Coloratura soprano Lauren Sutherland wins over audiences with her energetic stage presence and her glittering high notes. She is establishing herself as an artistically versatile singer, already performing leading roles in both operatic and musical theatre repertoire. During the 24/25 season, Lauren made her role debut as Phyllis in Iolanthe with the Savoyaires, where she was hailed by the Chicago Theatre Review as “graceful, charming and sang like a bird.” A dynamic concert soloist, Lauren performed as the soprano soloist for Bach’s cantata Süßer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt and a soloist for an evening of Polish and American carols with Chicago’s own Lira Ensemble during the 24/25 holiday season. In April 2025, she performed with the Valkyrie Ensemble as both a soprano soloist for Piozzi’s Missa Sanctae Herclae and as Suor Osmina/Second Touriere in Suor Angelica.

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       From her early training at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, Lauren was especially drawn to comedic roles and has since excelled portraying some of operas funniest heroines such as Cunegonde (Candide), Adele (Die Fledermaus), Serpetta (La finta giardiniera), and Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos). She has also been recognized for her outstanding comedic acting as a finalist in the 2023 Harold Haugh Comic Opera

Competition.

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       Her other previous operatic roles include Madame Herz (The Impresario), Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte), Le Feu (L’enfant et les sortilèges), Belinda (Dido and Aeneas), the Dew Fairy (Hänsel und Gretel), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) and Naiad (Ariadne auf Naxos). She has performed with the Midwest Opera Theatre, singing both Musetta (La Bohème) and La Suora Zelatrice (Suor Angelica). Her musical theater credits include Marian Paroo in The Music Man, Susan in the 2009 musical [title of show], and the Fairy Godmother in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella.

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       Aside from her career as a soloist, Lauren is also an accomplished chorister. She joined the Toledo Opera chorus in the 22/23 season and has performed in Suor Angelica, Cavalleria Rusticana, Romeo et Juliette and Ragtime.

Lauren holds degrees from the Wheaton College Conservatory and the University of Missouri Kansas City. Her graduate research included an overview of Scandinavian song literature, as well as a thesis on Agathe Backer-Grøndahl’s Norwegian song cycles Barnets vårdag and Sommer. During her time at UMKC, she was a finalist in both the Chancellor’s Competition and the Concert Aria Competition, and was a two-time recipient of the UMKC Women’s Council Grant. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant at UMKC, Lauren taught private voice lessons to undergraduate students, and continues to

nurture students in her active private studio.

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       Lauren is an avid runner and recently completed her fifth half marathon. She also loves game nights, knitting, and scouring vintage stores. She resides in Oak Park, IL with her husband David, cat Leonard Bernstein, and dog Bird.