Ashlyn Brown is a lyric-mezzo soprano making her young artist debut with the Sarasota Opera. Most recently, Ashlyn was pursuing her Performance Diploma at Indiana University- Jacobs School of Music where she studied under Carol Vaness. Born in Palm Springs, California, this mezzo-soprano has had roles as Amastre in Xerxes, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Berta in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Aloès in L’Étoile at the IU Opera Theater. She has also been in six IU Opera Theater choruses, including La Traviata and L'elisir d'amore. Ashlyn has also performed as Third Lady in the Chicago Summer Opera’s production of Die Zauberflöte and as Mad Margaret in the University Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s Ruddigore. In July of 2020, Ashlyn would have made her role debut as Dorabella in Così fan Tutte in the Aquilon Music Festival’s Young Artist Program, but unfortunately the performance was cancelled due to Covid-19. In 2020, she was awarded the Bonnie Bell Encouragement Award from the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition. This year, Ashlyn was a finalist in the Pasadena Vocal Competition and the Palm Springs Opera Guild Vocal Competition. In February of 2021, Ashlyn was the first prize winner in the Bloomington Chapter’s National Society of Arts and Letters Voice Competition. She also was a semi-finalist in the Camerata Bardi International Vocal Competition as well as a finalist in the Piccola Opera NH Opera Idol Competition. In 2019, she was recognized with an Encouragement Award from the Illinois District in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition. Ashlyn has also done oratorio work as the alto soloist in the Carmel Symphony’s performance of Mozart’s "Requiem" at the Palladium in Carmel, Indiana. In April, Ashlyn recorded the role Marija Berczynskas in The Jungle, a new opera, based on the book by Upton Sinclair, with the New Voices Opera which will make a film debut in the Autumn of 2021. Ashlyn recently performed her role debut as Ottavia in the IU Opera Theater production of Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea in October of 2021. In May, Ashlyn will be joining the Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Singer and will sing chorus in their productions of Carmen, Falstaff, and a new production of Madame Butterfly.