EMILY SIERRA
EMILY SIERRA
mezzo-soprano
 
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Biography

About the Artist

Emily Sierra, lauded for her "marked lyricism,...rare quality of timbre, [and] ...suave voice", is a Cuban-American mezzo-soprano currently singing in the Ensemble of the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. Sierra began her European career in the Opera Studio of the Bayerische Staatsoper, after having been awarded the Opera Foundation Scholarship for the 2021/22 season. Roles in the 2023/24 season include: Idamante (Idomeneo), Tisbe (La Cenerentola), Clotilde (Norma), La Ciesca (Gianni Schicchi), Dritte Magd (Elektra), and Fyodor (Boris Godunov). She also makes her main stage US debut as Stéphano (Roméo et Juliette) at Dallas Opera… (biography continued)

 

News

Emily Sierra Announced as a Sara Tucker Study Grant Recipient…

Bayerische Staatsoper 24/25 Season Announced…

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Press

“Impetuously passionate and radiantly warm: Emily Sierra and Emily Pogorelc form a dream couple in Mozart’s “Idomeneo” at the National Theater.”
— Süddeutsche Zeitung, 28 Sept 2023
“It is the two roles of mezzo-soprano Emily Sierra as Idamante and American soprano Emily Pogorelc as Ilia that catch the attention of regulars on the Munich stage… Mezzo-soprano Emily Sierra sings her first major role as a member of the Munich troupe, after training at the Opera Studio. A role supported by good technique, a seductive timbre and a nuanced lyricism in the expression of emotional variations.”
— Luc-Henri Roger, 29 Sept 2023

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Discography

 

