Biography
During the 2012 season soprano, Sarah Beckham sings Fiordiligi in Così fan Tutte with Asheville Lyric Opera in North Carolina and Pacific Opera Project in Los Angeles, Mimi in La Bohème , Countess in The Marriage of Figaro with Center City Opera Theater of Philadelphia and Josephine in HMS Pinafore with Opera New Jersey. Sarah also has the pleasure of singing the roles of Ava and Tammy in the world premiere of American composer Michael Ching’s new highly anticipated work Slaying the Dragon. This work will be premiered by Center City Opera Theater at the Opera America conference in Philadelphia this summer.
Sarah’s recent performance of Fiordiligi with Opera in the Heights in Houston was met with high praise. “Soprano Sarah Beckham sings Fiordiligi with undeniable power, using her dramatic vibrato to good effect and expressing her conflicted emotions persuasively.” (Houston Chronicle)
Ms Beckham has performed with companies such as Opera New Jersey where she sang Anna Gomez in Menottii’s The Consul, Sarasota Opera where she sang the role of the Dew Fairy in Hansel und Gretel and covered Nedda in I Paglicacci and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. At Lake George Opera in 2009, Sarah sang the title role in the world premiere of Persis Pershall Vehar’s Opera Eleanor Roosevelt. Vehar later said, “Sarah brought to life a very, gracious and elegant portrayal of the first lady of the world.”
Sarah completed her Masters degree and Artist Diploma at Boston University in 2009 where she performed Musetta in La Bohème, The lady with a Hand-Mirror in Postcard from Morocco, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Laura in the world premiere of Hostage, and the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor, which “received a well deserved hearty applause from the audience” (Seen and Heard International Opera Review).
At the Martina Arroyo Foundation’s Prelude to a Performance, Ms Beckham was thrilled to perform Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro in 2008 and Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi in 2010, which Opera News praised as being “winsome”.
One of Sarah’s proudest moments was performing Fiordiligi with her hometown opera company, Amarillo Opera in their 2009 performance of Cosi fan tutte. After being well received as Fiordiligi, she has since returned to Amarillo Opera in 2011, where she performed Elena in Nino Rota’s The Italian Straw Hat.
Other opera companies with which Ms Beckham has performed include: New York Lyric Opera, Opera North, Opera New Jersey, and Concert Opera Boston. A native of Texas, Ms Beckham received her Bachelors from Baylor University.
