Met Opera LYADP

I am delighted to announce that I will be continuing my development with The Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program!

"The Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program was created in 1980 to identify and develop extraordinarily talented young artists in the realm of opera. The program has trained a new generation of celebrated American and international opera singers, as well as coaches and pianists, who perform at the highest standards in productions at the Met and opera houses around the world."

- metopera.org

Des Moines

Looking forward to singing with DMMO as an Apprentice Artist this summer in their production of Queen of Spades!

The 2020 Festival also includes Sweeney Todd, Platée (Rameau), and Fellow Travelers (Spears | Pierce, 2016).

More Info Here

Peabody Conservatory

The celebration and the culmination of my work at the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University.

I will be presenting Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, an innovative presentation of Black Art Song, and more.

Saturday, April 18, 4PM - Griswold Hall
Mr. Alan Lin, Piano
Free and open to the public.

Reserve a Spot Here

Baltimore Symphony

“Mahler’s Third Symphony is the heart of his symphonic output. In six movements, it looks at the totality of the natural world, beginning with plants and animals, rising to humans and culminating in the divine. Its last movement, which Mahler named, “What love tells me,” is a magnificent arc of melody, as beautiful as anything he wrote.”

Honored to be working with these great musicians!
We are less than 2 weeks away, so purchase your tickets soon!

Marin Alsop, conductor
Cierra Byrd, mezzo-soprano
University of Maryland College Park Concert Choir
Edward Maclary, director
Peabody Children’s Chorus
Doreen Falby, director

THU, MAR 12, 2020 8:00 PM, STRATHMORE
FRI, MAR 13, 2020 8:00 PM, MEYERHOFF
SAT, MAR 14, 2020 8:00 PM, STRATHMORE

Purchase Tickets Here

American Lyric

"Sherlock Holmes, the lives inside a zoo, and teenagers on a Halloween night: none of these seem like expected topics for an opera, but then again American Lyric Theater (ALT) is not trying to confirm your expectations of this age-old art form. Instead, this necessary incubator, which launches its first festival this February, is ushering in the next generation of opera makers..." 
- The Observer

Meet the artists bringing THE OPPOSABLE THUMB to life:

Composer - Liliya Ugay
Librettist - Julian Crouch

Conductor - Emily Senturia

Eva - Laura Krumm
The Pilot - Andrew Bidlack, Tenor
Hagenbeck - Scott Conner
Greta, a Cook - Caroline Worra
Old Soldier - Gideon Dabi
Young Soldier - Jordan Rutter

Monkey - Sydney E Anderson
Chameleon -Boya Wei
Hyena - Amelia Watkins
Ibis - Courtney Miller
Rhino - Vera Savage
Lion - Cierra Byrd

Pianist - Sara Chiesa

Don't miss THE OPPOSABLE THUMB, Sunday, February 23rd, part of the InsightALT Festival: https://www.altnyc.org/insightalt-2020

National Opera Association

Congratulations to the winners of the 2020 Carolyn Bailey and Dominick Argento Vocal Competition. Bravo to all artists who participated this year, and we hope you'll enter again for a chance to join us in St. Augustine in January of 2021. 

https://www.noa.org/competitions/vocal-competition/2020-winners.html

London Song Festival

Had a lovely time in London with The London Song Festival and The British Art Song Society.

A special thank you to Roderick Williams for his honesty and warm energy, to Mr. Nigel Foster for accepting our application and choosing us to be semi-finalists, and to Monica Daly for agreeing to duo with me. She played beautifully!

View fullsize

Peabody Conservatory

Mezzo Cierra Byrd will be the featured soloist for Manuel de Falla’s: El Amor Brujo, which Peabody Chamber Orchestra will perform on their concert on Saturday, September 28, 2019.

