Following her star turn as Lucia di Lammermoor at Glimmerglass Opera, the New York Observer wrote that Sarah Coburn has “qualities that have made legends out of so many of her predecessors, from Adelina Patti to Maria Callas: stage charisma, a thrilling upper register and, crucially, a fearlessness about abandoning herself to opera’s most abandoned heroine.”
The soprano lives in Tulsa with her husband, their three children and their dog. In her Opera Carolina debut, she’ll sing a role that Beverly Sills helped make famous – both on stage and in a 1974 TV special. Sills called the comedic role of Marie “Lucille Ball with high notes.” Learn more about her at sarahcoburn.com.
What’s your favorite role you’ve ever sung?
Massenet’s Manon.
Have you sung Marie before? If so, when and where?
Yes, at Seattle Opera and at Tulsa Opera.
What are you doing to prepare? Are you watching old Beverly Sills videos, by chance?
I am not watching old Sills videos, but maybe I should!
What should people who have never seen The Daughter of the Regiment know about it?
It is a lot of fun and a great opera for first-time operagoers.
What do you do when you’re not singing opera?
Lots! I have three small children, aged 9, 6 and 2½, so most of my time is spent caring for my family, and they are my greatest joy. I also love working in my yard and cooking, and I recently went back to graduate school for another degree. Yes, I am crazy!
Anything you’re looking forward to doing during your time in Charlotte?
Reading in a quiet hotel room.
