Sarah Johannsen, born and raised in Minnesota, U.S.A., divides her performing life between America and in Germany. She sang a highly praised debut of the role of Elektra for Stadttheater Bremerhaven and then repeated the role for the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater. In New York, Miss Johannsen was featured by Oratorio Society in Carnegie Hall, singing the Gounod Gallia and the Wagner Wesendonck Lieder with orchestra, as well as the Verdi Requiem under Lyndon Woodside. Miss Johannsen covered Isolde in Tristan und Isolde for Opera Orchestra of New York and had the opportunity to sing the open dress rehearsal in Carnegie Hall. Since her debut as Senta in Der fliegende Holländer for Theater Hof in Germany, where she was described by Opernwelt as "perfekt", Miss Johannsen has appeared in the role for Oper Leipzig, Staatstheater Braunschweig and the Eutiner Sommerspiele. She also had a great success with her first appearance as Leonore in Fidelio for Sarasota Opera in Florida in 1995. With New York City Opera National Company, Miss Johannsen made her debut as Tosca in 1991 and has since appeared in the role for Nationaltheater Mannheim and Stadttheater Gießen. It was in Gießen that she made her German debut as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni in 1994.

In New York, Miss Johannsen has sung such French rarities as Gabriel Fauré's Pénélope and Paul Dukas' Ariane et Barbe-Bleue and François Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites. To her repertoire also belong roles such as Aida, Desdemona, Abigaille and Minnie in La fanciulla del West. Miss Johannsen was the First Place Winner of the Opera Index Competition in 1994 and has been a winner of the Liederkranz Competition in New York, as well as the prestigious George London Award.

In the 1998/99 season, Miss Johannsen sang more appearances as Senta in Leipzig, Elektra in Darmstadt, and her first Götterdämmerung Brünnhilde for the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater and her first Siegfried Brünnhilde for Augsburg Theater. Upcoming events include her debut as Turandot for Oldenburg and the Mahler Rückert Lieder with orchestra in the Czech Republic with Wolfgang Michel conducting. Miss Johannsen will also be singing her first Walküre Brünnhilde when she begins the Ring Cycle for Staatstheater Braunschweig in February 2000.

Contact details and further information

E-mail Sarah Johannsen

For further details, see Sarah Johannsen's website