Ann Murray, (born 27 August 1949) is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

mezzo-soprano.

Life and career

Murray was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

. Having won a number of prizes at the Feis Ceoil, she studied singing at the College of Music (now the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, Dublin) with Nancy Calthorpe, as well as arts and music at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 33,284 student ...

. In 1968, she made her Irish opera debut performing the shepherd role in a concert performance of ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language drama ...

''. She pursued further studies with Frederic Cox at the Royal Manchester College of Music and made her stage debut as Alcestis in Christoph Willibald Gluck's '' Alceste'' in 1974. She has since sung at all major opera houses and is particularly noted for her performances in works by George Frideric Handel,

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

and Richard Strauss. Murray performs mainly at Covent Garden (where she performed as Siphare in Mozart's ''

Mitridate, re di Ponto ''Mitridate, re di Ponto'' ('' Mithridates, King of Pontus''), K. 87 (74a), is an opera seria in three acts by the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto is by , after Giuseppe Parini's Italian translation of Jean Racine's play '' Mithrida ...

''), the

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English ...

and the

Bavarian State Opera The Bayerische Staatsoper is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bayerische Staatsorchester. History The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under Ele ...

(where she was made Kammersängerin in 1998). Murray was the featured singer in volume three of the Hyperion Schubert Edition,

Hyperion Records Hyperion Records is an independent British classical record label. History Hyperion is an independent British classical label that was established in 1980 with the goal of showcasing recordings of music in all genres and from all time period ...

' complete

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

''lieder'' project, in 1988, led by pianist Graham Johnson. She maintains her links with Ireland and was a patron of the Young Associate Artists Programme of Dublin's Opera Theatre Company. In September 2010, she was appointed professor of singing at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she was previously (since 1999) an honorary fellow.

Recognition

She received an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

in music from the National University of Ireland in 1997. In 2002, she was made an Honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Diamond Jubilee Honours for her services to music. She was awarded the

Bavarian Order of Merit The Bavarian Order of Merit (german: Bayerischer Verdienstorden) is the Order of Merit of the Free State of Bavaria. It is awarded by the Minister-President of Bavaria as a "recognition of outstanding contributions to the Free State of Bavaria ...

in 2004.Ann Murray
at the Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 16 December 2013.

Family

Murray was married to the late English

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

Philip Langridge Philip Gordon Langridge (16 December 1939 – 5 March 2010)Millington (7 March 2010) was an English tenor, considered to be among the foremost exponents of English opera and oratorio. Early life Langridge was born in Hawkhurst, Kent, educ ...

. The couple had one son, Jonathan, also a tenor.Millington, Barry
"Philip Langridge Obituary: Leading British tenor committed to the theatrical dimension of the operatic stage"
''The Guardian'', 7 March 2010

Recordings

*Mozart: Mass No. 18 in C Minor KV427 (with Amor Artis Chorale, English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Johannes Somary: LP, Vanguard, 1976) *Donizetti: ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' (with Ambrosian Opera Chorus, New Philharmonia Orchestra, cond. Jesús Lopez-Cobos: LP, Philips, 1977; re-issued CD, 1991) *Verdi: ''La Battaglia di Legnano'' (with Austrian Radio Chorus & Symphony Orchestra, cond. Lambert Gardelli: LP, Philips, 1979; re-issued CD, Philips, 1989) *Gay: ''The Beggar's Opera'', arr. Bonynge/Gamley (with London Voices, National Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Richard Bonynge: LP, Decca, 1981) *Charpentier: ''

Te Deum The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Ch ...

