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Julia Swan Laird is a second-year Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist in 2023-24. Last season, her roles included First Wood Sprite in Rusalka, Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro, and Dalinda in Ariodante. This season, her roles include Diana/Greek Woman in Iphigénie en Tauride, Taller Zegner Sister in Proving Up, and Annina in La Traviata.
Delaware native Julia Swan Laird holds a Master of Music degree in Opera Performance from Arizona State University (ASU). While at ASU's Music Theatre and Opera program, Julia performed as Romilda in Serse, Esmeralda in The Bartered Bride, First Spirit in Die Zauberflöte, and the title roles in Les Mamelles de Tirésias and The Fairy Queen. She is an alumna of the Accademia della Lirica Italiana in Bari, Italy, and the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival Opera Studio where she performed scenes from Don Giovanni, The Ghosts of Versailles, and Carmen. In March of 2020, she made her professional operatic debut with Opera West! in Santa Fe performing Suor Dolcina and Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica. She made her OperaDelaware debut as a young artist, performing in "Drive Thru Arias" concerts as a way to connect to the community during socially-distant times. Julia was a Filstrup Resident Artist with Tulsa Opera in the fall of 2020, where she covered Gilda and sang Giovanna and Page in an exciting and innovative new production of Rigoletto, the first live opera in the US since March 2020. She made her North Carolina debut in Piedmont Opera's production of Viardot's Cinderella as Fairy Godmother in March 2021. Julia performed Berta in a joint production of Il barbiere di Siviglia with OperaDelaware and Baltimore Concert Opera (now Opera Baltimore).
Julia placed fourth in the 2019 AIMS Meistersinger Competition and placed third in the 2019 American International Czech and Slovak Competition in Green Bay, Wisconsin. She has been a finalist with the Saltworks Opera Competition,MIOpera Competition, and the Pittsburgh Festival Opera Mildred Miller Competition, and the first place winner at Arizona NATS, Cal-Western Regional NATS, and North Carolina NATS.
Ms. Laird’s Residency is generously sponsored by Steve and Gail Mosites, and Steven Seibert.
Julia Swan Laird as Diana in Iphigénie en Tauride (photo credit: David Bachman)
"Julia Swan Laird’s silvery lyric soprano was as effective in expressing joy as it was sorrow." -- Seen & Heard International (photo credit: David Bachman)
Julia Swan Laird as Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro (photo credit: David Bachman)
Julia Swan Laird as Susanna in our Student Matinee of The Marriage of Figaro (photo credit: David Bachman)
Julia Swan Laird as First Wood Sprite in Rusalka (photo credit: David Bachman)