Instagram

Wien war ein Traum ✨ Going through photos from the last couple months — I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the calm start to the season in this beautiful city with the most wonderful people 🫶 1. Daily view on my walks with Franklin 2.
Wien war ein Traum ✨ Going through photos from the last couple months — I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the calm start to the season in this beautiful city with the most wonderful people 🫶 1. Daily view on my walks with Franklin 2. My boys @leoleofotos 3. The BEST souvenir 4. Architectural beauties 5. He’s so cute, I can’t handle it 6. Chagall with @julia.maria.sliwa 7. Millionth simmer pot 8. A night at the opera @theateranderwien 9. Heaven 10. Wait for the drop 11. Ceiling inspo 12. Look at his face!!! 13. Travel influencers in the wild 14. A sign 15. Peace #operasingersofinstagram #travel #vienna #wien #grateful #lovedones
Just a cringe little reel that I made instead of actually translating my music….. These are actual thoughts I have as I try to start on a project. Sometimes starting is the hardest part! Come see Die Liebe der Danae in February to catch me NOT freezing up onstage and actually having a fun time 😅 #operasingersofinstagram #mezzosoprano #adhd #translation #startingisthehardestpart #reel #selfdoubtbegone
Dubrovnik • Kotor • Perast The luckiest part of my job is to share new experiences and places with the people I love 🫶 After my concert in Vienna, we met me parents in Dubrovnik for a few days to unwind and enjoy — what a stunning p
Dubrovnik • Kotor • Perast The luckiest part of my job is to share new experiences and places with the people I love 🫶 After my concert in Vienna, we met me parents in Dubrovnik for a few days to unwind and enjoy — what a stunning place! The history is fascinating and we ate so much delicious food, drank so much delicious wine, and visited so many incredibly beautiful places outside the city. My personal favorite was the city of Kotor, named after all the cats that roam the streets 😻 #adventure #croatia #montenegro #dubrovnik #kotor #perast #family #love #cats #kittenlove #operasingersofinstagram #outofoffice
Organize my study calendar with me! (role debut in a revival) The series continues… this time for a new role — Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte! The challenge with this role is to remember the text repetition and wiggle around as middle voice in the ensembles. Timeframe-wise, we start rehearsals for this on Dec 12th, but I’ve set it up so that it’s ready to go by mid Nov because there’s a lot of other music I need to learn simultaneously 😵‍💫 Quick overview: - highlight scenes in the Index for a general overview - follow along in the score to highlight and learn the sections - divide music into said sections - create a playlist (I use Spotify) with only the music the character sings - open up your preferred note-taking app/notebook and title it (I use Freeform) - number the pre-divided sections and group those into acts - add two check boxes: one for translation, one for memorization - input translation days onto the calendar - divide work into learn, write out text, and memorize (learn = plunk through notes and familiarize with the music, write out text = test memory with the text by actively writing it down, memorize = put music and text together and hope for the best) - compare calendars for other roles being learned simultaneously so it’s not too overwhelming - learn your music!!! A thing to note is that I have baked in “rest days” for when I know I’m going to be traveling or unavailable and for when I know I have other music I need to be looking at. That way it’s way less daunting! Happy music learning! #operasingersofinstagram #reel #learning #memorization #translation #mezzosoprano #diezauberflöte #magicflute #german #opera #season
Day in the life of an Opera Singer: Concert edition (+ dealing with being ill) Yesterday was a huge success after spending the morning and afternoon fretting over a sore throat and stuffy nose… This #DayInTheLife is a bit different than usual because I wanted to talk about how I put mind over matter and pushed through. Now, I wasn’t properly ill (like I am today lol), but I could feel it coming on and that feeling is every singer’s worst nightmare! So occupying the mind with other things is just as important as the usual rituals we do pre-show to help us towards a successful performance. What is success? For me, it’s having a great time onstage with my colleagues and singing to the best of my abilities. If the audience enjoys themselves, then that makes it even better! Yesterday’s performance of Idomeneo was just that — I sang well, the audience seemed to enjoy themselves, but, most importantly, I had a blast up there with my fantastic colleagues 🤩 Very grateful to have been a part of the grand reopening of @theateranderwien — and thank you to @secondhemd_styling for sourcing this kickass Escada couture suit! This concert was the perfect professional outing for it 😻 Peace and love, everyone 🙏♥️ @askonasholt #operasingersofinstagram #dayinthelife #singer #mezzosoprano #mezzo #mozart #vienna #opera #concert
In lieu of our #Idomeneo concert with @theateranderwien, here's Idamante's end of Act I aria "Il padre adorato" played by the wickedly talented @tackyoungg <3 Really looking forward to jumping back into the role on October 12th with my incredible colleagues! #operasingersofinstagram #mezzosoprano #mozart #munich #vienna #singer #opera
