Polish-American mezzo-soprano, Sarah Zieba, will be joining the Finnish National Opera as a member of their Young Singers’ Programme this upcoming 2025/2026 season. This summer, she will be a Resident Artist at the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory, where she will perform the main role of Salud in de Falla’s “La Vida Breve.” Other upcoming engagements this spring include the role of Hänsel in Humperdinck’s “Hänsel und Gretel” with the Boston Opera Collaborative, as well as the role of Ginesa in the revival of the Cuban opera “El Caminante” by Eduardo Sánchez de Fuentes’ at the Popayán International Music Festival in Colombia.
Zieba studied with Penelope Bitzas at the Boston University Opera Institute where she performed the roles of Sesto in Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito,” the title role in Massenet’s “Cendrillon,” 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.”
