Eva Maria Kavanagh

22-year-old Irish soprano Eva Maria Kavanagh is quickly emerging as one of Ireland’s most exciting young operatic talents. Eva recently completed her Bachelor of Music (BMus) in Vocal Performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM), where she studied under the guidance of Professor Kathleen Tynan and Dearbhla Collins. Their mentorship and support have been instrumental in her development, encouraging and challenging her to grow into the strongest artist she can be. She will continue her studies at RIAM for 2026-2027 on the Recital Artist Diploma programme, having been awarded the John Pollard Bursary.

In 2026, Eva was awarded the Gervase Elwes Memorial Cup and the Dramatic Cup at Feis Ceoil, adding to her multiple first-prize successes at the competition. She is also a finalist in the 2026 Bernadette Greevy Competition at the National Concert Hall.

In 2025, Eva was the first recipient of the Bríd Phelan Emerging Talent Bursary from the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival. She is the winner of the Irené Sandford Award (2024) at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, and a multiple first-prize winner at Feis Ceoil, including the Plunket Greene Cup, Thomas Moore Cup, Merchant Cup and Young Cup. She was also a finalist in the Birr Festival of Music Trench Award (2024) and a recipient of the Canto al Serchio Bursary and the John McCormack Bursary.

In the 2025–2026 season, Eva was chosen to represent RIAM in a prestigious collaboration with the Juilliard School, travelling to New York to perform under the direction of

renowned pianist Iain Burnside. In 2025, she was also selected to represent the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Leipzig, Germany, for a week of masterclasses under Professor Schubert.

Operatic highlights include the title role in El Gato con Botas by Xavier Montsalvatge with RIAM Opera (2026), the role of Rosina in La vera Costanza by Joseph Haydn (2025), and extracts as Fiordiligi in scenes from Così fan tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (2025). She also performed extracts as Norma from Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma in RIAM’s 2026 Opera Scenes Showcase.

Eva has appeared as a soloist with the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival and has performed at the National Concert Hall, as well as at Farmleigh House, Killruddery House, Mount Juliet, and the Austrian and German Embassies in Dublin. Her recital work has taken her to Italy and Germany, and she has been featured on RTÉ Lyric FM.

Eva is delighted to have been selected as a Factory Artist for Wexford Festival Opera and looks forward to joining the programme.