Mexican-American mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino, praised for her “big, smooth mezzo and regal presence” continues to cement her place as one of the finest young dramatic voices singing on the major stages of the world today (Parteree Box). A 2023 winner of the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition, she was quickly engaged by the Metropolitan Opera for Rigoletto, and also recently performed as Maddalena in Rigoletto at the Los Angeles Opera. Last summer, she made her “formidable” debut as Fricka in Die Walküre at the Santa Fe Opera, a role she will reprise in the current season with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic (Wall Street Journal). She will also appear with the LA Phil for Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, and return to the Los Angeles Opera to debut the role of Meg Page in Falstaff. 

Saturnino is a recent graduate of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program at LA Opera, where she made her mainstage debut in the role of Emilia in Otello and sang Jocabed in Mollicone’s Moses. In the 2023-24 season, she performed the title role of Carmen with Opera Santa Barbara, Alice Ford in Sir John in Love at the Bard Music Festival, Fricka with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City in Michael Christie’s Journey to Valhalla, and Flora in La traviata with Los Angeles Opera.

Saturnino is a former Apprentice Artist with Santa Fe Opera, where she covered the title role of Carmen and Meg Page in Falstaff. During the 2021 summer season with Santa  Fe Opera, she covered the roles of Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro and Hippolyta in A  Midsummer Night’s Dream. She is an alumna of The Chautauqua Opera Company’s Young Artist program where she covered Paquette in Candide and sang Komponist from Ariadne  auf Naxos in their Apprentice Scenes Program. Miss Saturnino has performed with the Miami Summer Music Festival as Le Prince Charmant in Massenet’s Cendrillon and was a  soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Wintergreen Performing Arts Festival, as well as  multiple concerts in Tuscany, Italy with Bel Canto in Tuscany. 

Miss Saturnino received the Donald & Luke Graham Memorial Award (2022) and the  Campbell/Wachter Scholarship Award (2021) from the Santa Fe Opera. She received the  Faculty Award from the Vann Vocal Institute in 2020. She has also received awards from the Laffont  Competition, San Diego District. 

Her concert works include Verdi’s Requiem with The Bakersfield Symphony, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with LA Chamber Orchestra. Other works include Handel’s Let God Arise,  and O sing unto the Lord, and Messiah. She has also sung in recitals for the Trinity on Wall  Street: Pipes at One Series and The Chautauqua Opera Company’s Emerging Artists  Recital. She has sung Bernstein’s Candide in concert as The Old Lady with the Eastern  Connecticut Symphony Orchestra.  

Miss Saturnino is a choreographer, fight director and intimacy director. Her work includes  Feel the Tango, Speed Dating, and Le Nozze di Figaro for Shreveport Opera. She was the  fight captain for Carmen while at the Santa Fe Opera. She works with Sordelet Inc. as a Fight and Intimacy Director. She is also trained in fencing. Miss Saturnino graduated cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles with a  Bachelor of Arts: Vocal Performance and a Music Industry Minor in 2016. She graduated  with honors from the Yale University School of Music with a Masters of Music in 2018.