Praised for her “ravishing coloratura” and “vivid” singing, soprano Ariel Downs makes an impression with her adventurous repertoire and intense stage presence. The 2022/23 season includes her Carnegie Hall debut singing selections from Lakmé and Der Rosenkavalier, her role and house debut as Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance) with Heartland Opera Theatre, and a return to Thompson Street Opera to sing Calco in The Boy Who Wanted to be a Robot.

In the 2021/22 season, Ariel added two Puccini roles to her repertoire as Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi) with Mid-Ohio Civic Opera and a virtual role debut as Musetta (La Boheme) with Midwest Opera Theater.  She also self-produced and starred in a film production of Debussy’s cantata La damoiselle élue.

As a strong interpreter of new works, Ariel has originated several roles, including Queen Amarosa (The Bucket), Chrissy (percs.), and Gale (The Nightingale and the Rose). In 2022, she joined Thompson Street Opera to cover She in the American premiere of The Kamikaze Mind and Recipe in the stage premiere of Would You Eat Me? Ariel has also been an apprentice artist with the Cortona Sessions for New Music and New Music on the Point where she premiered numerous art songs and chamber music.  

Within the standard repertoire, her roles have included Miss Wordsworth (Albert Herring), Adele (Die Fledermaus), and Belinda (Dido and Aeneas) with the University of Missouri Kansas City, Despina (Cosi fan tutte) with Mid-Ohio Civic Opera, Nannetta (Falstaff) with Lawrence Opera Theatre, and Taumännchen/Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel) with the Bar Harbor Music Festival.

Ariel is a recipient of the Koch Cultural Trust Artist Grant, the Sigma Alpha Iota Professional Development Grant, and a two-time recipient of the UMKC Women’s Council Graduate Assistance Fund. She was a finalist in the 2021 Artist Presentation Society Competition, the 2019 Coeur d’Alene Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, and the 2019 University of Missouri Kansas City Concerto Aria Competition.  In 2023, she was named both the Winner and Audience Favorite prizes from the Sinfonietta Bel Canto Competition. 

Ariel received her degrees in Voice Performance from the University of Missouri Kansas City under the tutelage of Maria Kanyova. She resides in Chicago with her partner and her tabby cat Snicklefritz (the real star of the show).