Shauna McCarthy

• Distinguished Musician Award at the IBLA Grand Prize–Bellini International Vocal Competition
• Edri Van Dore Award at the Connecticut Opera Guild Scholarship Auditions
• New York Regional Winner at the MacAllister Awards
• Finalist in the Bel Canto Vocal Scholarship Competition
• MasterSingers Scholarship Award
• Greenwich Chorale Society Scholarship

Shauna McCarthy (Zitron) is an American soprano known for her powerful voice and dramatic coloratura repertoire. McCarthy made her stage debut at age 5 and began performing full operatic roles as a child. From ages 11 to 14, she portrayed Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors, followed by Despina in Così fan tutte at 15. At age 16, she also performed the role of Marguerite in Faust, all with the Connecticut Opera Alliance. By her late teens, she had already earned recognition in major vocal competitions. She has performed at prestigious venues including five appearances at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, where she portrayed Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Manon in Manon, Lakmé in Lakmé, and Hanna Glawari in Die lustige Witwe. At age 16, she also appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood under Michael Tilson Thomas for the televised Leonard Bernstein Gala Birthday Performance.

McCarthy has performed across New York City at Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, The DiMenna Center, and The Blue Note, and internationally at esteemed venues such as the New Israeli Opera (now Israeli Opera), La Piccola Scala (Greece), Liszt Hall (Czech Republic), Chiostro del Paradiso in the Amalfi Cathedral, St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, Villa Mazzotti (Italy), Teatro Donnafugata (Sicily), Rashtrapati Bhavan Presidential Estate (India), and the Trocadéro.

Her leading operatic roles include Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Königin der Nacht (Die Zauberflöte), Vitellia (La clemenza di Tito), Violetta Valéry (La traviata), La Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro), Marguerite (Faust), Poppea (L’incoronazione di Poppea), La Fée (Cendrillon), Musetta (La bohème), Madame Herz (Der Schauspieldirektor), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), and Gilda (Rigoletto), performed under the baton of renowned conductor Anton Coppola.

She has appeared with the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, Opera Aegean–MidAmerica Productions, New York Lyric Opera Theatre, One World Symphony, Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra, the IBLA Foundation, the Altamura Music Festival, and the Amalfi Coast Music Festival.

McCarthy has been recognized with several awards, including the Distinguished Musician Award at the IBLA Grand Prize–Bellini International Vocal Competition, the Edri Van Dore Award at the Connecticut Opera Guild Scholarship Auditions, and a New York Regional Winner at the MacAllister Awards. She was also a finalist in the Bel Canto Vocal Scholarship Competition and received both the MasterSingers Scholarship Award and the Greenwich Chorale Society Scholarship.

She graduated from the Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester) and was a merit scholarship recipient. She later studied with the legendary soprano Anna Moffo. After an eight-year breast cancer survivorship, she is making her way back to the stage.