American mezzo-soprano Irene Roberts made her acclaimed debut as Venus in Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser at the Edinburgh International Festival 2023, followed by her highly successful debut as Kundry in the new production of Richard Wagner’s Parsifal at the Staatsoper Hannover, a role she will also sing at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Bayerische Staatsoper in the current season. She will also make her debuts at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo as Brangäne (Tristan and Isolde) and at this year’s Bayreuth Festival as Venus in Tobias Kratzer’s acclaimed Tannhäuser production.

Irene Roberts was born in Sacramento (California, USA) and studied voice at the University of the Pacific and the Cleveland Institute of Music. She is a graduate of the Palm Beach Opera’s Young Artist Programme and a winner of the 41st Palm Beach Opera Singing Competition.

Irene Roberts has been a member of the opera ensemble at the Deutsche Oper Berlin since 2015/16, where she has convinced in roles such as Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Marguerite (La damnation de Faust), Nicklausse (Les contes d’Hoffmann), Urbain (Les Huguenots), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) and in the title role of Carmen.

Irene Roberts made several significant debuts in the 2022/23 season, beginning with her house debut at the Opéra National de Lyon as Venus in David Hermann’s new production of Tannhäuser under the baton of Daniele Rustioni, before making her debut at the Deutsche Oper Berlin as Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde under the baton of Sir Donald Runnicles. She also made her Japan debut at the New National Theater Tokyo as Amneris in Aida under the baton of Carlo Rizzi, followed by her debut with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as Marie in Wozzeck under the baton of Sir Donald Runnicles.

Guest engagements in the last seasons have taken her to the Opéra National de Lorraine and the Opéra de Dijon in the title role in Julie by Philippe Boesmans, to the Stadttheater Klagenfurt as Venus, to the Dutch National Opera as Muse/Nicklausse, to the Teatro la Fenice in Venice as Amneris in Aida, to the Macerata Opera Festival as Carmen. Roberts also has a close relationship with the San Francisco Opera where she made her debut in Les Contes d’Hoffmann in 2013. She has since returned as the title role in Calixto Bieto’s US debut production of Carmen, the world premiere of Bright Sheng’s Dream of the Red Chamber and as Dorabella in a new production of Così fan tutte. Past engagements have included Le nozze di Figaro and Parsifal at the Metropolitan Opera, Don Giovanni, Madama Butterfly, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and Ariadne auf Naxos at Palm Beach Opera, L’Italiana in Algeri with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Marschner’s Der Vampyr at New Orleans Opera, Il barbiere di Siviglia with Atlanta Opera, and Gounod’s Faust with Lyric Opera Baltimore.

Irene Roberts can be heard on Opera Rara’s studio recording as Malvina Douglas in Mercadante’s Il Proscritto, under the baton of Carlo Rizzi, which was released in 2023.

On the concert stage, Roberts embarked on a five-city tour of France in May of 2017 with the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France as a soloist for Rossini’s Stabat Mater under the baton of Enrique Mazzola. Roberts made her debut at London’s Wigmore Hall in 2016 in recital with tenor Bryan Hymel and pianist Julius Drake. Previous concert engagements include performances with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.