Sarah Payne (soprano)

Sarah JoEllen Payne (December 6, 1988 – July 20, 2021) was an American operatic soprano. 
== Early life and education ==
Payne was born and grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she attended Nova High School and played volleyball. She took her first voice lesson at the age of 17, and went on to pursue a bachelor's degree in vocal performance from Florida International University. There she studied under Grzegorz Nowak (conductor) of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra through the school's opera theater program. After graduating with her bachelor's in 2014, Payne continued her studies with renowned American soprano Helen Donath at the Mozarteum University Salzburg in Salzburg, Austria. There, she was the first place winner of the 2015 St. Petersburg Opera Guild Voice Competition and named a finalist in the International Richard Strauss Competition. Following this, Payne competed and was named a winner of the at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions for the Florida District.
== Career ==
From 2015 to 2017, Payne was a resident of the Florida Grand Opera Young Artist Studio Program. Here, she made her career debut as Clotilde in Bellini's Norma (opera)|Norma, while also covering the title role. Reviews praised her as a "lustrous soprano" who "commanded attention"; "very fine; she has a soft cushion to her voice that fit this caretaker character quite well and made it more believable." During her residency, Payne also covered the roles of Micäela in Carmen, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin (opera), The Moon/Mother in Jorge Martín (composer) Before Night Falls, Amelia in Un ballo in maschera and Marta from Mieczysław Weinberg's The Passenger. During this time, Payne also performed the role of Governess in Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw at the Miami Music Festival. Her performance was raved to have been "loving, sensual, and scared, dressing the character in the proper sonorous attire. Brilliant from beginning to end".
In 2020, Payne graduated with her Master of Music degree in vocal performance from Mannes School of Music, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. During her studies in New York City, Payne performed the role of Mimì in La bohème with Mannes Opera and covered the role of Lady Billows in Albert Herring with Utopia Opera. 
== Opera roles ==
* Amelia (cover), Un ballo in maschera, (Verdi)
* Anna Maurrant, Street Scene (opera), (Kurt Weill)
* Antonia (scenes), Les Contes d'Hoffmann, (Jacques Offenbach)
* Arabella (scenes), Arabella, (Richard Strauss)
* Clotilde, Norma (opera), (Bellini)
* Countess Almaviva, Le nozze di Figaro, (Mozart)
* Donna Anna (scenes), Don Giovanni, (Mozart)
* First Lady, Die Zauberflöte, (Mozart)
* Governess, The Turn of the Screw, (Benjamin Britten)
* Helmwige (cover), Die Walküre, (Wagner)
* Lady Billows (cover), Albert Herring, (Britten)
* Magda (scenes), La rondine, (Puccini)
* The Marschallin (scenes), Der Rosenkavalier, (Strauss)
* Marta (cover), The Passenger (opera), (Mieczysław Weinberg)
* Micäela (cover), Carmen, (Bizet)
* Mimì, La bohème (Puccini)
* The Moon/Mother (cover), Before Night Falls, (Jorge Martín (composer))
* Norma (cover), Norma, (Bellini)
* Poppea, Agrippina (opera), (Handel)
* Tatyana (cover), Eugene Onegin (opera), (Tchaikovsky)
== Later life and death ==
In 2020, Payne returned to her native Florida and was active as the company manager of Florida Grand Opera. She married her husband Sebastian Hernandez on October 23, 2020. Her final performance, a solo recital titled "Dramatic Journey of a Diva" occurred on February 3, 2021, as part of Florida Grand Opera's SongFest series, in which she performed works by Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner. On July 21, 2021, Payne's death was reported at the age of 32. Her sudden passing shocked and saddened the opera community. Payne was honored in a memorial concert at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center at Florida International University. 
Category:1988 births
Category:2021 deaths
Category:American operatic sopranos