Morag McLaren

Morag McLaren (born 1957) is a Scottish soprano singer, director and vocal coach. She has performed in opera, musicals, concerts, one woman shows and cabaret acts.

Early life and education McLaren was born in Edinburgh and attended The Mary Erskine School. She graduated with a Bachelor of Education in Music where she studied singing with Frederic Cox. She completed an MA degree with distinction in Performance Health and Personal Development at London College of Music.

Performing career McLaren played principal roles in the West End (Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera, in 1988–1989, She also had principal roles with Scottish Opera (Lucy in Threepenny Opera in 1990) and Welsh National Opera (The Mother, the Dew Fairy and the Witch in Hansel and Gretel in 1990–1991).

She has also performed in cabaret acts alone and as part of Any Tessitura, a group comprising McLaren, David Bexon and Marion McCullogh and accompanist Tony Stenson,

Directing and coaching McLaren was the founder and principal trustee of The Cooper Hall Foundation charity, which promoted music performances, education and the development of creative projects at Cooper Hall near Frome, Somerset. There, between 2013 and 2015, she directed the operas The Turn of the Screw, Hansel and Gretel, and Cosi Fan Tutte for Frome Festival, in collaboration with Bath Philharmonia, with a workshop focus. She was appointed Patron of Frome Festival in 2013.

McLaren also directed Dido and Aeneas at London College of Music. With mezzo-soprano Theresa Goble, she co-founded Vox Integra in 2012, which offered vocal coaching.

She is one of 20 opera singers featured in the 2018 book Opera Lives by Linda Kitchen.

Personal life She is married to a director of a US investment bank,