Sarah Heltzel is being noticed for her “potent star performances” coupled with a “rich, powerhouse voice.” For recent performances in Houston, the Chronicle raved “Heltzel sets the stage ablaze with her vocal and dramatic pyrotechnics,” while the New York Times noted of her role in The Saint of Bleecker Street, “Sarah Heltzel, vocally striking and visually appealing, walked away with the second act as Desideria.” Ms. Heltzel made her debut with Seattle Opera while still a Young Artist, as Siegrune in their acclaimed Ring cycle. She reprised the role twice, adding covers of Flosshilde in Das Rheingold, and Waltraute, Zweite Norn and Flosshilde in Götterdämmerung. A recipient of grants from The Wagner Society of New York, she has also sung Fricka in Minnesota Concert Opera’s Mini-Ring. A compelling actress with a true Zwischenfach voice, in recent seasons Ms. Heltzel has been noticed in roles from Principessa d’Eboli in Don Carlo (Wichita Grand Opera) to Suzuki in Madama Butterfly (Indianapolis, Amarillo, Syracuse, Nevada, Opera on the James), from der Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos (Winter Opera St Louis) to Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana (String Orchestra of Brooklyn), to Desirée and Charlotte in A Little Night Music (Syracuse Opera, Phoenicia Festival). Other recent roles include Jo in Little Women and Musetta in La Bohème for Opera on the James, Romeo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi for Opera in the Heights, Flora in La Traviata for Seattle Opera, Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana for Amarillo Opera, the Ugly Duchess in Chin’s Alice In Wonderland and Trio Alto in Angels in America for New York City Opera, Azucena in Il Trovatore with Opera in the Heights, Carmen for Tacoma Opera and Skagit Opera, Desideria in The Saint Of Bleecker Street and the Marquise de Merteuil in The Dangerous Liaisons for New York’s Dicapo Opera Theatre, Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus with Mississippi Opera, Dryade in Ariadne Auf Naxos with Toledo Opera, Cherubino in Le Nozze Di Figaro for Chautauqua Opera, and covering Dalila in Saint-Saëns’ Samson Et Dalila for Washington Concert Opera. A lover and proponent of new music, Ms. Heltzel has created roles in multiple new one-act operas for American Lyric Theater in New York and American Opera Projects. Concert performances include Verdi’s Requiem with Symphony Syracuse, Wichita Symphony, Back Bay Chorale and at Carnegie Hall, Handel’s Messiah and Janacek's Glagolitic Mass with Seattle Symphony, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Boston Philharmonic and Minot Symphony Orchestra, Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with the Gordon College Symphony, and Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with the Boston Chamber Music Society, as well as numerous recitals with collaborator Miloš Repický, including for the Wagner and Mahler Societies of New York. As a member of the Seattle Opera Young Artist Program, she appeared as Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze Di Figaro, Miss Jessel in Britten’s Turn Of The Screw and Despina in Cosi Fan Tutte. She has been a grant recipient and prizewinner from The Wagner Society of New York, The Liederkranz Foundation, The Gerda Lissner Foundation, the Career Bridges Competition, and the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition. Ms. Heltzel joined New York City Opera again last spring for Saleswoman in Brokeback Mountain and their Pride concert in Bryant Park, and the Knickerbocker Orchestra in New York City for the world premiere of a cantata on the topic of gun violence in America, Struggle to Forgive by Gary Fagin. Engagements this season include her Australian debut as Offred in A Handmaid’s Tale in Melbourne, a return to Wichita Grand Opera for the title role in Carmen, Bernstein’s SONGFEST with the Maverick Chamber Orchestra in Woodstock, NY, and Beethoven’s 9 with Music for Life International at Carnegie Hall, to benefit the Rohingya refugees.