“Brilliant” (The New York Times) American coloratura soprano Marielle Murphy, a native of Carmel, California, is making her mark on international operatic and concert stages. With her fearless fioritura and impeccable musicianship, she embodies the complete opera singer for today's demanding audiences.

Next season, Marielle Murphy will return to the Metropolitan Opera as a cover for Fiakermili in a new production of Arabella. In 2023, she made her thrilling Met debut as Oscar in David Alden’s production of Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera, stepping in at the last moment. She was subsequently added to the Metropolitan Opera roster for the 2023/24 season as a cover for Oscar. As a member of the Theater Münster ensemble (2021/2022) in her fourth season, she appeared as Cunegonde in Bernstein’s Candide and reprised her successful title role as Yolimba in Wilhelm Killmayer’s rarely performed opera. In the 2020/21 season she performed Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro and and Gabriel/Eve in Haydn’s Die Schöpfung with Symphony Orchestra of Münster. In 2022, she performed Richard Strauss’ Brentano Lieder and Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem in concert with the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, commemorating and honoring victims of war throughout history. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her March 2021 debut as the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor was cancelled. The 2019/20 season featured her as Oscar in Un Ballo in Maschera, the title role in Yolimba, and Madeleine in Glass' The Fall of the House of Usher. In 2019, she appeared as Michal in Händel's Saul with Theater für Niedersachsen. In concert, she sang Gabriel in Albert Lortzing’s Die Himmelfahrt Jesu Christi with the Symphony Orchestra of Münster. Read More

In the 2018/19 season, she debuted the roles of Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Michal in Saul, Ninetta in L’Amour de Trois Oranges, and Greta Fiorentino in Street Scene. She also appeared in concert, singing selections from Händel’s L’allegro, Penseroso ed il Moderato with recorder player Stephan Temmingh, under the baton of Michael Hofstetter, and soprano soloist in an outdoor centennial concert of Carmina Burana. Marielle sang her European debut in 2016 as La Charmeuse in the Salzburg Festival’s production of Thaïs alongside Plàcido Domingo as a member of the Young Singers Project. Shortly thereafter, she made her role and German debut in the spring of 2017 as Zerbinetta in Theater Aachen’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos under the direction of Joan Anton Rechi.

For the 2017/18 season, she joined the solo ensemble of Konzert Theater Bern, appearing as Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Frasquita (Carmen) and created the roles of Pflegerin in Alzheim and Mileva Maric in Die Formel, both world premieres. She subsequently performed with Oper Leipzig in the spring of 2018 as Die Fünfzehnjährige in their acclaimed production of Lulu, directed by Lotte de Beer. She co-created a one-woman show with Northern Irish director Kate Guelke, La Donna Abbandonata, a tour-de-force performance theatre work, which was performed at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Blonde (Die Entführung aus den Serail) with St. Petersburg Opera (Florida), Susanna in Hubbard Hall Opera’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Lucia (The Rape of Lucretia) with the Green Mountain Opera Festival, and in concert with Caramoor International Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, and Symphony Space in New York City as the Queen of the Night.

Marielle has received major grants and awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the George London Foundation, the Licia Albanese - Puccini Foundation, New Jersey State Opera, Friends of Eastman Opera, the Henry and Maria Holt Scholarship, and the Schuyler Foundation for Career Bridges. She was a semi-finalist in the Belvedere Competition (Cape Town, South Africa) as well as the Francisco Viñas Competition (Gran Teatro Liecu, Barcelona), and a finalist in the Concorso Angelo Loforese (Milan). She is an alumna of the Eastman School of Music. Read Less

Yolimba's Entrance from Wilhelm Killmayer’s Yolimba (2021)

Yolimba's Opera Scene from Wilhelm Killmayer’s Yolimba (2021)

Adams Madame Mao - Nixon in China Ades Ariel - The Tempest Bellini Giulietta - I Capuleti e i Montecchi Elvira - I Puritani Amina - La Sonnambula Bernstein Cunegonde - Candide Britten Miss Wordsworth - Albert Herring Tytania - A Midsummer Night’s Dream Délibes Lakmé - Lakmé Donizetti Norina - Don Pasquale Adina - L’Elisir d’Amore Marie - La Fille du Régiment Lucia - Lucia di Lammermoor Händel  Morgana - Alcina Cleopatra - Giulio Cesare

