BIOGRAPHY
BIOGRAPHY
Praised for performances of “dangerously real” vulnerability (Bachtrack), Juliana Zara strives to unite vocal virtuosity with theatrical imagination.
At the beginning of the 2025/26 opera season, Zara made her house debut at Theater an der Wien as the Cheshire Cat in Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland, a portrayal singled out as a Leuchtfeuer of the evening (FAZ). Reviewers noted that her Cheshire Cat “slinks through the texture with a silvery tone and an insouciant smile that somehow remains audible even when she is offstage” (European News Agency), confirming her distinctive profile at the intersection of opera, contemporary music theatre, and character-driven performance.
In concert this season, Zara made her role debut as Woglinde in Das Rheingold with the Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal under the baton of Patrick Hahn, where Das Opernfreund praised the Rhinemaidens’ “pure, agile voices” in “conveying the undisturbed bliss of the Golden Age.” She also revived Unsuk Chin’s Puzzles and Games from Alice in Wonderland, a work she debuted at Carnegie Hall the previous season, this time performing with the Münchener Kammerorchester under Enrico Onofri at the Prinzregententheater. The “exquisitely crafted” performance (Süddeutsche Zeitung) was selected for broadcast by BR-Klassik Radio.
Her 2023 role debut as Lulu in Eva Maria Höckmayr’s production at Staatstheater Darmstadt was hailed by Die Deutsche Bühne as “an event that made waves throughout Germany,” earning her a nomination for the prestigious German theatre prize Der Faust. Lulu remains a central role in her repertoire, which she revisits in the current season (details to be announced).
Born in the United States and shaped by a culturally mixed background, Juliana Zara brings a plural sense of identity to her work on stage. With roots spanning Puerto Rican, Italian, and culturally Jewish heritage, and a life lived between America and Europe, her artistic approach is marked by a deep sensitivity to language, character, and psychological nuance. This layered background informs her strong commitment to storytelling and her natural movement between genres — from opera and contemporary music theatre to experimental performance and recital work.
In the coming months, Zara debuts at the Royal Theatre Copenhagen as Sœur Constance in Barrie Kosky’s production of Dialogues of the Carmelites. In March, she makes her debut in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Earl Lee. She also revisits the role of Lulu later in the season (details to be announced).
Last season, Zara performed role debuts as Shoko in Thomas Larcher’s Das Jagdgewehr at Bayerische Staatsoper (Cuvilliés Theater) and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos with Nederlandse Reisopera. She also made her house debuts at Opernhaus Zürich as Najade in Ariadne auf Naxos and at Theater Bonn as Adina in L’elisir d’amore.
A passionate interpreter of 20th- and 21st-century music, Zara is drawn to works that combine vocal virtuosity with theatrical imagination. In 2023, she was nominated for Opus Klassik’s Singer of the Year for her interpretation of Bubikopf in her BR-Klassik recording of Der Kaiser von Atlantis under Patrick Hahn. Her repertoire includes György Ligeti’s Mysteries of the Macabre with the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra, as well as appearances in the world premieres of Miroslav Srnka’s Singularity at Bayerische Staatsoper, Matias Vestergård’s Melodrama with the Copenhagen Philharmonic, and Fabià Santcovsky’s Transstimme at the Munich Biennale. She has also appeared as Tinker Bell in the world premiere of Frank Schwemmer’s Peter Pan with the Luxembourg Philharmonic.
From 2021 to 2023, Zara was a Fest member at Staatstheater Darmstadt, where she developed a broad repertoire ranging from Olympia (Les contes d’Hoffmann) to Morgana (Alcina). She previously trained at the Opernstudio of Bayerische Staatsoper (2019–2021), performing roles including Frasquita (Carmen), Philine (Mignon), and Mercedes (Schön ist die Welt).
Juliana Zara is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin.
Praised for performances of “dangerously real” vulnerability (Bachtrack), Juliana Zara strives to unite vocal virtuosity with theatrical imagination.
At the beginning of the 2025/26 opera season, Zara made her house debut at Theater an der Wien as the Cheshire Cat in Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland, a portrayal singled out as a Leuchtfeuer of the evening (FAZ). Reviewers noted that her Cheshire Cat “slinks through the texture with a silvery tone and an insouciant smile that somehow remains audible even when she is offstage” (European News Agency), confirming her distinctive profile at the intersection of opera, contemporary music theatre, and character-driven performance.
In concert this season, Zara made her role debut as Woglinde in Das Rheingold with the Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal under the baton of Patrick Hahn, where Das Opernfreund praised the Rhinemaidens’ “pure, agile voices” in “conveying the undisturbed bliss of the Golden Age.” She also revived Unsuk Chin’s Puzzles and Games from Alice in Wonderland, a work she debuted at Carnegie Hall the previous season, this time performing with the Münchener Kammerorchester under Enrico Onofri at the Prinzregententheater. The “exquisitely crafted” performance (Süddeutsche Zeitung) was selected for broadcast by BR-Klassik Radio.
Her 2023 role debut as Lulu in Eva Maria Höckmayr’s production at Staatstheater Darmstadt was hailed by Die Deutsche Bühne as “an event that made waves throughout Germany,” earning her a nomination for the prestigious German theatre prize Der Faust. Lulu remains a central role in her repertoire, which she revisits in the current season (details to be announced).
Born in the United States and shaped by a culturally mixed background, Juliana Zara brings a plural sense of identity to her work on stage. With roots spanning Puerto Rican, Italian, and culturally Jewish heritage, and a life lived between America and Europe, her artistic approach is marked by a deep sensitivity to language, character, and psychological nuance. This layered background informs her strong commitment to storytelling and her natural movement between genres — from opera and contemporary music theatre to experimental performance and recital work.
In the coming months, Zara debuts at the Royal Theatre Copenhagen as Sœur Constance in Barrie Kosky’s production of Dialogues of the Carmelites. In March, she makes her debut in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Earl Lee. She also revisits the role of Lulu later in the season (details to be announced).
Last season, Zara performed role debuts as Shoko in Thomas Larcher’s Das Jagdgewehr at Bayerische Staatsoper (Cuvilliés Theater) and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos with Nederlandse Reisopera. She also made her house debuts at Opernhaus Zürich as Najade in Ariadne auf Naxos and at Theater Bonn as Adina in L’elisir d’amore.
A passionate interpreter of 20th- and 21st-century music, Zara is drawn to works that combine vocal virtuosity with theatrical imagination. In 2023, she was nominated for Opus Klassik’s Singer of the Year for her interpretation of Bubikopf in her BR-Klassik recording of Der Kaiser von Atlantis under Patrick Hahn. Her repertoire includes György Ligeti’s Mysteries of the Macabre with the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra, as well as appearances in the world premieres of Miroslav Srnka’s Singularity at Bayerische Staatsoper, Matias Vestergård’s Melodrama with the Copenhagen Philharmonic, and Fabià Santcovsky’s Transstimme at the Munich Biennale. She has also appeared as Tinker Bell in the world premiere of Frank Schwemmer’s Peter Pan with the Luxembourg Philharmonic.
From 2021 to 2023, Zara was a Fest member at Staatstheater Darmstadt, where she developed a broad repertoire ranging from Olympia (Les contes d’Hoffmann) to Morgana (Alcina). She previously trained at the Opernstudio of Bayerische Staatsoper (2019–2021), performing roles including Frasquita (Carmen), Philine (Mignon), and Mercedes (Schön ist die Welt).
Juliana Zara is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin.