ABOUT
ELIZABETH SARIAN
BIOGRAPHY.
Based in New York, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Sarian has been praised for her “pointed, wonderfully appealing lyric mezzo” (Opera Today). She has been particularly celebrated for her portrayals of Mozart’s Cherubino, hailed as “one of the highlights of the performance” (Opera Gene) and whose “joyful incarnation of Cherubino shone with a youthful voice and captivating interpretation" (Opera News).
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This season, Ms. Sarian joins The Metropolitan Opera for the workshop of The Wedding Banquet (Huang Ruo), which premieres in the 2027/28 season at the Met. She then gives a recital at her alma mater, Hofstra University, returns to Annapolis Opera for her role debut as Hansel Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and joins the South Shore Symphony for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
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​Most recently, Ms. Sarian returned to Opera Baltimore for her role debut of Nancy in Britten’s Albert Herring, earning praise for her “bright mezzo-soprano as crackerjack ingenue Nancy,” and made house debuts with Opera Roanoke in Le nozze di Figaro, Knoxville Opera in Cendrillon (Viardot), and Opera Baltimore in their “Thirsty Thursdays at the Opera” series. Ms. Sarian also enjoyed performances of Handel’s Messiah with Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona.
In the 2022/2023 season, Ms. Sarian made her house debut in Annapolis Opera’s production of Le nozze di Figaro, where she was praised as “one of the highlights of the performance, singing and acting and cross dressing” (Opera Gene). Ms. Sarian was also slated to debut with Opera Baltimore as Siebel in Gounod’s Faust (cancelled). Earlier in the season, Ms. Sarian returned to The Atlanta Opera to cover Suzuki in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (her favorite score).
Ms. Sarian’s 2021/2022 season brought much excitement—she was a National Semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and was awarded the Sandra Warfield Prize at the competition’s Eastern Region. Active in competition, she was also previously a Semifinalist in the Houston Grand Opera Concert of Arias. Shortly thereafter, Ms. Sarian joined Opera Theater of Saint Louis’ Gerdine Young Artist Program and made her house debut as Mama in Stewart Wallace’s Harvey Milk Reimagined. She also returned to The Atlanta Opera to portray Nireno and cover Sesto in Giulio Cesare.
"MEZZO-SOPRANO ELIZABETH SARIAN IN A PANTS ROLE AS CHERUBINO WAS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PERFORMANCE"
OPERAGENE
Ms. Sarian is a proud alumna of The Atlanta Opera Studio, where she performed many roles including Flora in La Traviata, The Page in Salome, Tisbe in La Cenerentola, and Sister Lillianne in Dead Man Walking. She was slated to perform the role of Kate Pinkerton and cover Suzuki in Madama Butterfly (cancelled due to COVID-19). She is also a proud alumna of the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program, the Central City Opera Bonfils-Stanton Artist Training Program, and the Opera North Resident Artist Program, where she made her debut as Purcell’s titular Dido.
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Already well established across the operatic and concert repertoire, her additional role credits include Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette, the title role in Massenet’s Chérubin, and Olga in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. On the concert stage, Ms. Sarian has enjoyed many appearances in Handel’s Messiah, performances as Alto Soloist in Elgar’s Sea Pictures (Opus 37), Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and Mozart’s Coronation Mass. She is also an active recitalist.
Ms. Sarian holds both a Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy and Graduate Performance Diploma from The Peabody Institute at John Hopkins University. She is an alumna of Hofstra University and a native of Long Island, New York.
"SARIAN'S VOICE IS WARM, EVEN, AND CLEAR, WITH A DARK CHOCOLATEY TIMBRE AND EXCELLENT DRAMATIC TIMING."
SCHMOPERA