina in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia and Angelina in La Cenerentola with the Hamburg Staatsoper; creating the role of Kitty in the world premiere of Iain Bell's A Harlot's Progress at the Theater an der Wien; and her role debut as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and at the BBC Proms. With the Wiener Staatsoper she sang Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, as well as the premiere performances of a new production of La Cenerentola, earning accolades from the Frankfurter Allgemeine as the "New Queen of Belcanto".

As Octavian

She was the subject of controversial reviews when she sang the role of Octavian in a production by Richard Jones of Der Rosenkavalier at Glyndebourne in 2014. Critics including Andrew Clark (in the Financial Times), Rupert Christiansen (in the The Daily Telegraph), and Richard Morrison (in The Times) felt her physique and costume made her an implausible young male lover in this breeches role. It was noted that the reviews (described as "vicious" in the Irish Independent) came from male critics. Morrison later apologised by saying, "Several musicians I count as close friends tell me that what I wrote would have upset greatly the promising young singer who took the role of Octavian. I regret that." Several other critics, performers, and members of the public supported Erraught.

Honours

Tara Erraught has received several honours and awards. In 2013 the Bavarian government bestowed upon her the prestigious Pro meritis scientiae et litterarum in recognition for outstanding contribution to the arts. Erraught is only the fifth musician, and the youngest recipient, to be honoured with the annual award since its inception in 2000. In March 2010 Ms. Erraught was the recipient of Dublin’s National Concert Hall's Rising Star Award. Other honours include first prize in the Jakub Pustina International Singing Competition in the Czech Republic, along with the Zdar nad Sazavou Audience Prize in 2008. In that same year she was awarded both the Houston Grand Opera Prize and the Washington National Opera Prize at the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in Vienna. In 2007 Ms. Erraught won the Dermott Troy Award for the Best Irish Singer.

External links

• Official website
• Picture of Erraught as Rosenkavalier and Teodora Gheorghiu as Sophie
• Tara Erraught, mezzo-soprano, concert details 24 April 2013, biography, Vancouver Recital Society