ABOUT SHARLEEN
Chinese-Canadian coloratura soprano Sharleen Joynt has been praised for her "silvery, sparkling, substantial and resonant soprano" [Die Deutsche Bühne] and her "scintillating high range, reminiscent of the most beautiful moments of Mady Mesplé" [Opernwelt].
Canadian-Chinese coloratura soprano Sharleen Joynt has been praised for her "silvery, sparkling, substantial and resonant soprano" [Die Deutsche Bühne], her "scintillating high range, reminiscent of the most beautiful moments of Mady Mesplé" [Opernwelt], and "an artistic command that leaves the listener breathless" [Deutschland Radio]. Sharleen’s 2025/26 season includes concerts with Classical Tahoe, Handel’s Messiah with Grand Philharmonic Orchestra, and both performing and recording of role of Kitty in Menotti’s The Last Savage with Odyssey Opera and Boston Modern Opera Project.
Sharleen’s 2024/25 engagements included her “unforgettable” [SGN] and “electrifying” [The Seattle Times] Queen of the Night in the Barrie Kosky production of The Magic Flute with Seattle Opera. The season also brought her Irish debut with Wexford Festival Opera as the Prima Donna in Donizetti’s Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali, critics praising her “superb technique with great comic timing” [The Guardian] and “brilliant, sparkling coloratura.” [OperaWire] She also recently had her “stunning” [ResMusica] French debut as Cunégonde in Candide with Opéra National de Lyon, critics hailing her a “formidable discovery” [Bachtrack] and “a revelation.” [Forum Opera]
Other recent highlights include Gilda in Rigoletto at Opera Colorado, Florida Grand Opera and Edmonton Opera, where her “sweetness of timbre was matched by spot-on intonation and effortless coloratura that veered excitingly into the vocal stratosphere.” [South Florida Classical Review] Her Morgana in Handel’s Alcina with Seattle Opera was praised as “a silvery-voiced standout” [Gramophone], as was her “knock-you-off-your-seat singing” [The Georgia Straight] as Musetta in La Bohème with Vancouver Opera and Pacific Opera Victoria. Her signature role of Cunégonde in Candide has been praised as “unparalleled” [Art Intercepts] and “show-stopping” [The Berkshire Edge], and has brought her to the Tanglewood Music Festival, Ravinia Music Festival, Anchorage Opera and Orlando Philharmonic.
Known for her ability to “navigate high, delicate, and very difficult vocal writing” [Schmopera], Sharleen is equally at home with contemporary music. Her Controller in Jonathan Dove’s Flight, both with Seattle Opera and Pacific Opera Victoria, has been called “a glittering tour de force.” [Musical America] She sang the role of Christine in the North American Premiere of Belgian composer Philippe Boesmans’ Julie, based on the 1888 Strindberg play, “Miss Julie”, in a co-production with Canadian Stage and Soundstreams, where she was praised for her “extraordinary skill and fierce coloratura.” [Opera Canada] Her Opera Philadelphia debut brought her “pure, glinting soprano” [Opera Today] to the role of Winnie in Lembit Beecher’s Sky on Swings, starring Frederica von Stade. Her critically acclaimed Soprano 1/Ariadne in Wolfgang Rihm’s Dionysos at the Theater und Orchester Heidelberg earned her nominations for the Nachwunschsängerin award (Singer of the Year), awarded by Opernwelt magazine, and the prestigious “Der Faust” prize, awarded by the German Stage Association.
In concert, highlights include Glière’s Concerto for Coloratura, Op. 82 (Guelph Symphony), the soprano solos in Handel’s Messiah (Charleston Symphony), Howard Goodall’s Eternal Light requiem (Bach Society of St. Louis) and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 (Thunder Bay Symphony), as well as New Year’s Galas with the Hong Kong Philharmonic.
Sharleen holds a Bachelor and Master of Music from New School University’s Mannes College of Music. In addition to singing, Sharleen co-hosts the popular relationship podcast Dear Shandy and is known for using her platform to introduce new audiences to opera. She resides in New York City.
repertoire
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Adele – Die Fledermaus
Amore – Orfeo ed Euridice
Blonde – Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Christine – Julie (Boesmans)
Cleopatra – Giulio Cesare in Egitto
Controller – Flight
Cunegonde – Candide
Despina – Cosi fan Tutte
Amore – Orfeo ed Euridice
Euridice – Orfeo ed Euridice
Fausta – Orfeo ed Euridice
La Fée – Cendrillon
Fiakermilli – Arabella
Fire, Princess, Rossignol – L'Enfant et les Sortilèges
Frasquita – Carmen
Galatea – Acis and Galatea
Gilda – Rigoletto
Héro – Béatrice et Bénédict
Kitty – The Last Savage
Königin der Nacht – Die Zauberflöte
Madame Herz – Der Schauspieldirektor
Marie – La Fille du Régiment
Morgana – Alcina
Musetta – La Bohème
Olympia – Les Contes d'Hoffmann
Oscar – Un Ballo in Maschera
Sopran. 1/Ariadne – Dionysos (Rihm)
Winnie – Sky on Wings (Beecher)
Zerbinetta – Ariadne auf Naxos
Zerlina – Don Giovanni
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Amina – La Sonnambula
Chiang Ch'ing – Nixon in China
Golden Cockerel – The Golden Cockerel
Konstanze - Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Lucia – Lucia di Lammermoor
Lulu - Lulu
Maid - Powder Her Face (Adès)
Marguerite - Les Huguenots
Nachtigall – Die Vögel (Braunfels)
Philine – Mignon
Sandman/Dew Fairy – Hansel und Gretel
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Bach - O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit, BWV 210
Glière - Concerto for Coloratura, Op. 82
Goodall - Eternal Light Requiem
Handel - Messiah
Mahler - Symphony No. 4
Mozart - Exsultate Jubilate
Mozart - Mass in C minor
Orff - Carmina Burana
Pergolesi - Stabat Mater
R. Strauss - Brentano Lieder, Op. 68