CIERRA BYRD
MEZZO-SOPRANO
BIOGRAPHY
American mezzo-soprano, Cierra Byrd, is an alum of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera.
She made her Met debut as Bertha in Terence Blanchard’s historic, Grammy Award–winning production of Fire Shut Up in My Bones and returned to the Metropolitan Opera to reprise Bertha while also joining the company for their production of Madama Butterfly. Additionally, Ms. Byrd appeared at the Met as Woman of Crete in Mozart's Idomeneo and stepped in as Soeur Mathilde for the most recent run of Dialogues des Carmélites. She also joined Houston Grand Opera in Jake Heggie’s Intelligence and PAC NYC in Huang Ruo’s An American Soldier, the first opera performed at the new WTC Perelman Arts Center.
This past season, Ms. Byrd made notable debuts in three new productions: as Queen Kandake Amanirenas in Kandake with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, in the world premiere of She Who Dared with Chicago Opera Theater, and in The Knock with Central City Opera. Upcoming highlights include performances of Honegger’s Le roi David with The New York Choral Society at Lincoln Center, Handel’s Messiah with the Akron Symphony Orchestra, and returning to the role of Lucinda in Heggie's Intelligence with Virginia Opera.
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Notable roles and performances: Fatima in Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels’ new opera Omar at Boston Lyric Opera (Pulitzer and Grammy decorated, Giddens most recently played for Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album and Abels is the composer for Jordan Peele's films, "Get Out" and "Us"), sang Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with The Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Missa Solemnis with The Orchestra Now. Notably, she appeared in Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Marin Alsop.
Ms. Byrd is a graduate of The Ohio State University and Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University. She is now studying under the umbrella of Mark Schnaible.
Current as of November 3, 2025
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"...powerful mezzo-soprano Cierra Byrd..." – The Boston Globe
Omar – "Moments later, slavers pillaging the area capture him, and kill his mother, Fatima (powerful mezzo-soprano Cierra Byrd)."
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"...highly expressive..." – New York Classical Review
A Knee on the Neck – "Cierra Byrd, a powerful mezzo-soprano whose high-placed voice and abundant vibrato were highly expressive..."
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"...[a] rising Met talent..." – Cameron Kelsall / Bachtrack
Dialogues des Carmélites – "Comprimario parts showcased rising Met talents (Cierra Byrd’s tart Soeur Mathilde)."
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"...their voices blending as one..." – OperaWire
Idomeneo – "Amani Cole-Felder and Cierra Byrd complemented one another perfectly as women of Crete, their voices blending as one"
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"...two gifted Black young artists..." – Classical Voice North America
Idomeneo – "As if in tribute to Addison, the Met revival deploys two gifted Black young artists, soprano Amani Cole-Felder and mezzo-soprano Cierra Byrd, in these short but musically telling roles."
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"...heart-wrenching and warm tones..." – Boston Musical Intelligencer
Omar – "Cierra Byrd consistently produced heart-wrenching and warm tones"
REPRESENTATIVES
General