Frances McCafferty is a regular guest artist at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, where she created the role of Yeta Zimmerman in the world premiere of Nicholas Maw’s opera Sophie’s Choice. Her other roles for the Royal Opera have included Mother Goose The Rake’s Progress, Nurse Boris Godounov, The Governess Cyrano de Bergerac, The Mother Lulu, First Maid Elektra and Mrs Trapes The Beggar’s Opera.

Her portrayal of Katisha The Mikado in Jonathan Miller’s production for English National Opera, earned her particular critical acclaim. Her engagements have also included Katisha, Gertrude Hänsel und Gretel, Hostess at the Inn Boris Godunov and Auntie Peter Grimes (Nationale Reisopera), Mother Mavra (Greek National Opera), Hata The Bartered Bride and Mrs Herring Albert Herring (Glyndebourne Festival), Madame Popova The Bear (Cerniers Festival, Switzerland), Soloka Cherevichki (Garsington Festival), Kedruta and Fanny Novakova The Adventures of Mr Broucek (Opera North), Fortune Teller Julietta (Opera North at Ravenna Festival), Mrs Ott Susannah (Carlisle Floyd), the title role in The Medium (Wexford Festival) and La Haine Armide (Buxton Festival).

Frances McCafferty studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music. Companies she has performed with include Opera North, the New Israeli Opera, Stuttgart Staatsoper, Opera Theatre Company Dublin, at the Edinburgh International Festival and festivals in Ireland and Switzerland.

Frances McCafferty has also sung concerts and oratorios with many of the major orchestras in the UK including the City of Birmingham Symphony, the Hallé, the Bournemouth Symphony and the Scottish Chamber Orchestras. Her recent association with Carl Davis has led to concerts in a lighter vein, including programmes of Broadway music with the Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Opera North orchestras. She is a regular guest for Opera Decentralise in Neuchatel, Switzerland, where her engagements have included concert performances of Les Noces, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mussorgsky’s Le Mariage and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle. Most recently Frances McCafferty performed a series of Gilbert and Sullivan concerts at the Grant Park Festival, Chicago.

Miss McCafferty’s recordings include Orpheus in the Underworld Sony, Marcellina The Marriage of Figaro Chandos, Patience and HMS Pinafore TER, Cherevichki Garsington Opera own label, A Night at the Chinese Opera (Judith Weir) NMC and The Contrabandists/The Foresters Hyperion.

Frances McCafferty is currently singing Kedruta and Fanny Novakova The Adventures of Mr Broucek for Scottish Opera. Her future engagements include Bostana The Barber of Baghdad (Cornelius) at Buxton Festival, Mrs Sedley Peter Grimes at the Norwegian Opera and Mother Goose at the Opéra de Lille.