Mezzo-Soprano, JULIA POWERS, is an adaptive artist of opera and choral repertoire. Newly based in California, she debuted two roles with Independent Opera Company during their 2022-2023 season: COUNTESS CEPRANO in Verdi's Rigoletto and PRINCESS NICOLETTA in Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges. She also made her Monterey Bay Area debut with I Cantori di Carmel as a YOUNG ARTIST SOLOIST in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. She returned to the company in April as the ALTO SOLOIST for their performances of Mozart’s Requiem. She was one of five artists selected via completely blind auditions for Opera Cecilia’s virtual CROSSOVER CABARET series released via YouTube in June of 2023.
During the 2023-2024 season Ms. Powers is looking forward to her debut with burgeoning virtual reality opera company, Mousaverse. They are pioneering a virtual reality platform for audiences and artists from all over the world to collaborate, create, and enjoy timeless operas. She will be singing in ALTO II CHORUS of Cavelleria Rusticana and DRYAD in Ariadne auf Naxos during the company's inaugural season. She will also return to Independent Opera Company as ALISA in Lucia di Lammermoor.
Until the spring of 2022, Ms. Powers was based in the Desert Southwest. During that time, she was a featured soloist and member of the Grammy-Winning chamber ensemble, Phoenix Chorale, as well as the Tucson-based Helios Ensemble. She joined the Arizona Opera Chorus family in 2020 for their performances of Puccini’s beloved opera, La Bohème. Shortly thereafter she performed MUSETTE in Leoncavallo's La Bohème in concert with Passion Project: Opera!, a rising company for unusual works in Tucson.
Other recent performances include La Regata Veneziana in VIRTUAL RECITAL with Mousaverse, CHORUS of Carmen with Arizona Opera, ALTO SOLOIST in Britten's Hymn to St. Cecilia with Phoenix Chorale featured in the VOCES8 Foundation LIVE FROM LONDON festival series, VOICE #7 in Thomas Tallis' 40-part work Spem in Alium with Phoenix Chorale, MISS TODD in The Old Maid and the Thief and LIVY CLEMENS in the world premiere of Harmony by Russell Banks and Robert Carl with Seagle Festival.
She holds a bachelor's degree in Music Education from Stephen F. Austin State University and a master’s degree in Vocal Performance from Baylor University. During her time at Baylor, she made her recital debut at Carnegie Hall as a FINALIST of the Baylor Semper Pro Musica Competition, and was named Outstanding Graduate in Voice.
