Sara Jakubiak
The young American soprano Sara Jakubiak has been described as “a singer who is going places and should delight audiences for years to come” by the New Haven Register and possessed of a voice which is “rich and resonant, highly expressive and solid from top to bottom” by Tulsa World.
In 2010–2011, Sara Jakubiak makes her New York City Opera debut as Dede in Bernstein’s A Quiet Place, also appearing in concert in “Lucky to Be Me” for NYCO; debuts with Virginia Opera as Eurydice in Orphée; sings as soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra; and appears in recital with baritone Ross Benoliel for Music at Bunker Hill.
In the 2009–2010 season, she made her debut with Chicago Opera Theater as Beatrice in Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers, sang Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder with Symphony Pro Musica, performed as soloist in Schumann’s Scenes from Goethe’s Faust with the American Symphony Orchestra, and reprised the role of Mimì in La bohème with Syracuse Opera.
Recent engagements included her company debut at Tulsa Opera as Mimì, singing as Countess in Le nozze di Figaro with both the Seoul Arts Center in Korea and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, and as soloist with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in an opera gala concert, and covering Patricia Racette as Magda in La rondine with Los Angeles Opera. She spent summer 2007 as an apprentice artist at Santa Fe Opera, where she covered both the title role in Strauss’s Daphne and Mimì in La bohème, and performed the title roles in both Jenufa and Rusalka in a program of opera scenes. In addition to Mimì, she has also appeared as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Varvara in Kat’a Kabanova, and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Yale Opera.
Other operatic highlights include the roles of Giorgetta in Il tabarro and appearing in Purcell’s The Fairy Queen with the Orchestra Sinfonica Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, Italy as well as both the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro and Blanche in Dialogues des Carmélites with the Cleveland Institute. During her time as a studio artist at Central City Opera, she appeared in a program of opera scenes as the title role in Floyd’s Susannah and Elettra in Idomeneo and performed the role of Musetta in concert excerpts with Maestro Paul Nadler and the Southwest Florida Symphony.
Sara Jakubiak’s concert performance credits include appearing as soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, Britten’s War Requiem, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, and Penderecki’s Credo conducted by the composer with the Yale Philharmonic. She has also performed as soloist in Beethoven’s Mass in C with the Beethoven Festival in Warsaw and sung Messaien’s Poèmes pour Mi in recital at Yale. Ms. Jakubiak is featured on the Naxos label’s eight-volume collection of Charles Ives songs in the series “American Classics,” released in 2008.
Ms. Jakubiak holds master’s degrees from both Yale University and the Cleveland Institute of Music. She was a regional finalist in the 2007 National Council Auditions and was also the recipient of the Judith Raskin Memorial Award from Santa Fe Opera in 2007.