Tara Erraught To Sing Marguerite In Pittsburgh Symphony's DAMNATION OF FAUST

Mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught to sing Marguerite in Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'S Damnation of Faust March 8-10 New York - International Irish mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught will step in this week with the acclaimed Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Heinz Hall, where she will perform Marguerite in the symphony's March 8 and 10 concerts of Berlioz's Damnation of Faust.

She steps in for French mezzo-soprano Clementine Margaine, who had to withdraw due to illness (see attached press release from the symphony). The performances will mark Ms. Erraught's debut with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, as well as her debut in the role. Rarely staged, the symphony describes the work as "a powerful, blockbuster work that is considered a 'dramatic legend,' neither a symphony nor an opera." The concerts will feature a 98-piece orchestra led by Music Director Manfred Honeck, along with over 170 chorus members (the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Youth Chorus). Ms. Erraught joins soloists Charles Castronovo, Luca Pisaroni, and Alexander Birch Elliott.

Tara Erraught enjoys an ever-growing international career on the opera, orchestra and recital stages. Possessing a rich, radiant voice, expansive range and dynamic stage presence, in recent seasons Ms. Erraught has sung world premieres, made numerous role debuts, and appeared in recitals and concerts throughout the United States, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

This spring 2019 in addition to her debut with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Erraught can be heard in performances in Germany, France, the United States and Ireland including singing Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with Staatsoper Berlin, appearing on the Deutsche Oper am Rein's AIDS Gala 2019 in Germany; and in debuts with Orchestre National de Lyon and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Savannah Philharmonic (closing their tenth anniversary season), and on Ireland's National Concert Hall International Concert Series. Upcoming announced 2019-20 engagements include a debut with the UK's Holkham Hall Chamber Music Concert Series; returns to Austria's Schubertiade Schwarzenberg in summer 2019, to Wigmore Hall in December 2019 in recital and to the Metropolitan Opera in the title role in La Cenerentola in spring 2020.

In February 2020 Ms. Erraught performs on the closing concert of The Mozarteum Foundation Salzburg's Mozart Week 2020. Recent season highlights include company debuts with Staatsoper Berlin (Donna Elira, Don Giovanni); Welsh National Opera (Angelina, La Cenerentola); Gran Teatre del Liceu (Stephano, Romeo et Juliette); The Metropolitan Opera (Nichlausse/The Muse, Les Contes d'Hoffman and Hansel in Hansel and Gretel); Irish National Opera's first season (Susanna, The Marriage of Figaro); Staatsoper Berlin (Rosina, Il Barbiere di Siviglia); Bayerische Staatsoper (Zweiter Knappe, Parsifal; reprise of Angelina, La Cenerentola; Carlotta, Die Schwiegsame Frau); Ireland's Opera Theater Company (Dona Elvira in the world premiere of Roddy Doyle's new translation of Mozart's Don Giovanni) and Wide Open Opera (Rosina in a new production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia); recital debuts at Austria's Schubertiade, Schwarzenberg, Welsh National Opera's International Concert Series, Vocal Arts DC and South Carolina's Peace Center and a return to the Vancouver Recital Society; the Salzburg Festival (Siebel, new production of Faust with the Vienna Philharmonic), as well as her role debut as Annius in Deutsche Gramophone's live recording of two concert performances of Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito with Joyce DiDonato as Sexto and Rolando Villazon as Tito under Yannick Nézet-Séguin in Baden Baden. Additional opera company credits include the Hamburg Staatsoper, Wiener Staatsoper, Theater an der Wien, Washington National Opera and Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Miss Erraught has made 41 role debuts with the Bayerische Staatsoper alone.

Recital and orchestral performances include, in North America: New York's Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall, Celebrity Series of Boston, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' Terrace Theater, Vocal Arts DC, Kansas City's Harriman-Jewell Series, Ann Arbor's University Musical Society, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. International appearances include the United Kingdom's Wigmore Hall, the BBC Proms, Sir Arthur Bliss International Song Series, Oxford Lieder Festival and Welsh National Opera's International Concert Series; France's Le Grand Foyer Series, Opera de Lille; Japan's Tokyo Opera Nomori; Ireland's National Concert Hall, Music for Galway, Drogheda International Classic Music Series, and solo opera gala concerts with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra; and Munich's Nymphenburg Sommer and Bayerische Festspiele.

Tara Erraught can be heard on Deutsche Gramophone's 2018 Grammy-nominated live concert recording of Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito in Baden Baden in the role of Annius. She can be seen on DVD in the title role of Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier on the Opus Arte label.

A resident principal soloist with the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich from 2010 - 2018, amongst her awards are a prestigious Promeritis scientiae et litterarum (2013) from the Bavarian government in recognition for outstanding contribution to the arts, a 2010 Dublin's National Concert Hall's Rising Star Award, and a 2007 Dermott Troy Award for the Best Irish Singer. A native of Dundalk, Ireland, Tara Erraught is a graduate of the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin.

For over 120 years, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has served the city of Pittsburgh, the residents of Allegheny County, residents from a thirteen county region across Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, and an international audience through touring, recording activities and the orchestra's legacy. The Symphony performs music at the highest level of expression and artistic excellence to enrich the community and provide stellar experiences for its audiences.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
March 8, 2019 at 8:00 PM
March 10, 2019 at 2:30 PM
Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
BERLIOZ The Damnation of Faust
Manfred Honeck, Conductor
Charles Castronovo, Faust
Tara Erraught, Marguerite
Luca Pisaroni, Mephistopheles
Alexander Elliott, Brander
The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, Matthew Mehaffey, Director