French-Japanese-American soprano Sarah Hayashi is probably the one of a few professional sopranos trained in sterile cell culture techniques and antibody development in addition to her singing career. This season, Sarah will return to Staatstheater Cottbus as Der Hahn in Attila Kadri Şedil’s children’s opera ‘Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten’. She looks forward to singing the soprano solo in Mendelssohn’s ‘Elias’ in a co-production of Singakademie Dresden and Nidaros Domchor Trondheim in Dresden’s Kreuzkirche, Haydn’s ‘Die Schöpfung’ and Bach’s ‘Christmas Oratorio’ with Kantorei Riesa, and the title role in Handel’s ‘Semele’ with Studio Chor Berlin at the Kammermusiksaal of the Berlin Philharmonic. She, with her baroque ensemble Chaconne Ensemble, debuted at the Internationale Händel-Festspiele Göttingen with a programme of Handel chamber cantatas.
Sarah made her German debut in 2021 at Theater Erfurt where she has performed Susanna and Barbarina in ‘Le nozze di Figaro’, Findus in Ramdohr’s opera ‘Pettersson und Findus’, Tante Edla/Jiri in Leipold’s ‘Mio, mein Mio’, Adele in ‘Die Rache der Fledermaus’, as well as Aufseherin in ‘Elektra’. During the pandemic, Sarah sang the role of Le Feu in the critically acclaimed, award-winning film of Ravel’s ‘L’enfant et les sortilèges’ produced by Vopera with the London Philharmonic. Other roles include Blonde in ‘Die Entführung aus dem Serail’ with Bronx Opera, Zerlina in ‘Don Giovanni’ with Bare Opera, New York City, Despina in ‘Così fan tutte’ with Seastar Opera, Olympia in ‘Les contes d’Hoffmann’ with Arbor Opera Company Michigan, and Euridice in ‘Orphée aux Enfers’ with Bel Cantanti and Bearwood Opera.
She is a recipient of the Selma D. Fisher Award and was a finalist in the Handel Singing Competition in London in 2015, a semi-finalist in the 2016, 2023, and 2024 International Singing Competiton for Baroque Opera ‘Pietro Antonio Cesti’, a second prize winner in the 2018 Handel Aria Competition in Madison, Wisconsin, and a semi-finalist in the 2021 Concours Corneille International Baroque Singing Competition in Normandy.
Sarah is a founding member of the Chaconne Ensemble – an unique, versatile, and vibrant ensemble comprised of a soprano, baroque cello and harpsichord continuo. They specialize in chamber music for solo voice and continuo of the 17th and 18th-centuries. The Ensemble won both the Century Fund and Richard III Prize at the Royal College of Music Early Music Competition in 2015, as well as performed extensively with highlights being a concert for the Handel & Hendrix House in London and being invited to perform at the Utrecht Early Music Fringe Festival. In 2023, Chaconne Ensemble was selected as one of six ensembles to participate in the Handel Competition at the International Händel-Festspiele Göttingen. In 2024, Chaconne Ensemble gave a concert at Welfenschloss Hann, Münden as part of the Internationale Händel-Festspiele Göttingen.
Sarah earned her Bachelors and Masters in Music at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, and obtained a Master of Performance degree from the Royal College of Music in London, and a Masters of Art degree from the Wales International Academy of Voice.