Lydia Shariff is a British mezzo-soprano and recent graduate of the Opera School at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Renowned for her "commanding" and "luxurious" tone, she is a versatile performer, equally at home in opera, song, and jazz repertoire.
Upcoming operatic engagements include covering the role of Orlando in Handel's Orlando at Longborough Festival Opera and making her debut with English Touring Opera as Sorceress in their new production of Dido and Aeneas. As an oratorio soloist, 2026 will see Lydia performing Vivaldi's Gloria in Malta and Bach in The Netherlands.
In 2025, Lydia appeared as the Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas at Longborough Festival Opera, and as a guest artist with the Royal Ballet and Opera in Like Water for Chocolate(cover). She also performed the role of Gretel/Griselda in the premiere of The Hivewith the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Additionally, Lydia performed the role of The Bird in the world premiere of The Magic Flute II: The Curse by Damon Albarn and Jeremy Sams at the Lido Theatre in Paris.
A sought-after oratorio soloist, Lydia has performed major works including Mozart's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, and Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle. She has worked in masterclasses and projects with distinguished artists such as Roderick Williams OBE, Sir Thomas Allen, Dame Anne Evans, and Susan Bullock CBE.
In 2024, Lydia was nominated for the Wagner Prize and advanced to the live quarterfinals of the International Vocal Competition in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, where she was also selected to participate in a masterclass with Eva-Maria Westbroek. She was a Britten Pears Young Artist (2023–2024), a Serena Fenwick Artist with British Youth Opera (2023), and a Sybil Tutton Award holder through Help Musicians. She is also a bursary recipient of the International Opera Awards Foundation. As a passionate advocate of outreach work, Lydia has performed in projects with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Wigmore Hall.
Past operatic roles include: Gretel/Griselda The Hive (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra), Sorceress Dido and Aeneas(Longborough Festival Opera), Juno Agrippina (Hampstead Garden Opera), First Norn Götterdämmerung (Longborough Festival Opera - Cover), Mrs Herring Albert Herring (Clonter Opera Company), Mrs Peachum The Beggar's Opera. In opera scenes at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Lydia has performed the following roles: Baba the Turk The Rake's Progress, Carmen Carmen, Lucretia The Rape of Lucretia, Federica Luisa Miller, Madame de Croissy Dialogues des Carmélites, Ursule Béatrice et Bénédict, Madame de la Haltière Cendrillon, Third Lady The Magic Flute.