SARAH JOHANNSEN, soprano, who grew up
in Minnesota, U.S.A., began singing and acting early, playing her first
role on an amateur stage at the age of 12 and singing her first solo
with a symphony orchestra at the age of 16. She studied voice as a
mezzo-soprano at the University of Kansas, where she studied with
the Metropolitan Opera bass, Kenneth Smith. While studying
at Kansas, she participated in operas presented by the school, apprentice
programs in Iowa and Santa Fe and won recognition by being chosen several
times for "Honors Recitals" as well being awarded the prize for best
graduating singer. She participated as a soloist on the final concert
of the only symposium given for Samuel Barber during his lifetime and
at which he was present. She also made her professional debut with
the Kansas City Lyric as Pitti-Sing in The Mikado. Miss Johannsen
continued her vocal studies at the University of Illinois where she
made the change to soprano and sang her first Butterfly as well as
coached with the world-renowned accompanist, John Wustman.
Miss Johannsen's career then brought her to New York City where she studied with
Marlena Malas, Henry Lewis and Olga Chernov, among others. She won awards from the
Sullivan Foundation, the Liederkranz Foundation and in the Metropolitan Opera Regional
Auditions. She sang in productions of less known works (i.e., Fauré's Pénélope,
Dukas' Ariane et Barbe-bleue, Zandonai's Romeo et Giulietta). She also
sang the soprano solo of the Mozart Requiem under the baton of Georg Alexander Albrecht.
Her first role as a soprano with a major US company was one of the Walküre - Ortlinde -
with Miami Opera. There followed roles with other companies including Mimi, Desdemona,
Tosca with the New York City Opera tour and Fidelio with Sarasota Opera. Miss Johannsen was the First Place Winner of the Opera Index Competition and has been a winner of the Liederkranz
Competition and Wagner Society in New York, as well as the prestigious George London
Award.
In 1994, Miss Johannsen sang her German debut in the role of Donna Elvira for
Theater Giessen. There followed Senta in The Flying Dutchman in Hof in the
"Urtext" version, where she was described by Opernwelt as being a Senta "who knows
the perfect interpretation of the Ballade." Senta is a role that she has sung in
Rome, Braunschweig, Bremerhaven and the Eutin Summer Festival. For Bremerhaven,
she sang in one season Abiagille in Nabucco and a highly praised debut as
Elektra. Further appearances as Elektra were in Verona, where she was double cast with
Hildebard Behrens, and also in Mannheim, Darmstadt and
Oldenburg.
An early resume photo
 Hometown:
Austin, Minnesota
First role:
Mother Prioress in the Sound of Music at 13 years old
First Operatic Role:
Hänsel in college
First Professional Role:
Pitti-Sing with Kansas City
First Role as a soprano:
Cio-Cio-San
German debut:
Donna Elvira in Giessen
Italian debut:
Elektra in Verona
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Miss Johannsen sang her first Isolde in Carnegie Hall in a Dress
Rehearsal with Eve Queler and the Opera Orchestra of New York. Her stage debut with the role
was in Oldenburg, Germany. Miss Johannsen also covered Waltraut Meier in the role in the
highly publicized Peter Sellars/Bob Viola/Esa-Pekka Salonen production of Tristan und Isoldefor the Opera Bastille.
Miss Johannsen has sung all of the Brünnhildes in various productions in Oldenburg, Magdeburg,
and Augsburg as well as the whole Ring Cycle in Braunschweig. Other roles in the German repertoire are Ariadne and Ortrud and Fidelio. In Italian repertoire,
Miss Johannsen has had great success in the roles of Turandot, Tosca and Abigaille.
Miss Johannsen has also been featured as a concert soloist with works
like Strauss' Four Last Songs, Ravel's Shéhérezade
and Mahler's Rückert Lieder with orchestras all over Europe.
In New York, Miss Johannsen has been featured by Oratorio Society in Carnegie
Hall, singing the Gounod Gallia and the Wagner Wesendonck Lieder with
orchestra, and, in a later engagement, as the soprano soloist of the
Verdi Requiem. She is also an experienced recitalist presenting programms in
many languages and stylistic directions.
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