American soprano Elizabeth Futral has established herself as one of the world’s leading sopranos, embracing a repertoire that ranges from the Baroque to world premieres.
Futral’s current passion is that of teaching in the vocal studies department at Peabody Institute. Now in her seventh year at Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, she is currently the Chair of the Vocal Studies Department and is fully engaged with her students as they prepare for a life in the professional world of music-making.
As a professional singer, most recently Ms. Futral was seen in Sweeney Todd at San Francisco Opera and as Mimi in La Bohème in Birmingham. Concert performances include the gala opening of the Tobin Center in San Antonio, Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and Mahler Symphony No. 4 with Roanoke Symphony, Strauss’ Four Last Songs and Mahler 4 with Charleston Symphony, and the Mozart Requiem and Exultate, jubilate with Colorado Symphony led by Pinchas Zukerman. She also performed in recitals at Louisiana State University and Washington & Lee University.
Ms. Futral has explored an array of diverse repertoire. In recent seasons she created two world premiere roles: Vera in Tobias Picker’s Dolores Claiborne with San Francisco Opera, and Alice B. Toklas in Ricky Ian Gordon’s 27 for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. She added Zdenka in Strauss’ Arabella with Minnesota Opera. She returned to Lyric Opera of Chicago as the Baroness Elsa Schraeder in The Sound of Music, and to Houston Grand Opera as Desirée Armfeldt in A Little Night Music. With Chicago’s Music of the Baroque she performed Haydn’s The Creation led by Jane Glover.
A native of Louisiana, Ms. Futral studied with Virginia Zeani at Indiana University. She joined the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists at Lyric Opera of Chicago, won the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions in 1991 and was catapulted to stardom with critically acclaimed performances of Delibes’ Lakmé at New York City Opera in 1994. Career milestones soon followed, cementing her star status: a win in Placido Domingo’s Operalia Competition, the title role in Rossini’s Matilde di Shabran in Pesaro, her debut at San Francisco Opera as Stella in the world premiere of André Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire, and her Metropolitan Opera debut in a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor.
She returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Princess Eudoxie in a new production of La Juive, Princess Yeuyang in the world premiere of Tan Dun’s The First Emperor, Elvira in I Puritani, and additional performances of Lucia. With Lyric Opera of Chicago she has sung a vast range of roles including Cunegonde in Candide, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Handel’s Partenope, La Traviata, and The Merry Widow. She has notable relationships with Washington, Houston, Santa Fe, Los Angeles, New York City, Vancouver, and Minnesota opera companies. Internationally, she has been heard at Royal Opera Covent Garden, Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Theater an der Wien, Grand Theatre de Genève, Gran Teatre del Liceu, and Hamburg Staatsoper.