Moore Baby Doe - The Ballad of Baby Doe Mozart Despina - Cosí fan tutte Zerlina - Don Giovanni Konstanze - Entführung aus dem Serail Susanna - Le Nozze di Figaro Madame Herz - Der Schauspieldirektor Königin der Nacht - Die Zauberflöte Offenbach Olympia - Les contes d'Hoffmann Rossini La Comtesse Adèle - Le Comte Ory Amenaide - Tancredi R. Strauss  Fiakermilli - Arabella Sophie - Der Rosenkavalier Thomas Ophélie - Hamlet Philine - Mignon Verdi Oscar - Un Ballo in Maschera Nannetta - Falstaff Gilda - Rigoletto

Bach - Magnificat, Mass in B Minor, St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, Coffee Cantata Beethoven - 9th Symphony, Mass in C Brahms - German Requiem Fauré - Requiem Haydn - Creation Händel - Messiah

Mahler - Symphony No. 4 Mozart - Requiem, Exsultate, jubilate, Coronation Mass, Mass in C Minor Orff - Carmina Burana Poulenc - Gloria Strauss - Brentano Lieder Schoenberg - Herzgewachse Vivaldi - Gloria, Beatus Vir

This list represents recommended roles in the artist's operatic repertoire. For a list of performed repertoire, please refer to the artist's resume and biography listed in the downloadable materials on our Artist Roster Page.

“Richard Strauss’ 1918 komponierte Brentano-Lieder wirken wie ein Rückzug ins Privat-Elysium. Die Sopranistin Marielle Murphy sang sensationell: strahlend, intonationssicher, mit virtuosen Koloraturen. Sie schwelgte im Pomp des „An die Nacht“ und traf ideal den Tonfall in „Ich wollt ein Sträusslein binden“. Es ist das „Lied der Frauen“, dessen theatralisches Gespenstertreffen existenzieller Ängste von Schifferin, Bergmanns- und Soldatenfrau die Sopranistin wie authentische Stimmen sprechen ließ.”

Günter Moseler, Westfälische Nachrichten, 2022

“Das, was ich über die ersten beiden Akte von Freitag schon schrieb, gilt für die ganze Oper, dass nämlich Marielle Murphy als Susanna der Oper den Stempel aufgedrückt hat. Die Braut von Figaro singt so kraftvoll, so emotional, so wunderschön, dass ich mich selbst dabei ertappe, einfach „wegzubrezeln“, erst mit den letzten Tönen erwache ich irgendwie aus einer anderen Welt.”

Burkard Knöpker, 2020

“Marielle Murphy singt souverän die Koloraturen der Yolimba und tanzt auch noch großartig…”

Stefan Schmöke, Online Musik Magazin, 2019

“Großartig die Koloratursopranistin Marielle Murphy als Page Oscar! Da perlten die hohen bis höchsten Töne nur so aus ihr heraus. Die schwierigen Passagen und Läufe ihrer Partie schienen ihr offenbar keinerlei Mühen zu bereiten. Dazu ungemein bewegungsfreudig auf der Bühne, völlig aufgehend in ihrer Rolle. Fast ein wenig erschrocken wirkte sie, als beim Schlussapplaus ein Bravorchor über sie hineinbrach. Aber der war absolut verdient für diese außergewöhnliche Leistung! Für mich eine der überzeugendsten Oscar-Interpretationen die ich in vielen Jahren Opernerfahrung erleben durfte. Da schliesse ich mich gern dem Münsteraner Premierenpublikum an: 'Bravo!.”

Detlef Oben, Das Opernmagazin, 2019

“Marielle Murphy als seiner geliebten Konstanze lag vor allem die lyrische Arie über ihr trauriges Los. Für die Koloraturen verfügte sie über die passende Höhe und dort stimmliche Beweglichkeit…”

Sigi Brockman, Online Merker, 2019

“Namentlich genannt werden sollte Marielle Murphy als Zerbinetta, die komödiantische Gegenspielerin der Ariadne, weil Strauss ihr unglaubliche Kolleraturen abverlangt, die sie mit Geschmeidigkeit und Witz bewältigt.”

Klebers Stadtmagazin Aachen, 2017

“...Marielle Murphy (what a great coloratura voice) was one of my highlights this evening because of the sheer beauty of their voices blending together.”

The Operatic Musicologist, 2016