Scottish mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and was the winner of the 2002 Kathleen Ferrier Award. She made her Royal Opera debut in 2012 as Waltraute (Die Walküre) and Second Norn (Götterdämmerung) in Der Ring des Nibelungen, and has since sung Dryad (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Waltraute (Götterdämmerung).
Karen is an active concert performer and regularly sings with the Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Rotterdam, Seoul and Berlin Philharmonic orchestras, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and with conductors including Bernard Haitink, James Levine, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Simon Rattle, Donald Runnicles, Robin Ticciati, Esa-Pekka-Salonen, Daniele Gatti and Daniel Harding. She is a keen recitalist, sings regularly at the Wigmore Hall and made her US recital debut in 2015 at Carnegie Hall, New York.
Karen’s operatic appearances include Waltraute (Götterdämmerung) for Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Metropolitan Opera, New York, and Canadian Opera Company, Anna (Les Troyens) for the Metropolitan Opera, Brangäne (Tristan and Isolde) and Suzuki (Madam Butterfly) for English National Opera and Isabella (L’italiana in Algeri) and Judith (Bluebeard’s Castle) for Scottish Opera. Her recordings include an acclaimed CD of songs by Gustav and Alma Mahler with Simon Lepper for Linn Records.
In July 2018 Karen was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She is also Patron of the National Girls’ Choir of Scotland.