Lyric soprano Sarah Stembel, a New Orleans native, has been praised for her engaging stage presence and brings a growing repertoire of operatic and musical theatre roles to stages across the United States. In fall 2026, she returns to Sarasota Opera to sing the Dew Fairy and cover Gretel and the Sandman in Hansel and Gretel. She will return to Sarasota this winter to cover Josephine in Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore and perform the role of Karolka in Janáček’s Jenůfa.

This summer, Sarah appeared in Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World with Opera MIssissippi. Her recent operatic engagements include Olga in The Merry Widow, Despina (cover) in Così fan Tutte, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Nella in Gianni Schicchi, Sister Genovieffa in Suor Angelica, and the soprano soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. She previously joined Sarasota Opera as an Apprentice Artist in 2024 and 2026. 

Sarah has also appeared as Edith in The Pirates of Penzance with MiOpera and as Doris Parker in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird with Dayton Opera, where she was a Resident Artist. Other credits include Musetta in La bohème, Violante (Sandrina) in La Finta Giardiniera, and Miss. Wingrave in Owen Wingrave. 

Sarah earned her Master of Music in Opera Performance from the Maryland Opera Studio at the University of Maryland and her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Southern Mississippi. She has also received recognition in numerous vocal competitions, including the John Alexander National Vocal Competition, Gulf Coast Steinway Vocal Competition, Voices of Mississippi Competition, and the Delta Symphony Concerto Competition.