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Sarah Joyce Cooper
has received praise for her "meltingly beautiful" (Opera News) singing and
“passionate power” (Parterre Box). Performances this season include a return
to Carnegie Hall as the soloist in a performance of John Rutter’s Magnificat
and Stephen Schwartz’s When You Believe, an appearance with the Boston Youth
Symphony Orchestra as Clotilde in a semi-staged production of Bellini’s Norma,
and a debut with the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra as the soloist in Strauss’s
Vier letzte Lieder. As an Emerging Artist with Boston Lyric Opera, Ms. Cooper
will appear in mainstage performances of Joseph Bologne’s The Anonymous Lover
as a chorus member, covering the role of Jeannette. Ms. Cooper also looks
forward to making her debut with Seattle Opera as Minnie Tate in Tazewell
Thompson’s Jubilee in October 2024. Recent concert performances include her Carnegie Hall debut as the soloist in Poulenc’s Gloria with the New England Symphonic Ensemble, the roles of Eva and Gabriel in Haydn’s Creation with the MIT Concert Choir and Handel and Haydn Society Chamber Choir, and soloist with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra in Brahms’ Ein Deutches Requiem. Operatic credits include Adina in L’Elisir d’amore (Geneva Light Opera), Clorinda in La Cenerentola (Syracuse Opera), La Charmeuse in Thaïs (Maryland Lyric Opera), Juliette in Roméo et Juliette (Opera Western Reserve), Violetta in La Traviata (MassOpera), Mimì in La Bohème (Opera Theater of Cape Cod/ Boston Opera Collaborative), Micaëla in Carmen (Prelude to Performance), Zerlina in Don Giovanni (Boston Opera Collaborative), Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, and Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro (Savannah Voice Festival). Ms. Cooper has also appeared as a soloist with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Oratorio Society, and the Harvard Radcliffe Chorus. In 2019, she was invited to perform as a soloist with the Du Bois Orchestra in the historic world premiere of Florence Price’s long-lost cantata, Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight. As a competition winner, Ms. Cooper has received awards from the George London Foundation and Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and was nominated for a study grant from the Sarah Tucker Foundation. She also earned top prizes in The American Prize Competition for Opera, Operetta, and Art Song. She was awarded first place in the 2021 International Rocky Mountain Music Festival, based in Toronto, Canada, and was named a winner of the 2022 Montpelier Classical Recital Competition. Most recently, she advanced to Round Two of the 2023 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. As a premed, Ms. Cooper completed her Bachelor’s Degree in French at Princeton University, where she first began to develop the foundation for her “mastery of French style” (Opera News) while conducting research for her undergraduate thesis on sacred themes in the mélodies, romances, and cantiques of Gabriel Fauré. She earned her Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College, where she received the Gwynn Moose Cornell Endowed Award, given to the student who shows the most promise for a career in vocal performance. In addition to performing, Ms. Cooper serves as volunteer Executive Assistant for Help!ComeHome!, a nonprofit dedicated to meeting the needs of under-served communities throughout the US in Jesus’ Name. Ms. Cooper is a regular volunteer with the organization, offering both her musical and administrative skills to further its mission. In her free time, Ms. Cooper enjoys gardening, playing cello, and being active outdoors. A former competitive gymnast, she was awarded top prizes at the annual Massachusetts State Championship meet while competing for the Gymnastics Academy of Boston. 2/24 |