Mairéad Hurley studied piano under Rhona Marshall at the RIAM and music at UCD, graduating from there with a BMus. Further studies include the répétiteur course at the London National Opera Studio and a First Class Honours MMus degree (performance) at TU Dublin Conservatoire.

Mairead was Head of Music at Opera Ireland from 1998 to 2010 and with a repertoire of over seventy operas, she has also worked for Wexford Festival Opera, Opera Theatre Company, Opera Northern Ireland, Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, Lyric Opera, RTE Proms, the NSO and the RTE Concert Orchestra. More recently, she has been chorus mistress for Blackwater Valley Opera Festival. Productions to date include L’Elisir d'Amore, L'Italiana in Algeri, and Don Pasquale.

Mairead performs regularly in recital, work which has taken her to many venues at home and abroad including the NCH, John Field Room, Wexford Festival, Boyle Festival and the Wigmore Hall, London. She has officiated at many music festivals and Masterclasses throughout the country and also officiated for Gerhard Markson’s very successful series of conducting classes in conjunction with the NSO and Dublin Masterclasses.

From 2010 until 2021, Mairead was Head of Vocal, Opera and Drama studies at TU Dublin Conservatoire. She continues her work in the Conservatoire as répétiteur in the vocal department and is external examiner for the MMus Performance in Répétiteur at the Royal Scottish Conservatoire. She is currently studying for a Masters in Psychotherapy at Turning Point Institute.