Conversations with Golda Zahra

Today we’d like to introduce you to Golda Zahra.

Hi Golda, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am born and raised in Los Angeles and my love for Opera and Classical Music started when I was four years old and my parents took me to see a production of the opera The Magic Flute at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. I was so enthralled and enjoyed the show so much that my parents put me into piano classes and singing classes and eventually I decided that I wanted to be an Opera singer. I was very fortunate to sing with many ensembles in SoCal and in LA county and after high school I went to Italy to pursue my vocal studies in Opera. This past year I moved back to LA and I am so happy to be back because I had many wonderful concerts such as an evening of singing at the Beverly Cañon Gardens, a charity concert at St Monica’s Catholic Church, and a sold out solo concert at Santa Monica’s The Broad Stage this last month! My next show will be singing the role of Liù in Turandot at Walt Disney Concert Hall on August 16, and I absolutely can’t wait!!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been ups and downs like for most people, but I am very grateful to have always had a wonderful support team made up of my family and friends who always cheered me on during difficult times and who inspired me to keep pursuing my dreams no matter what.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an Opera singer, and what I strive to do in every performance is to excite the audience and to sing from my heart. I think the magic and beauty of any kind of singing is when you see the artist put their soul into their music and give an authentic performance to their public. I really believe that Opera and Classical needs to become more accessible in order to excite younger audience members like myself to go see an opera or classical performance. I personally strive to do so by not only singing classical music but by adding Broadway and American classics to my shows and also by not only focusing on vocal technique but also the theatrical and acting approach to singing. I really feel proud when I get to talk with people who were in the audience during one of my shows and they tell me how much they loved it, especially when I meet younger audience members or even kids who come up to talk to me and tell me that thanks to my performance they want to listen or even learn more about Opera.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My advice to someone starting out is to never give up no matter what, it’s a really challenging career at times because of competition, however if someone sings with authenticity and their heart, I believe that they can win over any judge, even the harshest one! I’d also advise a young singer to learn that they’d need to become extremely dedicated to their craft and also to be careful in what they do before they have a performance. Being a singer means that anything we do will have consequences to our instrument since we can’t put it away like a pianist or violinist would do. So if you eat spicy food before a concert or go party the night before, obviously your voice would be impacted the day after. I wish for example when I started that I’d be a little more cautious with my voice and that I would have taken some more breaks and have said no also to repertoire that was not good for my voice. Every voice is different, so I think it’s very important to make sure that whatever you sing is good for you at the time being and not be pushed as a young singer by other colleagues or people to sing pieces that you personally do not like or that that is not good for you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.goldazahra.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/golda.zahra/