Sara Jakubiak

Soprano
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Biography

Admired by the New York Times for her “plush-voiced, impressive soprano,” Sara Jakubiak has captivated audiences with her rich chameleon voice and committed performances.

Last Season 2022/23 Jakubiak returned to the stage as Chrysothemis for her debut at the Washington National Opera alongside Christine Goerke’s Elektra. This season marks another series of debuts as Jakubiak debuted the title role of Arabella at Teatro Real. Jakubiak returned to the Deutsche Oper Berlin for revivals of both Francesca da Rimini and Das Wunder der Heliane. Subsequently, following her triumphant debut in 2021, Jakubiak returned to Wiener Staatsoper as Marie in Wozzeck. She then performed alongside the London Philharmonic as the soprano soloist in the Glagolitic Mass. Jakubiak closed the season with her debut at the Salzburg Festival in 2023 in Bohuslav Martinů’s The Greek Passion.

This Season 2023/24 continues as another series of international role and theatre debuts. Opening the season in France, Jakubiak debuts for the first time as the Kaiserin in Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten at Opéra de Lyon. Later in autumn, Jakubiak returns to Royal Opera House Covent Garden as Chrysothemis in Elektra, last performed at Washington National Opera in Autumn 2022. Jakubiak will make her Italian stage debut at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma for her debut in the title role of Salome in the Spring of 2024. She then continues to debut for the first time as Sieglinde in concert performances of Die Walküre with Dallas Symphony Orchestra in Spring 2024. Following this role debut, Jakubiak returns to Venice for her stage debut at Teatro la Fenice as the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos.

Sara Jakubiak completed her studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music and at Yale University. In the first years of her career, Jakubiak appeared at the Minnesota Opera as Cathy in Bernard Hermann’s Wuthering Heights and made her debut with the New York City Opera as Dede in Bernstein’s A Quiet PlaceShe began her international career in 2013, when she made her European debut at the English National Opera as Marie in Wozzeck under Edward Gardiner.

The artist subsequently debuted at the Dutch National Opera as Polina in Prokofiev’s The Gambler. In 2014, Ms. Jakubiak joined the ensemble of the Oper Frankfurt, where she distinguished herself in a wide range of roles in new productions. She sang the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos, Lina in Stiffelio, Polina in The Gambler, Alice Ford in Falstaff, the Goose Girl in Königskinder, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes, and Marta in Weinberg’s The Passenger. Jakubiak also won high praise in Frankfurt for her portrayal of Marietta/Marie in Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt and was invited to sing the same role for her debut at the Staatsoper Hamburg, where she later returned for her debut in the title role of Strauss’s Daphne.

Sara Jakubiak sang her first Elsa in Lohengrin in Graz and appeared with the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus. In 2016, she made her debut at the Semperoper Dresden as Agathe in Die Freischütz under Christian Thielemann. In 2017, Jakubiak debuted at the Bayerische Staatsoper as Eva in the new production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, opposite Jonas Kaufmann and Wolfgang Koch, and conducted by Kirill Petrenko. In 2018, Sara starred as Heliane in the Deutsche Oper Berlin’s revival of Korngold’s rarely performed Das Wunder der Heliane, a production directed by Christoph Loy and conducted by Marc Albrecht. The production was an international triumph. Online Merker stated, “Ms. Jakubiak has a wonderfully expansive, glamorous and youthful dramatic soprano…a luxurious, changeable voice blessed with infinite colors that only appears once every twenty years.”

In the 2019/20 season, Jakubiak made her role and house debut as Chrysothemis in Robert Carsen’s production of Elektra at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, conducted by Marc Albrecht. She also returned to the Semperoper Dresden as Eva in Die Meistersinger under Christian Thielemann and made her Carnegie Hall debut in the title role of Martinu’s Julietta under Leon Botstein. In the 2020/21 season, she returned to the Deutsche Oper Berlin for her debut in the title role of the new production of Francesca da Rimini (staged by Christoph Loy). In June of 2021, Jakubiak made her Wiener Staatsoper debut as Elsa in Lohengrin. Other roles in her growing repertoire include Sieglinde in Die Walküre, the title role of Salome, and the Empress in Die Frau ohne Schatten.

Jakubiak can be seen on DVD as Agathe in Der Freischütz (Thielemann/Kohler) and the Naxos Records releases of Das Wunder der Heliane (Albrecht /Loy). and Francesca da Rimini. She can also be heard on the Grammy-nominated Chandos recording of Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass with the Bergen Philharmonic (Gardiner), as Fiora in Montemezzi’s L’amore dei tre Re with the Polish Radio Symphony (Borowicz), and in Erwartung with the Bergen Philharmonic, also under Ed Gardner and released on the Chandos label.

Ms. Jakubiak completed her studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music and at Yale University. In the first years of her career, Jakubiak appeared at the Minnesota Opera as Cathy in Bernard Hermann’s Wuthering Heights and made her debut with the New York City Opera as Dede in Bernstein’s A Quiet Place.

Sara Jakubiak is of Polish and German decent and originally hails from Bay City, Michigan. She was a star fast pitch softball player, competing in tournaments throughout the United States and won two State Championships. Sara holds master degrees from Yale University and the Cleveland Institute of Music.

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“Ms. Jakubiak has a wonderfully expansive, glamorous and youthful dramatic soprano…a luxurious, changeable voice blessed with infinite colors..” —Online Merker, Deutsche Oper’s Das Wunder der Heliane

“Sara Jakubiak is the perfect Arabella. Hers is a voice full of colors and precious metals, the voice of a bird of paradise..” ABC Cultura, Teatro Real Madrid’s Arabella

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Repertoire

Composer Work Role
Barber Vanessa Vanessa
Berg Wozzeck Marie
Bernstein A quiet place Dede
Boito Mefistofele Margerita*
Hermann Wuthering Heights Catherine Earnshaw
Janáček Jenufa Jenufa*
Janáček Katya Kabanova Katya*
Korngold Die tote Stadt Marie
Korngold Das Wunder der Heliane Heliane
Korngold Violanta Violanta*
Martinů Julietta Julietta
Martinů The Greek Passion Katerina
Montemezzi L'amore dei tre re Fiora
Poulenc Les Dialogues des Carmelites Madame Lidoine*
Puccini Fanciulla del West Minnie*
Prokoviev The Gambler Polina
Schönberg Erwartung Eine Frau
Shostakovich Lady Macbeth of Mzensk Katerina Ismailowa
R. Strauss Arabella Arabella
R. Strauss Ariadne auf Naxos Ariadne
R. Strauss Daphne Daphne
R. Strauss Elektra Chrysothemis
R. Strauss Die Frau ohne Schatten  Kaiserin
R. Strauss Salome Salome
R. Strauss Der Rosenkavalier Marschallin*
R. Strauss Ariadne auf Naxos Ariadne
Tchaikovsky Eugen Onegin Tatjana
Tchaikovsky Pique Dame Lisa*
Wagner Lohengrin Elsa
Wagner Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Eva
Wagner Die Walküre  Sieglinde
Weinberg Die Passagierin Martha
Zandonai Francesca da Rimini Francesca
     
    * in preparation
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