Rising young soprano Sara LeMesh is a versatile artist who thrives on singing in a variety of genres, such as opera, art song, and chamber music. An advocate of contemporary music and explorer of neglected works, she has performed in concerts, operas, and recitals at prestigious venues throughout the United States and Europe. She tells us about her non-traditional path to developing her blossoming career.
What does it take for you to inhabit different styles of singing and keep your voice and technique healthy and thriving?
Brooklyn Art Song Society
I try to approach everything from the standpoint of healthy technique, making sure that I’m singing with my own voice, regardless of whether it’s opera, art song, chamber music or new music. At the baseline, that strong technique enables me to be expressive and share the text and honor the composers’ wishes. Of course, there are nuances to each style of singing and it’s important for me to be aware of those predominantly, so that I can understand the kind of dynamic variety and color palette that I’m able to use effectively.
Opera is unique in the sense that, depending on the size of a hall or the orchestra, the palette range for pianissimo, for example, may be slightly altered and exists in relationship to the space you’re in. As opera tends to be grander, it’s important to use a strong sense of vocal technique to inhabit the role but also to understand orchestration and where my vocal range exists in relation to other instruments. Art song and chamber music are luxurious in that you’re often able to create and foster an intimacy because of the smaller ensemble. In the case of art song, if it’s just voice and piano, the color palette could be extremely broad; you’re not as concerned with projection and balance in the same way that you might be with an orchestra.
This is why I really love doing chamber music and art songs because they push me to be as expressive as possible and to remove a lot of limitations. It’s not that opera is limiting; it just has a different set of parameters. Overall, it’s essential to understand what kind of canvas I can play with and what kind of colors I can use that will be relatable and appreciated by an audience, because that’s the most important thing.
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Marie in La fille du régiment with tenor Patrick Bessenbacher
As a recitalist you enjoy exploring historically neglected music as well as new works. Please tell us about that, and about your work as one half of the piano vocal duo Chordless.
I’ve been working with [pianist] Allegra Chapman since 2016 and we just really bonded as very close friends and collaborators. We chose the name Chordless as sort of as a joke, like being free outside of standard Western harmony. As a duo, we try to amplify works of historically overlooked composers and bring to the forefront songs that may have not reached audiences. Chordless is a funny way of representing that we’re quirky and focused on illuminating works that have been in the shadows, outside of tradition.
How do you discover these works?
We keep our eyes open for works by female composers in particular. For example, in one of our concerts, Voices of Identity, of songs from the Jewish diaspora, we included solo works by Fanny Mendelssohn. People know about her but may not realize that she was probably more influential on Felix Mendelssohn than he may have been on her. I’ve been interested in works related to the Jewish diaspora for many years. I studied in Israel from 2021 to 2022 and did a lot of research on modern-day artists there, including many folk musicians and classical singers who had a style of singing that was more native to the Middle East, particularly Yemen. So, we’re reading and digging when we find a song or composer that we like, understanding who their teachers and friends were. We keep running lists individually, and we constantly chat and share.
This exploration ranges from the contemporary back to the 18th century, right?
Yes. Lately, I’ve been working on songs in Ladino, and I had the pleasure of performing a Ladino song outside of Barcelona this past March, which felt very special. I think a lot of Spanish people may be peripherally aware of Ladino music because there was such a large Jewish population there. Many of these songs are medieval yet they sound quite modern. It’s really a pleasure to bring them to people who may not know them at all.
Has your career trajectory surprised you?
It has! I had a very traditional upbringing in terms of education. I started singing lessons at age eight, which were really group lessons and ear training, then I worked with a Swedish woman from the age of twelve to seventeen. She instilled in me the love of art song; we worked on a lot of German Lieder. I also studied classical piano from about eight through college. At first, it was a very traditional trajectory. I went to Rice University for my undergraduate work, and I studied with Susanne Mentzer, who is a huge chamber music aficionado and has a depth of knowledge on art song and a true passion for it. So, I always loved song, and, in many ways, I didn’t think that I would pursue traditional opera. Then I went to Bard college where, at the time, Dawn Upshaw was running the graduate program. She encouraged a real sense of curiosity in the students. I actually fell in love with opera in my late twenties, so it’s funny how this trajectory feels inverse for me. Things take their own time and the path meanders, but the little streams find a river and come together.
Can you share some challenges you encountered as you began your career? What are some things you wish you’d known that you could impart to young singers now?
