Biography
Aylish Kerrigan, born in San Francisco to Irish immigrants, studied singing at the University of Oregon with a master’s degree.
After winning prizes at international singing competitions, she continued her studies at the State University of Music in Stuttgart, where she received a diploma in solo singing in the subjects of opera and songs.
She has given concerts in the USA, numerous European countries, Russia and the People’s Republic of China, where she has held a professorship at the “Conservatory of Music” in Wuhan since 1994.
In Wuhan, she also set up a competition for German song art - the first and only one of its kind - and began setting up a foundation to promote this music for Chinese students.
In 2007 she began setting up an Irish music library in Wuhan. In 2011, she was named a “Chu Tian Scholar” by the Chinese Ministry of Education, one of China’s highest academic honors.
Aylish Kerrigan received a doctorate (PhD) in 2009 for her research on the vocal works of Arnold Schönberg. Her dissertation was published as a book by Peter Lang Verlag in 2011.
From 2011 to 2014 she led the intercultural project GRENZTÖNE in Stuttgart, incorporating contemporary American, Irish, Chinese and German music, which will be followed in 2015 by GRENZTÖNE “The Music of Women” with international female composers.
Artistic direction
Radio and television recordings document the extraordinary timbre of her voice and the fascination of her artistic expression.
In addition to her intensive study of German songs, she is particularly dedicated to the interpretation of contemporary music, which she has given world premieres of. She is one of the best performers of contemporary Irish music. Through the classical training of her voice, she has also achieved a distinctive style in the interpretation of traditional Irish singing. Through her collaboration with recognized Brecht specialists such as Gisela May and Peter Palitzsch, she gained a reputation as an interpreter of German theater music.