Organize my study calendar with me! (for a role I’ve already sung #Hänsel) This is what my learning process looks like for relearning a role. I sang Hänsel in December of 2022 so it’s been a little while and there’s lots of text to get under my belt again! Timeframe-wise, we start rehearsals for this on Nov 20th, but I’ve set it up so that it’s ready to go by Oct 31st because there’s a lot of other music I need to learn simultaneously 😵‍💫 Quick overview: - divide music into digestible sections (get creative with the names haha!) - open up your preferred note-taking app/notebook and title it (I use Freeform) - number the pre-divided sections and group those into acts - add two check boxes: one for translation, one for memorization - input the desired goals onto the calendar (I divided my sections aiming for translation first and then memorization) - learn your music!!! A thing to note is that I have baked in “rest days” for when I know I’m going to be traveling or unavailable and for when I know I have other music I need to be looking at. That way it’s way less daunting! Happy music learning! #operasingersofinstagram #reel #learning #memorization #translation #mezzosoprano #hanselundgretel #german #opera #season
Spent the evening at @wigmore_hall and it was a dream!! This was my first proper jump in with very little time to learn the music, so I was NERVOUS! But singing in this hall is bliss, I was surrounded by wonderful colleagues, and the music is simply
Spent the evening at @wigmore_hall and it was a dream!! This was my first proper jump in with very little time to learn the music, so I was NERVOUS! But singing in this hall is bliss, I was surrounded by wonderful colleagues, and the music is simply perfect 🫶 Lots of good signs too! @manonogwenparry and I matched perfectly with zero planning and she even let me borrow her purple flowers for a cheeky photo 😈 I saw so many dear friends from my time in London and overall this was the best pop by I could’ve imagined! Xxx
🌸 Season Recap 🌸 What a whirlwind! This season was full of beautiful memories, magical places, about a million flights, and the loveliest people ❤️ 23/24 took me to Munich, NYC, Norway, Paris, Amsterdam, London, and Dallas with 12 different operas
🌸 Season Recap 🌸 What a whirlwind! This season was full of beautiful memories, magical places, about a million flights, and the loveliest people ❤️ 23/24 took me to Munich, NYC, Norway, Paris, Amsterdam, London, and Dallas with 12 different operas, 9 role debuts, and 4 concerts — not to mention all the personal moments and little victories throughout the season… I can’t wait to see what 24/25 brings 🥰🤞 1. Baby’s first dirndl! 2. Idamante debut at @bayerischestaatsoper — still pinching myself… 3. 54 Below — who knew I’d be making my Broadway debut this season too??? All thanks to the wickedly talented @goszandfotos @leoleofotos 4. Beautiful Bergen for my @bergenfilharmoniske debut in Elektra 5. The CUTEST costume for Lucia di Lammermoor with the cast of a lifetime 6. A very handsome lad singing Stéphano with @thedallasopera 7. Povero Buoso!! With the nastiest family members (and kindest of friends) @eliza.boom @granit_musliu 8. Cenerentola Sisters (and real life besties) 👯‍♀️ @jessica_niles_ 9. A saucy Annina for my LAST Traviata 10. Pure luck ✈️ @askonasholt #recap #season #opera #munich #bergen #norway #nyc #newyork #dallas #ilovemyjob #mezzosoprano #operasingersofinstagram
A good time as any to announce my debut with @osmconcerts this August 17th 🇨🇦 Really looking forward to this program centered around Bizet's Spain with some incredible artists and glorious music 🥰 Photo: @marygoldau Stylist: @secondhemd_styling
A good time as any to announce my debut with @osmconcerts this August 17th 🇨🇦 Really looking forward to this program centered around Bizet's Spain with some incredible artists and glorious music 🥰 Photo: @marygoldau Stylist: @secondhemd_styling MUA: @shivamonzola @askonasholt #operasingersofinstagram #bizet #carmen #montreal #mezzo #mezzosoprano #spain #french #guitar #debut
A joy, pleasure, privilege, all the happily overwhelmed words you can think of to do this production of Cenerentola with these people 🥹 It was a whirlwind (one week of rehearsals with the first three days masked up and sick as a dog) but we did it!
A joy, pleasure, privilege, all the happily overwhelmed words you can think of to do this production of Cenerentola with these people 🥹 It was a whirlwind (one week of rehearsals with the first three days masked up and sick as a dog) but we did it! No matter how fast it went, this production will stick with me because of the beautiful people I got to do it with — thank you ❣️ @bayerischestaatsoper @askonasholt #operasingersofinstagram #cenerentola #cinderella #sisters #love #mezzosoprano #munich
💛 EXCITING NEWS 💛 Thank you to the @richardtuckermusicfoundation for this generous grant!! I&rsquo;m so grateful to now be a part of this stellar group 😄 Congratulations and bravo to all of the recipients &mdash; and a huge thank you to @carolwo
💛 EXCITING NEWS 💛 Thank you to the @richardtuckermusicfoundation for this generous grant!! I’m so grateful to now be a part of this stellar group 😄 Congratulations and bravo to all of the recipients — and a huge thank you to @carolwongpiano who played beautifully and was such a wonderful good luck charm 😘 📸: @marygoldau 👗: @secondhemd_styling 💄: @shivamonzola @askonasholt #operasingersofinstagram #richardtucker #mezzo #grant #award #opera