Peabody Chamber Orchestra, Program 1
Saturday, September 28, 2019, 7:30 pm
Joseph Young, conductor

Friedberg Hall
1 E. Mt. Vernon Pl.
Baltimore, MD 21202

Opera Saratoga

The Troy Record / Saratogian share their review of HANSEL AND GRETEL. "The Opera Saratoga production of “Hansel and Gretel” is an innovative presentation that can be fully appreciated by every member of the family. In this co-production with Manual Cinema (who are puppeteers extraordinary), youngsters will be in awe of the story of two loving children outwitting a witch who cooks children and converts them to gingerbread cookies. Adults will appreciate the subtle metaphors about life and survival found in almost every fairy-tale.Everyone will be in awe of the uniqueness of the production..."

Operawire says our production of Hansel and Gretel is "remarkable...you have to see this." Don't miss the final performance of the season this Sunday, July 14th at 2pm!

Opera Saratoga

Thank you to everyone who came out to support our Festival Artists at the annual Stars of Tomorrow concert last night! It was so thrilling to introduce you to this amazing group of artists. Much more incredible music to come during Festival 2019! 

Peabody Conservatory

The Peabody Voice department held their first annual Vocal Studies Competition on Thursday, January 24. In the undergraduate division, first place went to Lorenzo Zapata, student of Steven Rainbold; second place went to Katherine Holobinko, student of Elizabeth Futral; and third place went to David Sexton, student of Steven Rainbolt. In the graduate division, Elise Volkmann, student of Ah Young Hong, won first place; Cierra Byrd, student of Peggy Baroody, won second; and Bailey Jo Hutton, student of Elizabeth Futral, won third.

We are thrilled to announce Opera Saratoga's 2019 Young Artists! Artistic and General Director Lawrence Edelson and YA Program Director Laurie Rogers heard almost 1,000 artists this fall to select this extraordinary group - the Stars of Tomorrow who will make Saratoga Springs their home this summer. We look forward to welcoming them to the Opera Saratoga family!

FIRST ROW (Left to Right)
Sydney Anderson, Soprano - Gasport, NY
Justin Austin, Baritone - Stuttgart, Germany
Zachary Barba, Tenor - Brownsville, TX
Brandon Bell, Bass Baritone - Suffolk, VA
Naomi Brigell, Mezzo Soprano - Belmont, MA
Cierra Byrd, Mezzo Soprano - Akron, OH

SECOND ROW (Left to Right)
Maire Therese Carmack, Mezzo Soprano - Colorado Springs, CO
Joowon Chae, Soprano - Seoul, South Korea
Annie Chester, Mezzo Soprano - Cleveland, OH
Brandon Eldredge, Conductor - Flemington, NJ
Michael Floriano, Baritone - Rochester, NY
Caleb Glickman, Conductor - Los Angeles, CA

THIRD ROW (Left to Right)
Jonathan Z. Harris, Bass Baritone - New Orleans, LA
Juan G. Hernández Mercado, Tenor - San Juan, PR
Celeste Marie Johnson, Pianist/Coach - Pine Island, MN
Penelope Kendros, Soprano - Fairfield, IA
Nicholas Martorano, Baritone - Morris, IL
Nate Mattingly, Bass Baritone - Fort Worth, TX

FOURTH ROW (Left to Right)
Rachel Mikol, Soprano - Buffalo, NY
Zackery Morris, Tenor - Raleigh, NC
Michael Pecak, Conductor - Chicago, IL
Whitney Robinson, Mezzo Soprano - Houston, TX
Francis Rogers, Tenor - Boston, MA
Jeremiah Sanders, Baritone - Marion, IN

FIFTH ROW (Left to Right)
Alexandra Saulsbury, Director - Sioux City, IA
Colter Schoenfish, Director - Fargo, ND
Nicole Thomas, Mezzo Soprano - Las Vegas, NV
Jessica Toupin, Soprano - Dracut, MA
Flora Wall, Soprano - Houston, TX
WooYoung Yoon, Tenor - Seoul, South Korea