| Biography | Born in Dublin into a famous horseracing family, Virginia was reared and continues to live in Co Meath. She was educated by the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny at the prestigious Mount Sackville School in Castleknock where she came under the guidance of the renowned Sr. Peter Cronin who was her first voice teacher. Moving to the Royal Irish Academy of Music Virginia continued her studies with the late Michael O'Higgins. Winning the Player/Wills Vocal Bursary at Feis Ceoil took her to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where her teacher was Rudolf Piernay.
Returning to Ireland, Virginia made her recital debut at Dublin's Institute of Adult Education in December 1980 with her professional operatic debut following in 1981 as The Countess in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro at the Theatre Royal in Wexford in a production by Young Irish Artists, a company formed by Virginia Kerr and the baritone Joseph Brown to give young Irish singers an opportunity to work with a professional orchestra in a professional setting. Virginia sang the role of Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte with the Company in 1982.
Her first appearance with the Dublin Grand Opera Society came in 1985 as Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen, returning as Léïla in Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles in 1987, Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni in 1988 and Elvira in Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri in 1992. With the advent of Opera Ireland, Virginia Kerr appeared in the roles of Bianca in Zemlinsky's Eine Florentinische Tragödie and Zita in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi in 2005 and Mrs Patrick de Rocher in Heggie's Dead Man Walking in 2007.
Following the formation of Opera Theatre Company in 1986, Virginia Kerr was invited to join the Company in its initial season undertaking the role of The Governess in Britten's The Turn of the Screw. In 2002 she appeared as Vendulka in Smetana's The Kiss and as Mrs Grose in The Turn of the Screw in 2004. Serving on the board of Opera Theatre Company since 2003, Virginia was elected the Company's chairperson the following year and continues to occupy that position. Elsewhere in Ireland has found Virginia Kerr with Castleward Opera in 1996 in the title role of Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, with Opera Northern Ireland in 1997 as Elettra in Mozart's Idomeneo and Cork Opera in 2000 as Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata. Virginia was the winner of the Golden Voice of Ireland in 1981 and was honoured with the Margaret Burke Sheridan Award in 1996.
Operatic appearances abroad began as The Governess in Britten's The Turn of the Screw for Birmingham Touring Opera in 1983. This was followed by the title role in Janácek's Jenufa for Scottish Opera in an acclaimed production, which received the Classical Music Award at the Brighton Festival in 1988. Among many engagements for this Glasgow based company have been the title role in Richard Strauss's Salome, Helmwige in Wagner's Die Walküre, Julie in Dvorák's The Jacobin and the Bride in the premiere production of Judith Weir's The Vanishing Bridegroom as part of Glasgow's Year of Culture programme in 1991. Virginia's Royal Opera House Covent Garden debut came in 1994 as Ortlinde in Wagner's Die Walküre, a role she sang in subsequent revivals, one of which marked Placido Domingo's London debut as Siegmund. Since then she has appeared there as Jenifer in Tippett's The Midsummer Marriage, the Woman in Schönberg's monodrama Erwart ung and Guinevere in Harrison Birtwistle's Gawain. For Opera North, Virginia has taken the role of Grete in Franz Schreker's Der Ferne Klang in Brigitte Fassbaender's debut as an opera director and has appeared at the Glyndebourne Festival as Glasa in Janácek's Káta Kabanová in a production that was also heard at the BBC Proms in London's Royal Albert Hall. At the 1995 Aldeburgh Festival Virginia was involved in the premiére of Nicola Le Fanu's "The Wildman" her role being written with her voice in mind.
In continental European houses Virginia Kerr has made many highly successful appearances including Leipzig as Anita in Krenek's Jonny Spielt Auf, in Malta as The Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, in Nantes as Ortlinde in Die Walküre and most recently in Moscow in the title role of Puccini's La Tosca.
Virginia Kerr is equally at home in the world of operetta with Rosalinda in Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus among many roles but, probably, none has been more successful than her Hanna Glawari in Lehár's The Merry Widow of which an Irish Independent reviewer wrote "The production could hardly have a finer asset than Virginia Kerr in the title role. A stunning appearance is matched by ravishing vocal delivery and the bewitching Vilja-lied is sung with beauty of tone and elegance of phrasing."
Singing with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Hallé, Leipzig Gewandhaus, London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic, Virginia's concert engagements have ranged from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to Tippett's oratorio A Child of our Time. Her concert and recital programmes have taken her throughout Europe and to North and South America. Of one performance a reviewer in the USA Clarion Ledger wrote, "If only every day could end with hearing Virginia Kerr sing Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs. Kerr gave a masterful performance capturing the essence of the work, her eloquent interpretation was a reminder that our brief life cycles should be embraced."
Virginia Kerr has also made a significant contribution to contemporary music and is much in demand for her interpretations of new works. In 1994 she gave the first Irish performance of Tippett's Yeats setting Byzantium, with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Colman Pearce, in the presence of the composer. As part of the RTÉ Second Viennese School Weekend in February 2002 she gave memorable performances of Schönberg's Erwartung and Pierrot Lunaire. The Sunday Tribune reviewer commented on "her riveting performance" of Erwartung and that "She sailed effortlessly and fearlessly over Schönberg's huge orchestra with immaculate diction and a scarily vivid characterisation, a tour de force in every way." Virginia has continuously championed new music by Irish composers giving many premiéres including that of Gerard Victory's extended oratorio Ultima Rerum in 1984 at the National Concert Hall in Dublin conducted by Colman Pearce, which was later recorded on the Marco Polo label.
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