“Sarah Heltzel was perfectly polished and vivacious as the page Cherubino.”
– Seattle Weekly
Lauded by the Seattle Weekly for her “perfectly polished and vivacious” singing, American Mezzo-Soprano Sarah Heltzel made her Seattle Opera debut in 2005 as Siegrune in Stephen Wadsworth’s acclaimed Der Ring des Nibelungen, which she repeats in 2009. Miss Heltzel made a splash by replacing an ill Rhinedaughter in Das Rheingold at the last minute, singing Flosshilde from the orchestra with great success. As a member of Seattle Opera’s Young Artist Program from 2004-2006, Heltzel performed the roles of Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Miss Jessel in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw.
The 2006-2007 season sees Heltzel as Cherubino with Chautauqua Opera, and back in the Pacific Northwest in the title role of Bizet’s Carmen with both Skagit and Tacoma Operas. She also makes her debut with the Seattle Symphony as the Alto soloist in Janacek’s Glagolitic Mass.
While at Manhattan School of Music, where she completed her Master of Music and Professional Studies Certificate, Heltzel made her Alice Tully Hall debut with the New York Symphonic Ensemble as the 2003 recipient of the Panasonic Harmony Award. Credits include Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) with the Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater, Mère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites) with the Israel Vocal Arts Institute, and Second Lady (Die Zauberflöte) at Manhattan School of Music.
Other roles include Giulietta in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, la Messaggera in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, and the title role in Offenbach's The Grand Duchess of Gérolstein.
Ms. Heltzel was a finalist and grant recipient in the 2005 Gerda Lissner Foundation competition, and a winner in the 2004 Sun Valley Opera Competition and the 2002 Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition (Junior division).