Brenna McFarland

Brenna McFarland is a light lyric soprano hailing from Washington, D.C. Praised for her silvery tone and charismatic performance, Brenna frequents a wide range of repertoire in concert, sacred settings, and opera. Upcoming: Zerlina in Don Giovanni (International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia), and 2024 Vocal Scholar at the Franz Schubert Institute (Baden, Austria), studying under the greats of German lieder such as Elly Ameling, Helmut Deutsch, and Roger Vignoles. Recent roles include Clorinda in La Cenerentola (Opera McGill), Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro (Winter Harbor Music Festival), Apparition in Macbeth (Maryland Lyric Opera), Lady Anne in Camelot (Charlottesville Opera), First Lady in Die Zauberflöte (Bethesda Summer Music Festival), Johanna cover in Sweeney Todd (Rooftop Productions), and Sister Catherine in Dead Man Walking (James Madison University Opera Theater). She is also a recitalist, presenting three separate solo recitals this past year focusing on German lieder, French mélodie, and Italian Bel canto art song, as well as multiple solo and duet performances of the works of Shütz and Handel in McGill University’s Early Music Ensemble. She recently sang the role of Santuzza in a concert, abridged version of Cavalliera Rusticana with the St. Matthias Singers of Montreal. Prior to this, she was the soprano soloist in excerpts of Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s St John Passion, BWV 245 and Mozart’s Vesperae solemnes de Confessore, KV 339 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (Reston, VA). She was also a soloist in the Christmas concert of the Washington Chorus at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. As for competitions, Brenna won First Place in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Musical Theater regionals division and was a Finalist in their Opera national division hosted in Las Vegas, NV. Brenna is prized for her versatility in singing jazz, musical theater, early music, and opera interchangeably. She loves to sing a myriad of genres at private events around the D.C. area, and is the headliner at a lounge in Georgetown. Brenna is currently in her Masters in Voice and Opera at McGill University under the tutelage of Dominique Labelle. She received dual Bachelors degrees in Vocal Performance and Communications from James Madison University, and was a Young Artist Division Fellow at Bel Canto in Tuscany (Greve in Chianti, Italy).