Australian mezzo-soprano Caitlin Hulcup is an exceptionally versatile vocal artist, equally at home on the operatic stage and concert platforms worldwide. Critics have praised her distinctive artistry, describing her voice as “organ-like, round and resonant, with gorgeous overtones” and her performances as, “deeply moving….” (Backtrack)
Since making her European debut at the Wiener Staatsoper as Enriquetta (I Puritani) during an Opera Foundation Australia Award, Hulcup has been enjoying an international career, singing with leading orchestras and conductors and appearing at major opera houses such as the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Théâtre des Champs‑Élysées, Sydney Opera House, the Bolshoi Theatre Moscow, the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, the Theater an der Wien, and Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia.
Among her many concert performances and radio broadcasts, Hulcup is known for her special affinity with works of Gustav Mahler, appearing as a soloist in works including Mahler's 2nd and 8th Symphonies, Des Knaben Wunderhorn (SSO), Das Lied von der Erde and Kindertotenlieder.
Hulcup has consistently garnered high acclaim for her performances across a remarkable range of musical epochs and styles. For instance, critics wrote of her Penelope (Il ritorno di Ulysse in Patria, Monteverdi) for ROH London under the baton of early music specialist Christian Curryn,
" ....her depth of both tone and interpretation.. one of the most significant impressions of the evening. ..certainly one aches to hear more of her in this repertoire, so stylish was her delivery.. " (seenandheard-international.com) and this is matched by acclaim for her Iseult (Le Vin Herbe, Frank Martin) for Welsh National Opera
"..Caitlin Hulcup is a magnificent Iseult. Her voice has an expressive richness throughout her mezzo range. (the guardian) as for her debut as Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier, R. Strauss) under Zubin Mehta for Maggio Musicale Fiorentino "-- ideal in weight and timbre for the title role..she immersed herself in the character with a combination of aristocratic poise and vulnerability that made her hormonally raging teenager extraordinarily sympathetic.' (operabritannica)
To her repertoire of major roles such as Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Idamante (Idomeneo), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Romeo (I Capuletti e i Montecchi) Hulcup has begun adding several Wagnerian roles, including Fricka (Die Walküre) and Fricka (Das Rheingold), which she has performed in Singapore opposite the Wotan of Greer Grimsley.
Her work is documented in numerous recordings and broadcasts, including a recent limited-edition 3-CD reissue of Handel’s Belshazzar on the Harmonia Mundi label with Les Arts Florissants conducted by William Christie, in which Hulcup sings the role of Cyrus in an international cast including Allan Clayton, Rosemary Joshua and Iestyn Davies.
She has a special love chamber music and has given recitals at Piano Salon Christophori with Yaron Rosenthal, at at Kuhlhaus Berlin and Oxford International Song Festival with Sholto Kynoch and at Melbourne Recital Hall and the Huntington Music Festival, among others.
Alongside her performing career Hulcup is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of singers. Formerly serving on the vocal faculty of the Royal Academy of Music, she is currently a Professor of Voice at the Universität der Künste, Berlin and regularly gives masterclasses and workshops internationally.