💛 NEW PHOTOS 💛 Absolutely loved this shoot! Styled by the beautiful wonderful @secondhemd_styling who I think did a splendid job of putting me in something colorful and chic 💁&zwj;♀️ Photos by @marygoldau &mdash; new friend and fellow expat who
💛 NEW PHOTOS 💛 Absolutely loved this shoot! Styled by the beautiful wonderful @secondhemd_styling who I think did a splendid job of putting me in something colorful and chic 💁‍♀️ Photos by @marygoldau — new friend and fellow expat who made this girl feel playful sexy and empowered 💪 And last but not least, @shivamonzola on MUA duty! He turned me into a princess and I am enamored with this hair… 💄 Stay tuned for more photo dumps! We did many looks, and I’m thrilled with all of them ✨🫶 #photoshoot #yellow #happy #operasingersofinstagram #fun
✨ ANNOUNCEMENT ✨ I&rsquo;ve been so looking forward to sharing this news (and sharing it with some awesome new photos)! I&rsquo;ll be making my house debut as Idamante in Idomeneo @theateranderwien next season in a new production by #StefanHerheim a
✨ ANNOUNCEMENT ✨ I’ve been so looking forward to sharing this news (and sharing it with some awesome new photos)! I’ll be making my house debut as Idamante in Idomeneo @theateranderwien next season in a new production by #StefanHerheim and #DavidBates— Can’t wait to share the stage with this incredible cast and experience autumn in Vienna 🫶 PC: @marygoldau Styling: @secondhemd_styling MUA: @shivamonzola @askonasholt #operasingersofinstagram #mezzo #opera #vienna #mozart #idomeneo #pantsrole
The 24/25 Season for the @bayerischestaatsoper has been announced! Looking forward to a very busy year with a few exciting role debuts on the schedule 😘 Can't wait to sing with some lovely colleagues too! ▪️Beethoven 9 ▪️H&auml;nsel | H&auml;nsel u
The 24/25 Season for the @bayerischestaatsoper has been announced! Looking forward to a very busy year with a few exciting role debuts on the schedule 😘 Can't wait to sing with some lovely colleagues too! ▪️Beethoven 9 ▪️Hänsel | Hänsel und Gretel ▪️Zweite Dame | Die Zauberflöte ▪️Alkemene | Die Liebe der Danae ▪️Mercédès | Carmen ▪️Tisbe | La Cenerentola ▪️Un musico | Manon Lescaut ▪️Dorabella | Così fan tutte ▪️Cléone | Pénélope @askonasholt #operasingersofinstagram #opera #mezzo #mezzosoprano #munich
And with that, Romeo and Juliet at @thedallasopera has come to a close! I&rsquo;m so grateful to have the excitable Stephano learned and loved &mdash; what happiness it is to sing this music 🥰 Thank you to my beautiful colleagues who I have enjoyed
And with that, Romeo and Juliet at @thedallasopera has come to a close! I’m so grateful to have the excitable Stephano learned and loved — what happiness it is to sing this music 🥰 Thank you to my beautiful colleagues who I have enjoyed getting to know every step of the way — you make the whole process that much more wonderful! Lots of love to you all and to everyone who came out to see the show ♥️ 📸: @kyleflubacker
The two sides of Stephano🎭 #engarde What a fun coincidence that we are both debuting as St&eacute;phano in Romeo et Juliette at the same time at @kcopera and @thedallasopera . To think we started out as two kids from Chicago doing community theater
The two sides of Stephano🎭 #engarde What a fun coincidence that we are both debuting as Stéphano in Romeo et Juliette at the same time at @kcopera and @thedallasopera . To think we started out as two kids from Chicago doing community theater… Happy opening and happy closing! 🗡️
House debut @thedallasopera ✅ Role debut as Stephano ✅ Super happy ✅ Another #DayInTheLife of an Opera Singer! Really happy to have shared this with so many friends and my sweet @leoleofotos ❣️Viva Montaigues!!
Eight years ago today, @leoleofotos and I went on a date. Eight years later, we&rsquo;re engaged, have a puppy, and are planning the rest of our lives together. I took this picture an hour or two before Leo proposed. We were at our favorite brunch
Eight years ago today, @leoleofotos and I went on a date. Eight years later, we’re engaged, have a puppy, and are planning the rest of our lives together. I took this picture an hour or two before Leo proposed. We were at our favorite brunch spot and I asked him what he was so giggly about and he just looked at me with a devilish grin. You all know how the rest went 😈 My Leo, I love you with my whole heart 🌋 Thank you for these wonderful years together — I can’t wait for so many more!!!
Happy New Year 💛 Here&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m grateful for: 1. My sweet little family who cuddles on the kitchen floor 2. Virtual dinner dates featuring @leoleofotos and Hungarian paprikash 3. Cocktail hour(s) with @jessica_niles_ and very fun bever
Happy New Year 💛 Here’s what I’m grateful for: 1. My sweet little family who cuddles on the kitchen floor 2. Virtual dinner dates featuring @leoleofotos and Hungarian paprikash 3. Cocktail hour(s) with @jessica_niles_ and very fun beverage receptacles 4. The best moment of 2023 5. Many a tea with my darling @eliza.boom 6. The honor of singing at my cousin-in-law’s Big Fat Greek wedding 7. Getting to perform one of the most challenging and rewarding roles I’ve ever done with some incredible people 8. Heaps of travel (both trying and exciting) 9. My first Thanksgiving with my family in 7 years 10. Being able to witness this masterpiece of nature Not pictured because Instagram won’t let me post more than 10 photos: a long overdue visit to Washington D.C. to see family and a loved one, an autumn in Brooklyn with pumpkin spice lattes, another long overdue visit to Miami to reconnect with family I haven’t seen in years, many concerts (both as a performer and audience member), so many Franklin cuddles, an afternoon in Chicago with Chipotle and “just crumbs”, and much much more 💛
