Frances McCafferty
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, Duenna Cyrano de Bergerac, The Mother Lulu, First Maid Elektra, Mrs Trapes The Beggar’s Opera and The Governess in Pique Dame.
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 all for the Nationale Reisopera. At the Greek National Opera she performed the Mother Mavra, and for Glyndebourne Festival Opera she appeared as Hata The Bartered Bride and Mrs Herring Albert Herring. Other engagements have included Madame Popova The Bear at Cerniers Festival, Switzerland, and Soloka Cherevichki for Garsington Festival. At Wexford Festival she performend Mrs Ott Susannah (Carlisle Floyd) and the title role in The Medium. She also sang La Haine Armide and Bostana The Barber of Baghdad (Cornelius) at Buxton Festival, Mistress Quickly Falstaff for English National Opera, and Madame Popova The Bear and the title role in The Medium with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
Frances McCafferty’s many roles with Opera North have included Filipyevna, Mistress Quickly, Geneviève Pelléas et Mélisande, Fortune Teller Julietta (Martinů), Ericlea Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria, Third Lady The Magic Flute and Public Opinion Orpheus in the Underworld. She has also appeared with New Israeli Opera, Stuttgart Staatsoper and Opera Theatre Company Dublin, and in concert at the Edinburgh International Festival, Three Choirs Festival and festivals in Ireland and Switzerland.
Frances McCafferty has also sung concerts with the City of Birmingham Symphony, the Hallé, Bournemouth Symphony and Scottish Chamber orchestras. Her association with Carl Davis has led to concerts in a lighter vein, including programmes of Broadway music with the Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Concert and Opera North orchestras, and a recording of World War Two songs conducted by Carl Davis. She is a regular guest for Opera Decentralise in Neuchatel, Switzerland, where she has sung concert performances of Stravinsky’s Les Noces, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mussorgsky’s Le Mariage and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle. She made her American debut in a series of Gilbert and Sullivan concerts at the Grant Park Festival, Chicago.
Miss McCafferty’s recordings include Public Opinion Orpheus in the Underworld for Sony Records, Marcellina The Marriage of Figaro for Chandos, Patience and Buttercup HMS Pinafore for TER, Solok Cherevichki for Garsington Opera’s own label, Mrs Chin and The Old Crone A Night at the Chinese Opera (Judith Weir) for NMC, Marian The Foresters and Inez.The Contrabandista for Hyperion, Mrs Trapes The Beggar’s Opera for Chandos and a DVD of Yeta Zimmermann Sophie’s Choice on the Opus Arte label.
Frances McCafferty recently sang Mother Goose The Rake’s Progress at the Opéra de Lille, Mrs Sedley Peter Grimes at the Norwegian National Opera and Second Patient A Dog’s Heart for English National Opera. Her forthcoming engagements include Filipyevna Eugene Onegin for English Touring Opera, Mrs Sedley Peter Grimes with the Norwegian National Opera at Savonlinna Festival, and her début at the Teatro alla Scala as Second Patient A Dog’s Heart.
November 2011
