Hailed by the Maine Classical Beat for "a voice to die for (combined) with acting ability, beauty, and stage presence," Israeli mezzo-soprano Maya Lahyani is quickly becoming one of today’s most sought-after international singers.

This season, Ms. Lahyani makes her Detroit Opera debut in Yuval Sharon’s high-tech acclaimed production of The Valkyries. She then joins Portland Opera for her company debut as the title role in Carmen in a production by Denyce Graves. Lahyani will perform Handle’s Messiah with the New Jersey Symphony conducted by Maestra Xian Zhang. Later in the season, she returns to her signature role as Carmen with Opera Naples.

In the 2020-21 season, Maya Lahyani returned to the Metropolitan Opera for a charming holiday production of Massenet’s Cendrillon directed by Laurent Pelly. She then made two house debuts in the title role of Carmenby Bizet, at Arizona Opera and with The Minnesota Opera in new production by star Mezzo Denyce Graves. She also appeared at Bard Music Festival as a soloist in Scriabin’s Symphony no. 1.

In the 2019-20 season, Lahyani returned to The Metropolitan Opera to sing Rosette in Manon and Tisbe in La Cenerentola. She also returned to the Israeli Opera to sing Sister Helen Prejean in Heggie’s Dead Man Walking. In concert, she was scheduled to join The Philadelphia Orchestra for Elektra and to make her London Symphony Orchestra debut in Tippett’s A Child of Our Time under the baton of Alan Gilbert, both concerts were cancelled due to COVID 19. Other cancelled engagements were her debuts at Chicago Opera Theater, and Theater Dortmund, and her return to Canadian Opera Company. 

Ms. Lahyani sang over 90 performances at The Metropolitan Opera, making her debut during the 2013-2014 season in Anthony Minghella’s production of Madam Butterfly as the first Israeli born to ever sing on their stage. Other appearances at the Met including Grimgerde in Robert Lepage’s Ring, Massenet’s Werther, Cendrillon, and Manon, Rusalka under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Elektra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen (all productions were seen live in HD), the role of the Palestinian Woman in John Adams' The Death of Klinghoffer, Flora in Willy Decker’s iconic production of La Traviata. As well as covering Maddalena in Michael Mayer’s production of Rigoletto, Lola in Sir David McVicar’s production of Cavalleria Rusticana, Altichiara in Francesca da Rimini, and Fiona in the Met premiere of Nico Muhly's Two Boys.

Recent career highlights including her Latin America debut as Charlotte in Werther with Ópera De Nuevo León in Monterrey, Mexico. Her Israeli Opera debut as Charlotte in Massenet's Werther conducted by Alan Guingal and directed by Paul Emile Fourny. The title role of Carmen with Opera Maine, Opera Las Vegas and Wolf Trap Opera. Her Seattle Opera appearances as Varvara in Janáček’s Katya Kabanova, Flora in Peter Konwitschny’s production of La Traviata, and Dryad in Ariadne auf Naxos. Maddalena in Rigoletto at the Berkshire Opera Festival, Hansel in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel With Opera Fairbanks, the Page in Atom Egoyan’s production of Salome with The Canadian Opera Company, and Third Lady in The Magic Flute with The Dallas Opera. Lahyani was also featured as the vocal soloist in numerous works by the renowned choreographer Alonzo King and his acclaimed Alonzo King LINES Ballet.

Ms. Lahyani’s concert work portfolio includes performances as the mezzo-soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus under the baton of Nicola Luisotti, Mahler’s Second Symphony with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Bernstein's Jeremiah Symphony with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Ravel’s Sheherazade with the Jerusalem Symphony, Brahms’s Alto Rhapsody with the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra, and the alto soloist in Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream with conductor Kurt Masur and the San Francisco Symphony. Lahyani also appeared in concert of Verdi's Rigoletto with The Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel.

Lahyani is an alumna of the prestigious Adler Fellowship of the San Francisco Opera, where she made her debut in 2010 as Wowkle in La Fanciulla del West under conductor Nicola Luisotti. Other roles and productions with the company include Siegrune in Die Walküre, Sister Marta and The Duenna in Cyrano de Bergerac, the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’s Heart of a Soldier under conductor Patrick Summers, Janáček's The Makropulos Case, Maffio Orsini in Lucrezia Borgia, and the title role of Carmen. With the International Vocal Art institute in Tel Aviv Lahyani performed the roles of Charlotte in Werther, Mather Marie in The Dialogues of the Carmelites, and the title role in Mascagni's Zanetto.