ABOUT

New York native Deirdre Lahiff is a mezzo-soprano with musical interests in genres spanning musical theatre and art song to opera and oratorio. Deirdre’s upcoming 2026/2027 season features a return to Sarasota Opera this fall as the Mezzo Soprano Resident Artist and a house debut with the Austin Symphony as the Alto Soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. 

Deirdre began her 2025/2026 season as a Studio Artist with Opera Maine, where she performed the English Teacher and Maid III in Gregory Spear's chamber opera Paul's Case under the direction of Richard Gammon and covered the Beggar Woman in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street under the direction of Dona D. Vaughn. While in Portland, Maine, Deirdre had the immense pleasure of joining American Artists Project, where she was featured in recital. She was invited to her alma mater, Providence College as a guest artist to give a recital in collaboration with acclaimed pianist and composer Michael C. Kregler. To end 2025, Deirdre was featured as the Alto Soloist for the Delaware Valley Choral Society’s Holiday Concert. 

Deirdre began 2026 as an Apprentice Artist with Sarasota Opera for their centennial anniversary season. She performed in La boheme, Susannah, Il trovatore and The Merry Widow which featured the premiere of a new translation. Deirdre also had the pleasure of covering Mrs. Ott (Susannah) and Olga (The Merry Widow), and performed partial roles as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Meg Page in Falstaff, Tisbe in Cenerentola, and Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor. Upon her return from Sarasota, Deirdre joined the West Point Cadet Choir as the Alto Soloist in celebration of the 125th Anniversary Commemoration of the Catholic Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity at the West Point U.S. Military Academy. Deirdre then joined New Camerata Opera for their fresh interpretation of Joseph Bologne’s L’amant anonyme under the direction of Brandon Shaw McKnight. Deirdre was then thrilled to join the Arcadia Symphony’s debut at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium as the Alto Soloist cover for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. She closes out her 2025/2026 season as a Guest Artist with Taconic Opera, singing Maddalena in Rigoletto and La Marquise de Berkenfield in La fille du regiment. 

An avid soloist, Deirdre can frequently be heard on the concert stage. Deirdre performed as the Soprano Soloist in Ravel’s Trois Chansons conducted by Kessa Mefford as part of their Whimsical Birdsong Series, where she is also featured on recording. A dynamic self-starter, Deirdre’s 2023/2024 season also included the creation and production of her own recital series, Sounds of Spring, which debuted in Spring 2024. Now in its third year, Deirdre collaborates with pianists Travis Bloom, William Lewis, and Seth Herbst to give performances in New York City and New York’s Hudson Valley.  

Deirdre’s 2024/2025 season included a return to Cedar Rapids Opera to sing Dame Doleful in Edwin Penhorwood’s Too Many Sopranos, where she also performed scenes from Dvořák’s Rusalka as Ježibaba and Verdi’s Otello as Emilia. She made her third appearance with Cedar Rapids Opera singing the title role in their educational outreach performance of Rusalka, which toured local schools and community centers in the Cedar Rapids area. Deirdre is a former Smith Young Artist with Cedar Rapids Opera, where she performed in their production of Tosca and was featured in recital.

Deirdre’s 2022/2023 season included role debuts as Adalgisa in Bellini’s Norma and the title role in Puccini’s Suor Angelica under the direction of Dan Montez. At New York University, Deirdre was featured in scenes from Le nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, and performed the roles of Idamante (Idomeneo), First Witch (Dido & Aeneas), and Eurydice (Orpheus in the Underworld). She was also featured in recital in collaboration with the Classical Voice Collective. Deirdre earned her Master of Music degree from New York University Steinhardt in the studio of soprano Rosa Vento and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Providence College in the studio of soprano Sarah Dunn. Deirdre is currently based in New York City where she studies with tenor William Burden.

When Deirdre is not performing, she can most likely be found hiking with her rescue dog Prince, recipe testing and cooking for her family and friends, or deeply immersed in the newest thriller novel.