Brenda Hurley is regarded as one of the leading vocal coaches of her generation
Brenda has worked with many of the world’s greatest conductors, directors and opera singers at international opera houses, festivals and young-artist training programmes.
Born in Dublin, Brenda studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Trinity College Dublin, Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, Guildhall School of Music & Drama and National Opera Studio.
As a répétiteur and vocal coach, she has held full-time positions at Scottish Opera, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Opera North and Dutch National Opera, where she worked for 16 years. She was the director of the International Opera Studio of Opernhaus Zürich from 2012-2020.
Brenda is a leading advocate for the development of young singers, coaching at the Royal Opera House Jette Parker Young Artist Programme, Bolshoi Theatre Young Artists Opera Program, Glyndebourne Jerwood Young Artists Programme, National Opera Studio, New National Theatre Tokyo Opera Studio, Dutch National Opera Studio, Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa Opera Academy, Wales International Academy of Voice and Zürcher Hochschule der Künste. She was a founder member of the Young Singers Project at the Salzburg Festival and continues to coach for this programme each summer.
She is a regular jury member of international singing competitions, such as Le Grand Prix de L’Opera, Les Azuriales, Zinka Milanov Competition, Byulbyul International Vocalists Competition, International Antonina Campi Vocal Competition and Migros-Kulturprozent.
Brenda has been a guest coach at English National Opera, Paris Opera and Ruhrtriennale, and has enjoyed a long association with Glyndebourne, where she won the Janni Strasser répétiteur award. At the Salzburg Festival, she has collaborated with Sir Simon Rattle, Ivor Bolton, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Robin Ticciati. Brenda was a regular guest with The Metropolitan Opera, working as an Assistant Conductor to Valery Gergiev and Evelino Pidò.
She has performed with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg and Freiburger Barockorchester.
In her native Ireland, Brenda has coached for Wexford Festival Opera and conducted The Magic Flute for their Opera Theatre Company. She is a coach and mentor to many generations of young Irish singers and is a member of the vocal staff at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She is vocal consultant for the Irish National Opera Studio.