Isabel Perón in Corpus Evita
Even by twenty-three and with my Master’s degree, I didn’t feel a strong sense of technique. It felt very young, and I hadn’t discovered my true Fach of coloratura soprano. I did quite a bit of choral work after graduate school. I moved back home to the San Francisco area and did a season in the San Francisco Opera’s extra chorus. I tried a few teachers, and sang in a contemporary music ensemble, then I worked in tech for a few years and had stability in my day job life. I needed space to just explore repertoire and different kinds of singing on my own, and that’s when I met Allegra. The challenge was also the internal battle of: do I want to put myself out there with auditions? Do I want to pursue this in a traditional way or am I happy with a more local but rich career in a vibrant city like San Francisco? There’s no right answer. Many young singers are taught that there’s only one way to have a career and that couldn’t be further from the truth. There are as many ways to have a career as there are singers, and it’s really an individual experience. For me, things shifted when I played the role of Bess in Breaking the Waves with West Edge opera in 2019. It was life changing and I realized, wow, this is what opera can be! I had also performed Norina in the Mendocino Music Festival when I was getting my bearings as a soprano. It’s like falling in love when you do a role that sweeps you off your feet and gives you a real spiritual moment of epiphany, of realizing OK, I have to do this!
In 2019, I traveled a lot to Europe to audition and I had this pressure that when I turn thirty, it may be too late. I think a lot of us keep that pressure in mind. This sounds very corny and trite, but if you are singing well and you’re being authentic, even if there are just two people who really get you, the rest will come and it’s going to look different for everybody. What I wish I’d known and done was to give myself a little bit more grace, which would have been nice in that period of auditioning. We need to grant ourselves time and grace to discover who we are outside of school and programs, trusting that it will all work out how it’s really meant to.
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This summer you will sing a solo recital in Italy, is this your first in Europe?
Marie in La fille du régiment with tenor Patrick Bessenbacher
Yes, in Procida; it will be a debut recital thanks to winning first prize at the Mimas Music Festival Competition. I do have some experience in Europe. I auditioned for several European opera studios in 2019 but did not make it past the final rounds. In January 2019, I sang for Barbara Hannigan in Munich and participated in a workshop as part of her Equilibrium Artists initiative. In addition, during college, I worked closely with bass-baritone Ruggero Raimondi at the Mozarteum Conservatory in Salzburg. Most recently, in Fall 2023, I sang in the Grand Finals of the Gabriela Beňackova International Vocal Competition outside Prague. In March 2024, I sang at the Concurs Internacional de Cant Josep Palet in Martorell, Spain, where I won the Third Prize, Audience Choice, and the Museum of Music Award given for the performance of a historical work. That’s when I sang in Ladino, the song Durme, durme, and as part of the prize, I will perform at the Museum of Music in Barcelona with historical instruments—date TBD. It’s great to meet singers in Europe and perform with them in countries with smaller theaters. The U.S. is quite influenced by the Met ecosystem and the large theaters in our vast country. It’s wonderful to get inspired by European singers and feel reminded that, when vocal volume is not necessarily a primary focus, it can be liberating to focus even more on artistry and text.
How do you see your voice and career developing in the next ten years?
I’d like to work in Europe, and I’m open to the idea of a Fest contract as well because I think it could be a great way to learn, grow, and try a lot of different roles with the same team for an extended period of time. That can be very special and promote artistic excellence in its own way. For now, I’ll be going to Florentine Opera as a resident artist in the fall, and I’ll be doing a few concerts with the Brooklyn Art Song Society throughout the year. Beyond that, I do see myself auditioning intensively in Europe and also maintaining a career in the U.S. My big priority is to expand operatic roles in the contemporary as in the bel canto and romantic canon while continuing to do oratorio, chamber, and art song. I think that kind of versatility is very important in today’s day and age, and I love it! It creates a rich musical life and more consistent work opportunities.
Do you feel your voice evolving from coloratura to lyric?
Bess McNeill in Breaking The Waves
Yes. I mean, I just sang Marie in La fille du régiment with the Opera Company of Middlebury, Vermont. But I see myself singing Lucia in the near future and going into lyric coloratura and lyric roles. I’m singing Frasquita in Carmen, but I also see myself singing Micaëla. It depends on the house and the orchestra. Certainly, with my teacher I’m working on maintaining that lyricism and range. A dream is to do Pamina, also Gilda… these roles that are more lyric but also require that coloratura flexibility.
What would you say to the young singers who are starting out?
I would say, check in with yourself and honor what interests you. I think it’s very easy to be caught up in repertoire that’s assigned or in vogue, or to feel influenced by what is being done currently. There is always an inner voice in us as artists that guides us to what we want to share and what we would like to sing. It’s my belief that exploring and feeding those interests will only lead to abundance artistically and personally.
For a detailed bio and additional information, please visit https://www.saralemesh.com/.
