SARA GARTLAND
SOPRANO
BIOGRAPHY
A native of St. Paul Minnesota, soprano Sara Gartland earned raves as Lisa in Des Moines Metro Opera’s production of Queen of Spades. James Sohre with Opera Today exclaimed, “DMMO has hitched its wagon to the sublime talents of soprano Sara Gartland . . . Ms. Gartland proved once again to be a perfect fit for the role at hand, the torn, lovelorn, and fatally frustrated Lisa. Her radiant, full-bodied soprano was made for the passionate outbursts required by the tortured heroine, and she gave such consistent pleasure that one only wished Tchaikovsky had given her more to sing."
Last season for Ms. Gartland included her role début as Nedda in Pagliacci with Opera San Antonio, her Opera Colorado début as Marie/Marietta in Die tote Stadt, and her Minnesota Opera début as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. A frequent performer with Des Moines Metro Opera, she also returned to the company for her triumphant run as Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle after creating a “stunning” Rose (Opera Today) in Kuster and Campbell’s A Thousand Acres as part of the company’s 50thAnniversary season and following her success with DMMO as Lisa in Queen of Spades. This season, Gartland makes a highly anticipated return to Des Moines in the title role of Salome. [read more...]
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"... this near-flawless production…” – Opera Today
Bluebeard's Castle – “This is an Everest of a role, and Ms. Gartland meets its every challenge with her radiantly produced soprano firing on all cylinders. She can ravish us with silvery floated high notes, chill us with robust chest tones, and hit us between the eyes with searing, poised, arching declamatory phrases. Her registers are beautifully knit, and she glides seamlessly throughout the demands of the part. Vocally and dramatically, she totally embodies this complex, conflicted character, fearful of what secrets she may discover, but believably grounded in intense love for her husband. When she finally pleads her case near opera’s end, her plaintive singing goes into the ears and heads straight for the heart. This complex performance was deftly delivered"
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"... Gartland sang with passion and finesse…” – Schmopera
The Queen of Spades – “Sara Gartland graced the stage in the role of Lisa...Gartland sang with passion and finesse, displaying Lisa’s progression from innocent infatuation to desperate obsession. . . Gartland’s vocal delivery in Lisa’s tragic third act aria was heartbreaking and beautiful”
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"... a revelation..." – Opera News
Wozzeck – “The poignant Marie of Sara Gartland was something of a revelation. Gartland delivered the character through a gleaming column of sound that remained incisive yet consistently beautiful throughout the range up to the top C."
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"... Gartland’s sparkling upper range..." – Opera News
Carmen – “Gartland’s sparkling upper range provided all the evidence necessary for her character’s unwavering virtue in the Act III aria, “Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante.””
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"... an exquisite account of the title role..." – Opera News
Rusalka – “Sara Gartland delivered an exquisite account of the title role. The soprano’s voice continues to gain body in midrange yet retains a thread of silver that graces her sound with an ethereal shimmer. The song to the moon was entirely satisfying; but it was in her sensitively employed dynamic shading of Act III’s “Necitelná Vodní Moci” that Gartland’s performance reached its zenith.”