Laurel Semerdjian, an American mezzo-soprano of Armenian descent, has been praised for her “deep, velvety voice” and “enchanting” acting (Pittsburgh in the Round). This season, she will make her Seattle Opera debut as the Third Lady in The Magic Flute. Ms. Semerdjian will also join Opera Southwest to sing Dona Damiana in Dona Clementina and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, the latter of which she has sung with Pittsburgh Opera, Sarasota Opera, and Syracuse Opera to critical acclaim, describing her performances as “gorgeous” and “heartbreaking.”  She will also make her West Edge Opera debut as The Witch of Endor in David & Jonathan. Ms. Semerdjian recently returned to Tacoma Opera to make her role debut as the title role in Carmen, sang as the alto soloist in Verdi's Requiem with Symphony Tacoma, and joined Symphoria for their Masterworks Concert Series, Inner City Arts for a workshop of Song of the Ambassadors, and the Winston Salem Symphony as the alto soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. 

 

A champion of new and rare works, Ms. Semerdjian sang the role of Ambassador to Space in Derrick Skye’s Song of the Ambassadors at Alice Tully Hall and performed an excerpt of the work to open the 2023 TED conference in Vancouver. She was featured in the filmed project Heroes which was co-produced by Resonance Works and Decameron Opera Coalition in 2021, and has sung the role of Public Opinion in Orpheus in the Underworld with Madison Opera and the title role of Benazir Bhutto in a workshop of Mohammed Fairouz’s Bhutto with Pittsburgh Opera and Beth Morrison Projects. Ms. Semerdjian made her Opera Southwest debut in Bottesini’s rarely performed Alì Babà, in which she “fascinated onlookers with her hijinks and comic timing” (Opera Today). She was also hailed as "a dramatic and musical tour de force" (Pittsburgh Tribune) for her portrayal of Asakir in Pittsburgh Opera's production of Mohammed Fairouz's Sumeida's Song.

 

In 2023, Ms. Semerdjian returned to Opera Southwest as Ragonde in Le comte Ory and sang Zulma in L’Italiana in Algeri at the St. Petersburg Opera Company. Other recent operatic roles include Geneviève in Pelléas et Mélisande (Opera Southwest), Bradamante in Handel’s Alcina (Pittsburgh Opera), the title roles in Le tragédie de Carmen (Florentine Opera) and The Rape of Lucretia (Tacoma Opera), Dorabella in Così fan tutte (Inland Northwest Opera, Bellevue City Opera), Marianna in Il signor Bruschino (Sarasota Opera), Flora in La traviata (Summer Garden Opera, Sarasota Opera), Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte (St. Petersburg Opera), and Tisbe in La Cenerentola (Syracuse Opera). For her performance with Resonance Works as Ježibaba, Pittsburgh in the Round writes:  “Laurel Semerdjian was outstanding in her truly nightmarish conception of the witch… she crouched and slithered about the stage…Her voice [has] ringing top tones eclipsed only by cavernous, rock-solid lows… and her spitefully hearty laughter at Rusalka’s plight was a demonic thrill.” 

 

In concert and oratorio, Ms. Semerdjian recently joined Symphoria for Mahler’s 2nd Symphony. She has sung as the mezzo soloist for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Cape Symphony, Syracuse’s Symphoria, Washington DC’s Cathedral Choral Society at the Washington National Cathedral, and Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, as well as in Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem with Symphony Tacoma, Haydn's Mass in Time of War with Symphoria and the Cathedral Choral Society, and the Bruckner’s Te Deum with Pittsburgh Symphony. She has performed in gala concerts with Symphoria, Washington Concert Opera, the Missouri Symphony, and Opera Southwest.

 

Ms. Semerdjian fulfilled two seasons as a Resident Artist with Pittsburgh Opera, singing Mother Goose in The Rake’s Progress, Meg in Little Women, Gertrude Stein in Ricky Ian Gordon's opera 27, Fenena in Nabucco, Emilia in Otello, Eduige in Rodelinda, and covering the title role of Carmen. Previous roles are Cherubino in Bellevue City Opera's production of Le nozze di Figaro, and Mercédès in Carmen as a Vocal Fellow at Music Academy of the West, under the guidance of Marilyn Horne. As an Apprentice Artist with Sarasota Opera, she covered Inez in Il trovatore. 

 

Ms. Semerdjian holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of North Texas and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Arts with a minor in Music Industry from the University of Southern California.