Lydia Shariff is a British mezzo-soprano and recent graduate of the esteemed 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.
Lydia has received advanced operatic training through prestigious institutions including the Glyndebourne Academy and British Youth Opera, and continues to build a dynamic and diverse career. In spring 2025, she premiered 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. She also recently gave the premiere of Michał Kawecki’s song cycle My Child at St Giles’ Cripplegate Barbican as part of the Song in the City festival.
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, Julius Drake, 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.
In the Autumn of 2025, Lydia will be premiering the role of Gretel in the new opera The Hive with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Past operatic roles include: 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.