Sabina Balsamo is a versatile operatic soprano, bringing depth of character and playfulness to performances in opera, musical theater, concert, and recital settings. In the summer of 2026, she became an Apprentice Artist with the Central City Opera, appearing as Sophie De Palma in Master Class, a play by Terrance McNally. She is currently a Graduate Assistant pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
In addition to traditional roles such as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, she has created characters in new works like Margery Mansfield in Leanna Kirchoff’s Welcome to the Madness (Opera Steamboat) and Angustias in Griffin Candey’s The House of Bernarda Alba (Cleveland Opera Theater). In 2023, she produced, recorded and premiered the chamber opera Colorado Sky by Ben Morris and Laura Fuentes. Award-winning composer Tom Cipullo described her performance in Colorado Sky as “brilliant, assured, and deeply moving.” Balsamo has also workshopped roles in several new operas, including Vicky Hobson in Tom Cipullo’s Hobson's Choice with CU NOW, and most recently Mamselle in Gregory Spears’ Sleepers Awake with Cincinnati Opera, Opera Fusion: New Works in 2025.
In addition to her operatic work, Balsamo has commissioned several works to expand the chamber music repertoire for soprano and cello and has produced two albums: Colorado Sky and In Time. In 2020, she co-founded of Sohap Ensemble, a group that presents contemporary classical music in concert and educational settings. To date, Sohap has performed nine chamber music concerts and premiered six new works, collaborating with notable musicians such as singers Andrew Garland and John Seesholtz, as well as composers Ben Morris and Griffin Candey.
Performance highlights include: Pamina in The Magic Flute, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Sandman/Dew Fairy in Hänsel und Gretel, and the title role in Manon (concert), Nella (cover) in Gianni Schicchi, Rose in At the Statue of Venus; Baby Doe (cover) in The Ballad of Baby Doe, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Elsie in The Yeomen of The Guard, Rose in Ruddigore, Clara in It’s a Wonderful Life, Governess in The Turn of the Screw , Blanche in Dialogues of the Carmelites, and Polly in The Threepenny Opera.
On the concert stage, recent solo engagements include Haydn’s Paukenmesse with the Dayton Bach Society, Haydn’s Harmoniemesse and Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang Cantata with Musica Sacra in Cincinnati, and the University of Wyoming’s performance of “Addio, del passato” from La Traviata and the Mozart Requiem, which she sang again with the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs in January, 2025. She was a soloist with the Boulder Bach Festival in 2022 and performed with the CU Boulder University Orchestra after winning their Honors Competition in 2018.
A multifaceted performer, Balsamo is at home in various musical styles. She has taken on roles such as Fredrika in A Little Night Music and Micky in a gender-bending production of Damn Yankees with Pittsburgh Festival Opera. Her versatility extends to cabaret performances, where she has showcased cabaret, broadway, and jazz repertoire.
In 2023, Balsamo was a soloist with Central City Opera’s Lyric Theater Singers and joined their outreach group in 2024, presenting a program meant to support teens in mental health crises. She also appeared as a soloist in their 2024 Gala. With the Sohap Ensemble, she led a contemporary music workshop centered on Jessie Montgomery’s “Loisaida, My Love”, exploring extended techniques and fostering creativity across artistic mediums for middle and high school students.
Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Balsamo grew up in the Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music and served as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Colorado Boulder. From 2022 to 2024, she was a member of the voice faculty at the University of Wyoming.