Renowned Canadian singer Erin Marie Wall, 44, passed away on Thursday, Oct. 8th from complications caused by metastatic breast cancer. 

Wall, who was born in Calgary and grew up in Vancouver, is survived by her husband, Roberto Mauro, children Michael and Julia Mauro and parents Michael and Suzanne Wall, as well as many family and friends. 

“Erin was a bright light with an amazing gift and a huge heart. Just as her soul and special gift allowed her to lift the spirits of those she touched, may her spirit shine over all who knew her and forever keep her close to our hearts,” Wall’s obituary read. “The family would like to extend their thanks and gratitude to the amazing medical teams at Princess Margaret and Credit Valley Hospitals.”

Wall was an extraordinary soprano with an international career; she won a Grammy Award and performed with the world’s great symphony orchestras and opera companies. Bewitching audiences with her beautiful voice, theatrical prowess and huge repertoire, Wall swiftly conquered major world operatic stages, including The Metropolitan Opera House, Teatro alla Scala, Wiener Staatsoper, Opéra National de Paris, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Canadian Opera Company, Washington National Opera, Bergen National Opera, Den Norske Opera Oslo, Theater an der Wien, and the Bayerische Staatsoper, among others.

Wall was also an avid concert performer, appearing in the major concert halls, such as the Tonhalle Zürich, Calgary Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, the Concertgebouw, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Bayerische Rundfunksorchester, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Boston Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre de Paris, and the Hessische Rundfunk, among others. She took part in major opera festivals, including Aix-en-Provence, Edinburgh International Festival, and the Grant Park Music Festival.

She was also an avid long-distance runner who completed a New York marathon and two Chicago marathons. 

Wall, who studied at Western Washington University, Rice University, Aspen Music Festival, and Music Academy of the West, left numerous recordings, including the San Francisco Symphony’s recording of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Virgin Classics DVD of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” recorded live at the Aix-en-Provence festival, ArtHaus DVD of Britten’s War Requiem, Handel’s “Messiah,” and Dvořák’s “Stabat Mater,” among others.

To carry on Wall’s legacy of ‘paying it forward’ to future generations of opera artists, her family is establishing the Erin Wall Tribute Fund at the Canadian Opera Company. In lieu of flowers, friends and family are asked to make a donation to the COC to provide vital support to the future of opera and in memory of Erin’s life through this fund.

By Leah Borts-Kuperman for operacanada.ca and Dejan Vukosavljevic for operawire.com.

Photo: Erin Wall in the title role of Arabella at the COC. © 2017 Michael Cooper.