'' H.146, ''Magnificat'' H.74, with Academy Chorus of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, conducted by Neville Marriner. CD Emi Classics 1991 *Stravinsky: Songs (with Ensemble Intercontemporain, cond. Pierre Boulez: LP, Deutsche Grammophon, 1982; re-issued CD, 1992) *Haydn: ''Stabat mater'' (with Lausanne Vocal Ensemble & Chamber Orchestra, cond. Michel Corboz: LP, Erato, 1983) *Purcell: ''Dido and Aeneas'' (with Arnold Schoenberg Choir, Vienna Concentus Musicus, cond. Nikolaus Harnoncourt: LP, Telefunken, 1983) *Gounod: ''Romeo et Juliette'' (with Midi-Pyrenées Regional Choir, Toulouse Capitole Chorus & Orchestra, cond. Michel Plasson: LP, HMV, 1985) *Offenbach: ''Les Contes d'Hoffmann'' (with Chorus & Symphony Orchestra of the Brussels Opéra National du Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, cond. Sylvain Cambreling: LP/CD, EMI, 1988) *Brahms/Schumann: Voices of the Night (The Songmakers' Almanac: CD, Hyperion, 1989) *Hyperion Schubert Edition vol.3 (with Graham Johnson, pf: CD, Hyperion, 1989) *Mozart: ''Cosi fan tutte'' (with Vienna State Opera Chorus, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. James Levine: LP/CD, Deutsche Grammophon, 1989) *Berlioz: ''L'Enfance du Christ'' op.25 (with Choir of King's College Cambridge, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Stephen Cleobury: MC/CD, EMI, 1990) *Mahler: ''Songs from 'Des Knaben Wunderhorn (with London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Charles Mackerras: CD, Virgin Classics, 1991) *Purcell: ''The Fairy Queen'' (with The Sixteen Choir & Orchestra, cond. Harry Christophers: CD, Collins Classics, 1992) *Vivaldi: Gloria in D major RV589 (with Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus & Orchestra, cond. Neville Marriner: LP/CD, EMI, 1992) *Rossini: ''La Cenerentola'' (with Vienna State Opera Chorus, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Riccardo Chailly: CD, Pioneer, 1993) *''The Last Rose of Summer: Best Loved Songs of Ireland'' (with Graham Johnson, pf: CD, Hyperion, 1993; re-issued 2005) *De Falla: ''El sombrero de tres picos'' (with Academy of St Martin in the Fields, cond. Sir Neville Marriner: CD, EMI, 1994) *Beethoven Folksong Arrangements vols 1 & 2 (with Marieke Blankestijn, vn, Elizabeth Layton, vn, Krysia Osostowicz, vn, Ursula Smith, vc, Malcolm Martineau, pf: CD, Deutsche Grammophon, 1997) *''Irish Songs: Bid Adieu'' (with Graham Johnson, pf: CD, Forlane, 1998) *Songs by Bizet (with Graham Johnson, pf: CD, Hyperion, 1998) *Fauré Requiem/Duruflé Requiem (with Corydon Singers, English Chamber Orchestra etc.: CD, Hyperion, 1998) *Vivaldi: ''Juditha triumpharis'' RV644 (with The King's Consort Choir, The King's Consort, cond. Robert King: CD, Hyperion, 1998) *L. Boulanger: ''D'un matin du printemps'' etc. (with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Chorus, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Yan Pascal Tortelier: CD, Chandos, 1999) *Handel: ''Serse'' (with Bavarian State Opera Chorus & Orchestra, cond. Ivor Bolton: CD, Farao Classics, 2000) *Hummel: Mass in E flat etc. (with Collegium Musicum 90, cond. Richard Hickox: CD, Chandos Chaconne, 2004) *''The Songs of Robert Schumann'' vol. 9 (with Felicity Lott, S, Graham Johnson, pf: CD, Hyperion, 2004) *Britten, Mahler, Schumann (with Malcolm Martineau, pf: CD, Avie/Crear Classics, 2005)

Bibliography

*"Soprano Is Discovery of 1968 Feis Ceoil", ''The Irish Times'', 18 May 1968 *"Memoranda: Busy Singer", ''The Irish Times'', 29 September 1979 *Edward Seckerson: "The Right Repertoire", ''Gramophone'' 65 (December 1988), p. 933 *Gus Smith: ''Irish Stars of the Opera'' (Dublin, 1994), p. 113–30 *David Nice: "Murray: Mezzo Ann Murray on the Art of Opera", ''Gramophone'' 71 (May 1994), p. 26–29 *Michael Dervan: "Songs in the Key of Home", ''The Irish Times'', 15 January 1999, p. 14

References

External links

Artist page
at Hyperion Records.

at Bach-Cantatas.com

September 15, 1995 {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Ann 1949 births Living people 20th-century Irish women opera singers Operatic mezzo-sopranos Honorary Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Musicians from Dublin (city) Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music Irish mezzo-sopranos Singers awarded knighthoods 21st-century Irish women opera singers