A woman in a costume with a black hat and pearl details, standing with a partially shadowed face, in front of a colorful stage background, with another person in the background.
The image features a pile of assorted colorful glasses, likely made of plastic or glass, in various sizes and shapes.

Cendrillon

Source is: The Daily Free Press

Zieba enchanted us upon her first note. Her humble yet hopeful portrayal of Cendrillon floated through the audience with melancholy that contrasted the stepsisters’ brashness. Zieba was a natural princess, but her voice held strength beyond its years.

A young woman sitting at a table with a laptop, looking at the screen, in a cozy indoor setting.

Polish-American mezzo-soprano, Sarah Zieba, will be joining the Finnish National Opera as a member of their Young Singers’ Program this upcoming 25/26 season. She was a part of the Boston University Opera Institute studying with Penelope Bitzas where she performed the roles of Sesto in Mozart's "La Clemenza di Tito", the title role in Massenet's "Cendrillon", Ruggiero in Handel's "Alcina", and Jo in Mark Adamo's "Little Women".

Zieba received her Master of Music from Northwestern University where she performed the lead role of Brittomara in Jake Heggie's Midwest premiere of "If I Were You" in February 2022. Her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry is from there as well.

In previous summers, Zieba attended the Chautauqua Institution for Voice where she was the mezzo soloist in Mendelssohn's “A Midsummer Night's Dream” with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and performed the lead role of Salud in Manuel de Falla's "La Vida Breve."

An avid lover of concert work, Zieba has performed Mendelssohn's "Elijah", de Falla's "El Amor Brujo", and Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde." When she is not singing, she loves to hike, travel, work out, and salsa dance. Zieba is originally from Orland Park, Illinois.

  • A young woman sitting on a stage, wearing a white blouse with lace details and a red skirt, with her hair styled in a loose updo, looking thoughtfully to her right.

    Little Women

    Zieba made a great fit as the most strong-willed of four loving sisters. Her petulance seemed something of an idée fixe, but her vocalisms easily rode the prancing, galloping, slashing, and reverent score…looking like the girl next door, but sounding like a knowing soul we’d like to meet.

  • Two women performing on a stage; one is sitting in a chair, eyes closed, the other stands behind her, smiling and looking at her.

    If I Were You

    Brittomara, sung on Saturday by mezzo-soprano Sarah Zieba, was on stage for almost the whole opera and had to seamlessly shift between different vocal styles, singing operatically one moment and like a cabaret singer the next. Zieba’s stylistic flexibility and enigmatic stage presence was impressive

  • Two women performing a theatrical scene. One woman with dark hair, wearing a black costume and crown, leans over a woman with light brown hair, dressed in white, who is seated on a decorated throne and looking up.

    La Clemenza di Tito

    The strong actors energized every scene they entered. Zieba played Sesto as a playful character, ultimately making his betrayal and regret tangible to the audience. We could see the grief eating her alive