Glass Shatterers! Erin Morley flies to thrilling vocal heights

~The "Glass Shatterers!" series highlights sopranos who sustain High F, or sing higher. THE SONGBIRD: American soprano Erin Morley was born in Utah in 1980 to musical parents. She studied at Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School. Morley made her debut with New York City Opera in 2006 as Giannetta in "L’Elisir d’amore" and sang Zerbinetta at Wolf Trap in 2008. Her Met debut came in 2008 in a small role in "Manon Lescaut" followed by several seasons there in similar small roles until her breakout appearance stepping in as Sophie in "Der Rosenkavalier" in 2013. More leading roles for The Met followed including Olympia, Pamina, Gilda, Marie, and Eurydice in the premiere of Aucoin's opera. She has sung at Santa Fe Opera, Los Angeles Opera, and Washington Concert Opera, and has made international appearances at La Scala, Wiener Staatsoper, Staatsoper Berlin, Semperoper Dresden, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opéra National de Paris, Covent Garden, and Glyndebourne Opera. Morley is a prominent concert soloist with leading orchestras. I am fortunate to have heard Morley as Tytania in Santa Fe and in recital in Dallas. THE MUSIC: "Alcina" was composed for Handel's first season at Covent Garden in London, premiering in 1735. The opera soon fell into obscurity and was not performed again until a production in Leipzig in 1928, followed by occasional revivals and recordings; today it is one of Handel's most popular and widely produced operas. It's one of Handel's "magic" operas with sorcery and spells woven throughout the plot. Alcina and Morgana are sisters and sorceresses, who both fall in love with mortals who trick them. Morgana ends Act One with one of the opera's best known arias, the bravura "Tornami a vagheggiar" where she emphatically reaffirms her love for Ricciardo, a knight who is actually a woman, Bradamante, in disguise. In this performance Morley interpolates to High E-flats and a cadenza to a sustained High F.