Arizona Opera Cast Members & Creatives

Dramatic soprano, Kara Shay Thomson continues to build her expansive stage career by creating characters that push the limits both musically and dramatically and this year is no exception.

In the 2017-18 season Ms. Thomson will debut 3 new roles beginning with Marta in the rarely performed work, Tiefland, by Eugene d’Albert for Sarasota Opera, the title role in Cherubini’s Medea for Opera Omaha and Turandot for Dayton Opera. She will make her company debut as Tosca for Arizona Opera and return to Dayton Opera again as Magda Sorel in The Consul.

Ms. Thomson’s 2016-17 engagements included joining Lyric Opera of Chicago for its production of Berlioz’ Les Troyens, Agäthe in Virginia Opera’s production of Der Freishütz and Tosca with Intermountain Opera.

Recent engagements include Tosca with Sarasota Opera, Kentucky Opera, Dayton Opera, Atlanta Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Portland Opera and Utah Opera. She has performed Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio and the role of Santuzza with Kentucky Opera and Sarasota Opera, Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle with New Millenium Orchestra of Chicago and Opera Omaha. Ms. Thomson gained critical acclaim for her portrayal of Magda Sorel in Menotti’s The Consul for Florida Grand Opera.

Other recent successes include performing The Woman in Schoenberg’s Erwartung with New York City Opera; the title role in Barber’s Vanessa with Sarasota Opera; Tosca with Central City Opera and Santa Fe Opera; Zemfira in Rachmaninoff’s Aleko with Cincinnati May Festival; Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Opera North; Marietta in Die tote Stadt with Washington, DC’s Summer Opera Theatre Company and both the Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia and Miss Jessel in Turn of the Screw with Chicago Opera Theater.

Concert highlights include Soprano Soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with National Chorale at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall; Dvořák’s Te Deum with Cincinnati May Festival; Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder with Amherst Symphony and Rachmaninoff’s The Bells at Ravinia Festival.