Polish-American mezzo-soprano, Sarah Zieba, recently finished her Performance Diploma as a part of the Boston University Opera Institute studying with Penelope Bitzas. In the 2023/2024 season at the Opera Institute, she appeared as the title role in Massenet’s “Cendrillon” and as Sesto in Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito.” In the 2022/2023 season with the company, she portrayed Jo in Mark Adamo’s “Little Women” and Ruggiero in Handel’s “Alcina.”
Zieba received her Master of Music from Northwestern University in Voice and Opera Performance studying with Nancy Gustafson. She received a Bachelor of Music in Voice and a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry and Biophysics from there as well. With the Northwestern Opera Theater, she sang Brittomara in the Midwest premiere of Jake Heggie’s “If I Were You” in their 2021/2022 season and Mrs. Grose in Britten’s “Turn of the Screw” in the 2018/2019 season.
In past summers, Zieba attended the Chautauqua Institution for Voice where she was the mezzo soloist in Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and performed on recitals coached by Craig Rutenberg and Ricky Ian Gordon.
Recently, she won the RICCO Collegiate Vocal Competition and was featured as the alto soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Rhode Island Civic Chorale & Orchestra. An avid lover of concert work, Zieba has also performed as the alto soloist in de Falla’s “El Amor Brujo” (Boston University) and in Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde” (Northwestern University). Previously, Zieba has performed in masterclasses with Marlena Malas, Brian Zeger, and Barbara Bonney.
“Zieba made a great fit as the most strong-willed of four loving sisters. Her petulance seemed something of an idée fixe, but her vocalisms easily rode the prancing, galloping, slashing, and reverent score…looking like the girl next door, but sounding like a knowing soul we’d like to meet.”
