About
Shira Ziv, soprano, has been celebrated as a “standout” for her “vocal prowess and acting acumen” (Daniel Hathaway, Cleveland Classical), with her singing praised for its “confidence, ease, and agility” (Pamela Hickman’s Concert Critique Blog).
Shira’s upcoming engagements for 2026 include performing the role of Ismene in Mitridate, re di Ponto with the Cleveland Opera, performing the role of Ligeia and covering Irisin The Tempest with Teatro Grattacielo, and voicing the role of Florence alongside co-star Toni Marie Palmertree in Showstopper, an animated operatic short film as a guest artist with the Ringling College of Art and Design.
Her 2025 season highlights include performances as Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel with Music On Site, Inc.; Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with Teatro Grattacielo as a Camerata Bardi Young Artist; Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Mimi Ohio Theatre; and Zina in Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters at the Cleveland Museum of Art, both with the CIM Opera Theatre. She also serves as soprano soloist for Mother Tongue, a sound installation by Dana Ziv and Laila Abd Elrazaq, presented at the Haifa Museum of Art throughout 2025–2026.
Additional roles performed include Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare (Jerusalem Lyric Opera, 2024), Adele in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus (CIM Opera Theatre, 2024), Aloès in Chabrier’s L’Étoile (Westfield Studio Theatre/CIM Opera Theatre, 2024), Morgana in Handel’s Alcina (2023), Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Harrower Summer Opera, 2023), Blanchede la Force in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites (CIM Opera Theatre 2023), Papagena (cover) in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (CIM Opera theatre, 2020) and Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Caesarea Ralli Museum, 2018).
Deeply committed to presenting new works, Shira has originated roles in several contemporary operas, collaborating directly with composers. These include Ruth in Ruth by Daniel DiMarino (2022), First Gossiper in She Wolf by Shlomo Omer (2019), and the Young Princess in Insane Hindik by Eyal Bat (2018).
An accomplished competitor, Shira was awarded Audience Favorite at the 2025 Nightingale Opera Theatre Biennial Vocal Competition. In 2024 alone, she earned first prizes in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (Ohio chapter, Advanced Division), the International Mozart Competition (Vienna), the Paris International Music Competition, and the Bizet International Music Competition, and received the Boris Goldovsky Prize in Opera from the Cleveland Institute of Music for the most outstanding operatic performance of the school year. Additional honors include finalist in the Jerusalem Lyric Opera International Competition (2024), winner of the Mirabell Recital Competition (Salzburg, 2023), and multiple scholarships and awards from the Cleveland Institute of Music, Israel’s Ministry of Education, and the America–Israel Cultural Foundation.
Shira holds both her Master of Music (2025) and Bachelor of Music (2023) degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Beyond opera, Shira enjoys exploring a wide range of repertoire. She has appeared as a soloist with the CWRU Klezmer Orchestra and was a featured speaker and performer at the Music Settlement, presenting on Sephardic art song. She is deeply committed to collaboration, frequently working with composers including her sister, brother-in-law, and close friends. This collaborative work is one of the most fulfilling aspects of her artistic life, and she is especially passionate about bringing new audiences to opera and expanding its reach and relevance.
Press Kit
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