Meet Erin
Lauded by the Washington Post as having a “smooth and charismatic lyric soprano”, Erin Ridge is a D.C. based multidisciplinary artist making a name for herself as both a lyric soprano and stage director. Combining versatile artistry with a probing intellect and commanding stage presence, Erin delivers compellingly honest performances both on and off the stage.
This season, Erin is looking forward to a wide variety of artistic engagements including debuting as the soprano soloist in the Verdi Requiem with the Berklee Community Chorus & Orchestra, joining the Vocal Immersion Program at The Castleton Festival, directing a double bill of Hoiby one-act operas - The Italian Lesson & Bon Appétit - with Loudon Lyric Opera, covering the title role in Opera Baltimore’s Lucrezia Borgia, and making her Penn Square Opera debut as Susan in The Filthy Habit.
Recent performance highlights include…
In this most recent season, Erin has explored her love of concert work and has made her debut as a soloist in the Verdi Requiem with Berkley Community Chorus & Orchestra, Knoxville Summer of 1915 with Great Falls Philharmonic, Mahler’s 4th with Trinity Chamber Orchestra, and Handel’s Messiah with the Washington Conservatory of Music.
A fierce competitor, Erin has been the recipient of many awards in the US and Europe. She has taken home 1st place at the American International Czech & Slovak Voice Competition, 3rd place the National Society of Arts and Letters National Voice Competition and International Dvořák Opera & Song Competition, been an Encouragement Award winner of the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition, and top 10-finalist for the Partners for the Arts and the Elizabeth Connell Dramatic Voices International Competition in London.
On stage, Erin has applied her versatile artistry to roles including Diana (Iphigénie en Tauride), Laura (Luisa Miller), Cleone (Ermione), Vixen (The Cunning Little Vixen), Sandrina (La finta giardiniera), Mrs. Coyle (Owen Wingrave), Baker’s Wife & Lucinda/Cinderella cover (Into the Woods). Erin is also a regular AGMA chorus member of the Washington National Opera, Washington Concert Opera, and Wolf Trap Opera. Equally at home with Palestrina as she is Puccini, Erin is the soprano soloist and choir member at the historic Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes in downtown DC.
As a self-proclaimed lover of song, Erin adores curating recitals and has presented programs including Into the Silent Land - a one woman show about the journey of meditation produced during her artist residency with The Apiary, The Last Rose of Summer - presented by Cardella Salon Series, and Amor, se aparté! at the Arts Club of Washington featuring spanish art songs and spanish-inspired duets.
Her passion for embodied storytelling led her to directing…
A champion of multi-disciplinary artistry, Erin has thrived in creating a multi-faceted opera career not just as a singer, but also as a stage director. This summer, she made her European directing debut with Suor Angelica in the historic St. Simon & St. Jude Church as part of Prague Summer Nights - Presto. Previous productions include La bohème (Maryland Opera Studio), Serbian chamber opera Svadba (Peabody Institute - Johns Hopkins University), and the first Spanish production of children’s opera Lucinda y las Flores de la Nochebuena (Vanderbilt University). She has also served as an Assistant Director for productions including Ceiling/Sky (InSeries), La bohème (Annapolis Opera), and Die Zauberflöte (Maryland Opera Studio). Erin is a certified Consent-Forward Artist with Intimacy Directors & Coordinators.
Passionate about nurturing the next generation of opera creatives, Erin is a returning faculty member at the Duke Ellington Performing Arts High School and Prague Summer Nights young artist program teaching acting for singers and directing scenes programs and operas.
Erin holds degrees in opera performance from Vanderbilt University and the University of Maryland and currently resides in Washington, DC. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her wonderful husband Jordan cruising around DC on their Vespa and drinking Belgian trappist beer.