Wien war ein Traum ✨ Going through photos from the last couple months &mdash; I&rsquo;m overwhelmed with gratitude for the calm start to the season in this beautiful city with the most wonderful people 🫶 1. Daily view on my walks with Franklin 2.
Just a cringe little reel that I made instead of actually translating my music&hellip;.. These are actual thoughts I have as I try to start on a project. Sometimes starting is the hardest part! Come see Die Liebe der Danae in February to catch me N
Dubrovnik &bull; Kotor &bull; Perast The luckiest part of my job is to share new experiences and places with the people I love 🫶 After my concert in Vienna, we met me parents in Dubrovnik for a few days to unwind and enjoy &mdash; what a stunning p
Organize my study calendar with me! (role debut in a revival) The series continues&hellip; this time for a new role &mdash; Zweite Dame in Die Zauberfl&ouml;te! The challenge with this role is to remember the text repetition and wiggle around as mid
Day in the life of an Opera Singer: Concert edition (+ dealing with being ill) Yesterday was a huge success after spending the morning and afternoon fretting over a sore throat and stuffy nose&hellip; This #DayInTheLife is a bit different than usual
In lieu of our #Idomeneo concert with @theateranderwien, here's Idamante's end of Act I aria &quot;Il padre adorato&quot; played by the wickedly talented @tackyoungg &lt;3 Really looking forward to jumping back into the role on October 12th with my i
Organize my study calendar with me! (for a role I&rsquo;ve already sung #H&auml;nsel) This is what my learning process looks like for relearning a role. I sang H&auml;nsel in December of 2022 so it&rsquo;s been a little while and there&rsquo;s lots
Spent the evening at @wigmore_hall and it was a dream!! This was my first proper jump in with very little time to learn the music, so I was NERVOUS! But singing in this hall is bliss, I was surrounded by wonderful colleagues, and the music is simply 🌸 Season Recap 🌸 What a whirlwind! This season was full of beautiful memories, magical places, about a million flights, and the loveliest people ❤️ 23/24 took me to Munich, NYC, Norway, Paris, Amsterdam, London, and Dallas with 12 different operas A good time as any to announce my debut with @osmconcerts this August 17th 🇨🇦 Really looking forward to this program centered around Bizet's Spain with some incredible artists and glorious music 🥰 Photo: @marygoldau Stylist: @secondhemd_styling A joy, pleasure, privilege, all the happily overwhelmed words you can think of to do this production of Cenerentola with these people 🥹 It was a whirlwind (one week of rehearsals with the first three days masked up and sick as a dog) but we did it! 💛 EXCITING NEWS 💛 Thank you to the @richardtuckermusicfoundation for this generous grant!! I&rsquo;m so grateful to now be a part of this stellar group 😄 Congratulations and bravo to all of the recipients &mdash; and a huge thank you to @carolwo 💛 NEW PHOTOS 💛 Absolutely loved this shoot! Styled by the beautiful wonderful @secondhemd_styling who I think did a splendid job of putting me in something colorful and chic 💁&zwj;♀️ Photos by @marygoldau &mdash; new friend and fellow expat who ✨ ANNOUNCEMENT ✨ I&rsquo;ve been so looking forward to sharing this news (and sharing it with some awesome new photos)! I&rsquo;ll be making my house debut as Idamante in Idomeneo @theateranderwien next season in a new production by #StefanHerheim a The 24/25 Season for the @bayerischestaatsoper has been announced! Looking forward to a very busy year with a few exciting role debuts on the schedule 😘 Can't wait to sing with some lovely colleagues too! ▪️Beethoven 9 ▪️H&auml;nsel | H&auml;nsel u And with that, Romeo and Juliet at @thedallasopera has come to a close! I&rsquo;m so grateful to have the excitable Stephano learned and loved &mdash; what happiness it is to sing this music 🥰 Thank you to my beautiful colleagues who I have enjoyed The two sides of Stephano🎭 #engarde What a fun coincidence that we are both debuting as St&eacute;phano in Romeo et Juliette at the same time at @kcopera and @thedallasopera . To think we started out as two kids from Chicago doing community theater
House debut @thedallasopera ✅ Role debut as Stephano ✅ Super happy ✅ Another #DayInTheLife of an Opera Singer! Really happy to have shared this with so many friends and my sweet @leoleofotos ❣️Viva Montaigues!!
Eight years ago today, @leoleofotos and I went on a date. Eight years later, we&rsquo;re engaged, have a puppy, and are planning the rest of our lives together. I took this picture an hour or two before Leo proposed. We were at our favorite brunch Happy New Year 💛 Here&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m grateful for: 1. My sweet little family who cuddles on the kitchen floor 2. Virtual dinner dates featuring @leoleofotos and Hungarian paprikash 3. Cocktail hour(s) with @jessica_niles_ and very fun bever