The Met Opera’s “Les Contes D’Hoffmann” Star Erin Morley On Travel And Opera

American soprano Erin Morley stars as Olympia, the iconic pink mechanical doll, in the Metropolitan Opera’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann. The production is streaming Live in HD to cinemas around the world on Saturday, October 5 at 1:00pm ET.

Originally hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah, Erin played the violin and piano as a child and earned a Master of Music voice degree from Juilliard.

She made her Met debut in 2008 and has an illustrious career that includes prominent roles at the Met and beyond, including the title role in Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice, a Met Opera premiere in 2021 and a Live in HD production.

An impressive fact: Erin has sung at more than 100 performances at the Met to date.

I interviewed the coloratura soprano (and now Connecticut native) recently about her role models in business, her fondest New York memories and her best tips for those attending the opera.

My favorite opera that’s not my own is:

Madama Butterfly — I will never sing her but I adore this role dramatically and musically. The closest I get is Lakmé, which is essentially the same story.

My pre-performance ritual:

I keep the day free, and I rest my voice for as much of the day as I can. I do some body work, exercise and stretching. Then around 3pm — pretty consistently on schedule — I start to feel some nerves creeping in…it doesn’t last long. Then I eat a nice hearty salad and go to the theater to start vocalizing. I usually eat a banana at intermission to relax my larynx.

After a performance, I…

Eat something small, and go to bed as soon as my mind will let me! Sometimes that means 3:00 AM…

My favorite kind of operagoer (does what):

Stays until the end of the curtain calls! We can see you leaving while we’re bowing and it makes us so sad. Stick it out, we’ll love you for it. 🙂

My role model in business is:

Beverly Sills and Renée Fleming. These women both managed to bring opera to mainstream American audiences with such joy and grace. Renée in particular is an artist I’ve admired from my earliest training days. I’ve watched her build an empire while maintaining a gorgeous instrument and doing so much for the art form. I’ll forever be in awe of her.

The best piece of career advice I’ve gotten is…

Never stop studying. You can’t possibly learn all you need to know about an operatic career in college. Keep studying voice, languages, acting, and take care of your instrument.

Get the most out of an opera by…

Going with friends! Make it a shared experience, go to a fabulous dinner beforehand, chat during intermission, make it a party.

The Restaurant I love most near the Met is…

Lincoln Ristorante is lovely. A bit off the beaten path but also close by is a little French jewel called La Boîte en Bois.

The morning after a big performance, I…

Sleeeeeeeep! I’m careful to give my voice a chance to recover the day after a big sing. And then I do something entirely different that has nothing to do with music. Something touristy, something slow-paced with my kids.

My preferred way to destress is to…

Snuggle on the couch with a cup of tea and a good nature show.

The destination I love to travel to most for work is…

Oooooh this one is too hard! I love Paris, London, Munich, Milan, Barcelona, and Vienna, but this last year I sang in Venice for the first time and I have to say, I really fell in love with it. I love being close to the water and Venice of course makes you feel very connected to it.

My favorite spot in New York is…

My husband and I have lots of happy memories with our kids at Heckscher Playground and the Sheep’s Meadow in Central Park. And I really love walking by the piers on the west side near sunset. Brooklyn Bridge is so iconic and so fun. And last winter we also finally took our kids ice skating at Rockefeller Center and I have to say it was pretty magical!