Praised by the press for her "grandiose voice" and “richness and roundness of tone [and] considerable depth of phrasing," Sara MacKimmie is an up-and-coming soprano who specializes in early, ensemble and contemporary music.
Sara currently sings weekly at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, and was honored to sing for Pope Francis in the fall of 2015. This season she looks forward to performing Bach and Telemann with New York Baroque Incorporated and Monica Huggett in New York and San Diego, and to singing once again with Washington DC's Chantry.
In the summer of 2015, Sara was privileged to spend two weeks studying and performing several of the early cantatas of Bach with Helmuth Rilling at the Weimar Bach Academy in Germany. Other recent highlights include working with Baltimore's New Consort, a lutesong recital at Juilliard with Kevin Payne, a Handel recital with Philadelphia’s Tempesta di Mare, a program of Tenebres settings at Georgetown, contemporary music with the Great Noise Ensemble, including Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians and Andriessen’s De Materie, as well as roles in Britten’s Rape of Lucretia and Albert Herring with Baltimore’s hexaCollective. She has also participated in master classes at the Boston Early Music Festival and through the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, including a performance of Tallis' Spem in Alium with the Tallis Scholars.
Sara completed masters degrees in voice and early music at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, where she studied with Phyllis Bryn-Julson and Ah Young Hong. While at Peabody, she coached with Eileen Cornett, Adam Pearl, and her current primary coach, lutenist Richard Stone. As a student, she was a soloist with the Baltimore Baroque Band and the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble. She also performed with the Peabody opera department, singing Angelica in Handel’s Orlando and Fiordiligli in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte in scenes, as well as the roles of Diane in Rameau’s Adonis and Pepik in Janacek’s Cunning Little Vixen.
A native of Michigan, Sara obtained her undergraduate education at Michigan State University, studying under soprano Melanie Helton. While at MSU, Sara was often featured as a soloist with the university’s choral ensembles and orchestras, as well as with groups throughout the region. She was also active with the university's opera theatre, performing the role of Clorinda in Rossini's La Cenerentola.
Sara currently sings weekly at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, and was honored to sing for Pope Francis in the fall of 2015. This season she looks forward to performing Bach and Telemann with New York Baroque Incorporated and Monica Huggett in New York and San Diego, and to singing once again with Washington DC's Chantry.
In the summer of 2015, Sara was privileged to spend two weeks studying and performing several of the early cantatas of Bach with Helmuth Rilling at the Weimar Bach Academy in Germany. Other recent highlights include working with Baltimore's New Consort, a lutesong recital at Juilliard with Kevin Payne, a Handel recital with Philadelphia’s Tempesta di Mare, a program of Tenebres settings at Georgetown, contemporary music with the Great Noise Ensemble, including Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians and Andriessen’s De Materie, as well as roles in Britten’s Rape of Lucretia and Albert Herring with Baltimore’s hexaCollective. She has also participated in master classes at the Boston Early Music Festival and through the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, including a performance of Tallis' Spem in Alium with the Tallis Scholars.
Sara completed masters degrees in voice and early music at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, where she studied with Phyllis Bryn-Julson and Ah Young Hong. While at Peabody, she coached with Eileen Cornett, Adam Pearl, and her current primary coach, lutenist Richard Stone. As a student, she was a soloist with the Baltimore Baroque Band and the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble. She also performed with the Peabody opera department, singing Angelica in Handel’s Orlando and Fiordiligli in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte in scenes, as well as the roles of Diane in Rameau’s Adonis and Pepik in Janacek’s Cunning Little Vixen.
A native of Michigan, Sara obtained her undergraduate education at Michigan State University, studying under soprano Melanie Helton. While at MSU, Sara was often featured as a soloist with the university’s choral ensembles and orchestras, as well as with groups throughout the region. She was also active with the university's opera theatre, performing the role of Clorinda in Rossini's La Cenerentola.
