SARAH HAYASHI
soprano
SARAH HAYASHI SHINES, her voice wonderfully clear and light yet sustainable. she is pure musicality.
Stefan Fuchs, Opera-Online
"Was jedoch die Nachwuchs-Sängerinnen und -Sänger auf der Bühne präsentieren, lässt aufhorchen. Alle Stimmen sind stark und den herausfordernden Partien mehr als gewachsen. Besonders glänzen kann Sarah Hayashi als Leocasta, die schon bei ihrem ersten Auftritt – sie übernimmt auch die Rolle der Fortuna – durch ihre Bühnenpräsenz auffällt. Ihre Stimme klingt wunderbar klar, leicht und gleichzeitig tragfähig. Virtuose Passagen meistert sie grandios: In der Arie Nacque al bosco sitzt jede Triole perfekt, und in der Arie Senti l’aura che leggiera, die mit all den Punktierungen, Ton-Repetitionen und Trillern schon schwer genug ist, fügt sie beim DaCapo noch viele weitere Verzierungen ein.Sie verfällt dabei nie in leere Effekthascherei, sondern durchlebt ihre Arien förmlich. Ihre Gestaltung der Arie Senza l’amato ben ist pure Musikalität."
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"However, what the young singers present on stage makes you sit up and take notice. All the voices are strong and more than up to the challenging parts. Sarah Hayashi particularly shines as Leocasta, who stands out with her stage presence from her very first performance - she also takes on the role of Fortuna. Her voice sounds wonderfully clear, light and at the same time sustainable. She masters virtuoso passages magnificently: in the aria Nacque al bosco, every triplet is perfect, and in the aria Senti l'aura che leggiera, which is already difficult enough with all the dotting, note repetitions and trills, she adds many more ornaments in the DaCapo. She never lapses into empty showmanship, but literally lives through her arias. Her interpretation of the aria Senza l'amato ben is pure musicality."
This season, Sarah made her Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik debut as Fortuna and Leocasta in Vivaldi’s opera Il Giustino to great critical acclaim. She also made a debut with the Händel-Festspiele Halle as a jump-in for the Bridges to Classics concert. Sarah took part in a CD recording of Giacomo Carissimi's motet Confitebur tibi for CPO Records as part of the Boston Early Music Festival, and the recording of Vivaldi’s Il Giustino from the production with Innsbrucker Festwochen will be released with the recording label Arcana. She looks forward to singing the soprano solo in Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang with the Elbland Philharmonie at the Lutherkirche in Radebeul, Messiah with the National Philharmonic at Strathmore Music Center in Maryland, and as a guest soloist in Mozart’s Mass in C-minor and a Christmas Organ and Voice recital at the Dresdner Frauenkirche. Along with her baroque ensemble, Chaconne Ensemble, she will perform concerts at the Música en Segura festival in Jaén, Spain and Händel-Haus in Halle. Chaconne Ensemble debuted at at the Internationale Händel-Festspiele Göttingen with a program of Händel chamber cantatas.
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Sarah made her German debut in 2021 at Theater Erfurt where she has performed Susanna and Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro, Findus in Ramdohr’s Petersson und Findus, Tante Edla/Jiri in Leipold’s Mio Mein Mio, Adele in Die Rache der Fledermaus, Aufseherin in Elektra, and as Sursulapitschi in the World Premiere of Tobias Rohkahr’s Jim Knopf und die Wilde 13. She also appeared as Der Hahn in Attila Kadri Åžendil’s Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten at Staatstheater Cottbus in 2023 and 2024. During the pandemic, she sang Le Feu in the critically -acclaimed, award-winning film of Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges produced by Vopera with the London Philharmonic. Other roles include Blonde/Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Bronx Opera, Zerlina/Don Giovanni for Bare Opera in New York City, Despina/Così fan tutte for Seastar Opera, Olympia/Les contes d'Hoffmann with Arbor Opera Company Michigan, and Euridice/Orphée aux Enfers with Bel Cantanti Opera and Bearwood Opera.
- ABOUT MS. HAYASHI -
"clear as a bell... heartbreakingly sung"
Thüringer Allgemeine
onstage
Sarah's roles include Susanna/Le nozze di Figaro, Adina/L'elisir d'amore, Adele/Die Fledermaus, Olympia/Les contes d'Hoffmann, Barbarina/Le nozze di Figaro, Feu/Princesse/Rossignol/L’enfant et les sortilèges, Blonde/Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Zerlina/Don Giovanni, Despina/Così fan tutte, Euridice/Orphée aux Enfers, Miss Ellen/Lakmé, Emmie/Albert Herring, and roles in various new works in the United States and in Germany. She is active in concert work as both an ensemble member and soloist, and she is a founding member of the Chaconne Ensemble. A unique, versatile, and vibrant ensemble comprised of soprano, baroque cello and harpsichord continuo, they specialize in chamber music for solo voice and continuo of the 17th and 18th-centuries and were one of six ensembles invited to the 2023 Handel Competition at the International Händel Festspiele Göttingen.
Sarah is a recipient of the Selma D. Fisher Award and was a finalist in the Handel Singing Competition in London, a two-time semi-finalist in the International Singing Competition for Baroque Opera «Pietro Antonio Cesti», 2nd Place Winner in the Handel Aria Competition in Madison, WI, and a semi-finalist in the Concours Corneille International Baroque Singing Competition in Normandy.
GET IN TOUCH.
Sarah is currently based in Dresden. To be in touch with her directly, please use her contact form or connect with her on her socials.
"Die persönlichen Top 3 komplettiert Sopranistin Sarah Hayashi in ihrer Doppelrolle als umsichtige Glücksgöttin Fortuna und als des Kaisers quirliges Schwesterherz. Deren schöner, umarmender Sopran führt sogar dazu, dass das Wetter aufklart (also bühnentechnisch)."
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"The personal top 3 is completed by soprano Sarah Hayashi in her double role as the prudent goddess of fortune Fortuna and as the emperor's lively sister. Her beautiful, embracing soprano even leads to the weather clearing up (stage-wise)."