Suzanne Murphy

Irish born Suzanne Murphy began her classical studies with the renowned singing teacher Dr. Veronica Dunne in autumn 1973 at College of Music, Dublin, following a varied career in folk music and theatre.

In 1974, while still a student, she had the opportunity to study and sing the role of Rossini’s La Cenerentola for Irish National Opera and toured Ireland with this production. This was followed by the role of “Elisetta” in Cimarosa’s Secret Marriage.

Following her studies, Suzanne joined Welsh National Opera in 1976 as principal soprano, making her debut as “Konstanze” in Mozart’s Il Seraglio music from which opera she was featured singing in the Academy Award winning film Amadeus.

She has performed with Welsh National Opera, English National Opera, Opera North, Scottish Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Wien, Berlin and Bayerische State Opera, Cologne, Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels and Sao Paolo; North American and Canadian performances in New York, Pittsburgh, Washington, Minneapolis and Vancouver.

Earlier in her career, she specialised in the Bel Canto repertoire of Bellini and Donizetti, moving on to the more dramatic operas of Verdi, Puccini, Tchaikovsky, Janacek and Wagner.

Her recordings encompass the works of composers as diverse as Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Puccini, Verdi, Arias from Operetta and Musicals and Irish Songs.

In 2001 Suzanne joined the teaching faculty of both the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff and Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin.

Her accomplishments in music have been recognised with honorary Fellowships from Cardiff University and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Honorary Doctorates from the University of Glamorgan (1999) and University of her home city of Limerick (2000).