Mahsheed Massarat

• Certified Artist Award 2022, Young Artist/Emerging Pro Division, CS Music. 2022
• Professional Development Grant Award, San Francisco Conservatory of Music 2020
• Professional Development Grant Award, San Francisco Conservatory of Music 2019
• Chicago Summer Opera Principle Artist Scholarship Award 2019
• San Francisco Conservatory of Music Graduate Scholarship Award 2018-2020
• Opera Nova CR Young Artist Scholarship, Opera Nova CR, UO Opera Ensemble Maud 2017
• Densmore Vocal Scholarship, University of Oregon 2016-2017
• Exine Anderson Bailey Vocal Scholarship, University of Oregon 2013-2017

Mahsheed Massarat, mezzo soprano is an aspiring international artist and graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, earning a Master of Music in Voice Performance and Opera in May 2020. She continues to study with acclaimed Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano, Susanne Mentzer. During her time at the conservatory Ms. Massarat was the recipient of multiple accolades including a two-year Graduate Scholarship Award and a two-time recipient of SFCM’s professional development grants. In 2018 she sang the role of Mrs. Peachum in Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera with SFCM’s musical theatre department as well as the title role of Bizet’s Carmen and Second Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte in the SFCM Opera Scenes Program in 2019. In 2019 she made her principle role debut at the Chicago Summer Opera as Cornelia in Handel’s Giulio Cesare in addition to preparing several opera scenes. She sang the Act One Finale of Cosi fan tutte as Dorabella, The Quintet from Carmen as Mercedes, and The Evening Prayer and Act Three Scene One from Hänsel und Gretel as Hänsel. She also did a spoken French role of Le garde-champêtre in the program’s production of Le mariage aux lanternes by Offenbach. In 2020, Ms. Massarat sang the role of Matilda in Handel’s Ottone as well as chorus in David Conte’s Firebird Motel.

She also holds a BM in Voice Performance from the University of Oregon, where she studied with mezzo-soprano Milagro Vargas and was the recipient of multiple scholarships. In the UO Opera Ensemble she covered Dorabella in Cosí fan tutte and sang the title role of Handel’s Giulio Cesare in the 2017 UO Opera Scenes Program. She then served a young artist residency at the Opera Nova Costa Rica International Opera Training Program under Karen Esquivel and Gustavo Castro. She performed scenes as Isabella from Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri, Cornelia from Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Maddalena from Verdi’s Rigoletto with role study, Acis in A. Llitres’ Acis y Galatea, Doña Frasquita from M. Panella’s El Gato Montes.

During 2021-2022, Ms. Massarat as continued to teach, audition for opera companies and young artist programs as well as prepare to apply for competitions. She is also preparing to sing on a Opera and Musical Theatre Scenes Concert alongside the other voice faculty at CU Music School. The performance will include scenes with Ms. Massarat as Amneris in the Act II scene and duet from Verdi's Aida, Olga from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, and Carmen from Bizet's Carmen in the Card Trio Scene. Musical Theatre on the concert will include Ms. Massarat as Anita from Bernstein's Westside Story, Evita from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, and Aida from Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida.

When Ms. Massarat is not performing, she enjoys teaching voice and currently serves as a lead voice instructor and administrative assistant for the Colorful Universe Music School of Santa Clara, California as well as teaching for Westside Music School and and her private studio currently based in Portland, Oregon.