The development and nurturing of a Verdi soprano is a passionate affair, and Sharon Azrieli is fortunate in possessing a lirico-spinto voice of power, warmth and point - while also having as her guide and mentor into the major soprano roles in operas such as La Forza Del Destino, Aida, Un Ballo In Maschera, and Il Trovatore - New York's 'vocal guardian' - Bill Schuman. To her delight, she has found that the great Verdi heroines suit her vocally and artistically, a roster of roles to which she has added the Puccini heroines of Tosca, Madame Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, and Liu in Turandot.
Just recently, the soprano portrayed Liu in Turandot with the New Israeli Opera; and was the 2nd soprano soloist in the Mahler Eight Symphony with the National Orchestra of Canada. She sings a varied repertoire in solo recitals in Canada and Israel.
Ms. Azrieli has portrayed Juliette (Romeo and Juliette) with the Canadian Opera Company and covered the role of Mimi (La Bohème). At the Banff Center in Alberta she created the lead role in the new opera Nosferatu, was engaged by l'Opéra Bastille in Paris to cover Mirella Freni as Adriana (Adriana Lecouvreur), and received glowing praise for her portrayal of Laurette (Dr. Miracle) with L'Opéra Français de New York. She sang Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) with the Vermont Opera Festival and Nedda (I Pagliacci) with the New York Opera Theater.
Sharon Azrieli performs varied works of Sacred Music, especially the Verdi Requiem which she sang recently with the New West Symphony in Los Angeles. She performs Beethoven's Mass in C Minor, Rossini's Stabat Mater, and Dvorak's Stabat Mater with the University of Montreal Orchestra and Chorus. On the concert stage, Ms. Azrieli has brought to life opera arias and a large collection of songs by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. Her concerts with orchestras include the Jerusalem Symphony, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Haifa Symphony, the Israel Cameri Orchestra and the McGill Chamber Orchestra.
A native Montrealer, Ms. Azrieli is a graduate of Vassar College and the Juilliard School, fluent in six languages, finalist in the Luciano Pavarotti International Vocal Competition, and district winner of the 1993 Metropolitan Opera auditions.
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