Amanda Pabyan

"Ms. Pabyan is a soprano of fearsome agility and power.” - New York Observer

One of America’s most distinguished dramatic-coloratura sopranos, Amanda Pabyan has been described by the New York Times as “a brilliant coloratura” and “technically agile, clarion toned and incisive.” Ms. Pabyan made her Metropolitan Opera debut as the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte under the baton of James Levine. She also appeared as the formidable Queen throughout the United States, most notably at New York City Opera, Washington National Opera, Opera Colorado, and Florida Grand Opera.

Moving into more dramatic repertoire, Ms. Pabyan made her role debut as Roselinda in Die Fledermaus with Opera on the James, Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio at the Shippensburg Festival, a concert appearance with the National Symphony of Guatemala performing Mahler’s Rückert Lieder, and a concert with the Cincinnati Symphony including excerpts from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Verdi’s Requiem. Last season, she appeared as the Countess in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with Opera on the James, revived her soprano solos in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, sang Britten’s War Requiem with the Boston University Symphony Orchestra, and joined Jours de Fêtes in Tokyo for a concert of arias. Upcoming engagements include Verdi's Requiem with the Euskadiko Orkestra Sinfonikoa in San Sebastián, Spain, Strauss'  Vier letzte Lieder with Orquestra Sinfónica de RTVE in Madrid, and Leonore in Fidelio with Rutgers University Orchestra. 

Recently Ms. Pabyan revisited her portrayal of Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail for Arizona Opera, Opera Atelier, and Anchorage Opera and sang Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Syracuse Opera..  Additional recent highlights include an appearance as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte with the Lyrique-en-mer festival in Belle-ile, her role debut of Juliette in Romeo et Juliette with Syracuse Opera, an appearance with the Seattle Symphony as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and a cover of the role of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with both New York City Opera and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Additionally, Ms. Pabyan has appeared as Gretel for Washington National Opera’s Hansel und Gretel, and reprised her Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail for Boston Lyric Opera, Portland Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre, and the title role in Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice at Glimmerglass Opera. Ms. Pabyan was engaged by the Metropolitan Opera and the Dallas Opera for productions of Ariadne auf Naxos, by New York City Opera for Capriccio, and by Glimmerglass Opera for Handel’s Imeneo. the Dallas Opera and Utah Symphony & Opera for Die Zauberflöte.  She also joined James Conlon and the Cincinnati Symphony May Festival for concert performances of Die Entführung aus dem Serail and returned to Canterbury Opera in Christchurch, New Zealand to sing her first Lucia di Lammermoor garnering rave reviews from the press.

On the concert stage, Ms. Pabyan has performed Handel’s Messiah with Boston Baroque, as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Seattle Symphony and Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, American Symphony Orchestra at Lincoln Center in a triple-bill of semi-staged operas by Hindemith, performed the Fauré Requiem with the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra. She has also joined Maestro James Conlon and the Cincinnati Symphony May Festival for concert performances of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, appeared in a New Year’s Eve performance with the Boston Pops Orchestra in a program saluting the Viennese tradition, performed the soprano solo in Brahms's Ein Deutsches Requiem for the Shippensburg Festival, and joined the Dresdner Philharmonie for Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915. Recently, Ms. Pabyan performed the Vier letzte Lieder (Strauss) with the Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE in Madrid and joined the Malmö SymphoniOrkester and the Euskadiko Orchestra Sinfonika in San Sebastián for performances of Verdi’s Requiem.

A member of both AGMA and NATS, Ms. Pabyan holds a Doctorate in Vocal Performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the Universtity of Cincinnati, a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from Boston University’s College of Fine Arts, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts. Ms. Pabyan has made a recording of Italian Cantatas and German Arias, “Nel dolce dell’oblio”, with Callisto. She is currently on the voice faculty at Central Michigan University.