BIOGRAPHY
BIOGRAPHY
Lyric soprano Deirdre Higgins’ love for all things music and theatre began in the Irish midlands where she studied voice, dance, acting, and piano. Now known for her warm and luxurious tone, she grew up exploring many genres of singing, including musical theatre, Irish traditional, and choral music. Prior to her work in opera, Deirdre had her first professional engagements with the renowned Irish vocal group Anúna.
During her Undergraduate Degree (BA Voice and Dance, First Class Honours), she realised her true love lay within the world of classical music and opera. Following this, she went on to graduate with First Class Honours in Masters of Music from the TU Dublin Conservatoire in 2023. She prides herself on being a versatile and dynamic performer, and credits this to her multi-disciplinary pursuits.
One of Deirdre’s most exciting recent projects was when she was selected by the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition to record with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. It is still a thrill for her to hear her rendition of Dvořák’s ‘Song to the Moon’ played on RTÉ Lyric FM, Ireland’s leading classical music station. She has also appeared on RTÉ Radio discussing all things opera and sheep, following an interview with one of Ireland’s most popular magazines, Life Magazine, where she spoke of finding the balance between her rural home life, and the operatic stage.
Deirdre was an Irish National Opera Studio artist from 2023 to 2025. During that time, she covered Mimì (Puccini’s La Bohème), Margeurite (Gounod’s Faust) and Rosalinde (Strauss’s Die Fledermaus). Her highlight of this experience was undoubtedly when she had the opportunity to perform Mimì in the company’s dress rehearsal. She made her debut with Irish National Opera (INO) in Donizetti’s L’Elisir D’Amore where she performed a “sumptuous[…]never less than captivating” Giannetta (The Arts Review).
Deirdre looks forward to continuing her work with INO in their upcoming world premiere of Tarik O’Regan’s Testament where she will sing the role of Martha. Testament will be the third work with libretto by renowned Irish author and librettist Colm Tóibín that Deirdre has premiered. At Wexford Festival Opera she performed in two operas with libretto by Tóibín and music by Alberto Caruso - The Master (2022) and Lady Gregory in America (2024) where she “stamp[ed] their personality on their roles and made a positive impression” with her portrayal of Eileen O’Doherty (operawire.com). Deirdre returns to Wexford again this year as a member of the Wexford Factory, where she will add yet another Caruso/ Tóibín role to her repertoire.
A keen recitalist and concert performer, Deirdre has given recitals as part of the Stanford Festival 2024 and Boyle Arts Festival 2023. Following her success in the 2023 Feis Ceoil, where she took home five Cups including the Gervase Elwes Memorial Cup, she was invited to perform a series of recitals at the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris.
Amongst Deirdre’s career highlights so far was her concert debut with the National Symphony Orchestra as a part of their 2024 Summer Lunchtime Concert Series in the National Concert Hall, Dublin, as her expansive vocals soared over the orchestra with repertoire by Mozart, Puccini, and Gounod. She returned in February 2025 for the Valentine’s Opera Gala as part of ‘Celebrating the Voice’, where she performed solos and duets with the acclaimed Irish mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught. She was awarded the 2024 Bernadette Greevy Bursary for her exemplary display of works by Strauss, Handel, and Irish composer Ailbhe McDonagh. Upon receipt of this award, in October 2025 she performed a recital in the National Concert Hall where she premiered Nocturnes by Irish composer Harry O’Connor.
Alongside her operatic and song repertoire, Deirdre is also making strides within oratorio. Recently performed works include Soprano Solo in Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël and Soprano Solo in Haydn’s The Creation.
Deirdre’s upcoming performances feature her favourite parts of operatic repertoire. She will explore the complexity of contemporary compositions in her upcoming premieres with INO and Wexford Festival Opera (WFO). Meanwhile, in her upcoming debut as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, she has the chance to sink in the luxury and expansiveness of Puccini’s generous composition style, which perfectly complements her full lyric tone.
The opera singer and her pet sheep: ‘I’m up on stage in my ballgown one night, and the next down on the farm with Ruairí in my wellies’
Teaching
Deirdre endeavors to deliver technique focused lessons, whilst providing a fun and relaxed environment for all students. She believes that the best singing comes from students who feel secure and confident in their lessons, and so one of Deirdre’s top priorities is building the confidence of each and every one of her students.
Deirdre has eight years of teaching experience, including individual and group-based lessons. She also facilitated Kodaly based lessons in schools across the Irish Midlands in her time working with Music Generation Offaly/Westmeath. Alongside her BA Voice and Dance and MMusic degrees, she has also participated in numerous professional development courses, including ‘Voice Science Works’ (Laurel Irene and David Harris) and ‘Singing and Teaching Singing’ (Janice Chapman, Lynn Helding, James Platt). With her varied background and training, Deirdre can provide lessons in various genres, including classical, musical theatre, and pop.
