A native of Wisconsin, Grammy Award-winning soprano Sarah Brailey enjoys a versatile career that defies categorization. Praised by The New York Times for her “radiant, liquid tone,” she is a prolific vocalist, cellist, recording artist, and educator.
Sarah’s numerous career highlights include performing with Kanye West and Grammy Award-winning alternative-classical vocal band Roomful of Teeth at the Hollywood Bowl, serenading the Mona Lisa with John Zorn’s Madrigals at the Louvre in Paris, and performing the role of The Soul in the world premiere recording of Dame Ethel Smyth’s The Prison, for which she received the 2020 Grammy for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. Other notable recent and upcoming projects include Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Colorado Symphony; Julia Wolfe’s Her Story with the Lorelei Ensemble and the Boston, Chicago, Nashville, National, and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras; and John Zorn works with Barbara Hannigan at the Elbphilharmonie. Her extensive discography includes the Grammy-nominated albums Sing Thee Nowell by New York Polyphony and The Clarion Choir’s recording of Maximilian Steinberg’s Passion Week, as well as the world premiere recording of Du Yun’s Angel’s Bone, winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Music.
Sarah was appointed Director of Vocal Studies at the University of Chicago in 2021. She is a co-founder of Just Bach, a monthly concert series in Madison, Wisconsin where she is also the Artistic Director of the Handel Aria Competition. An avid cyclist and nature lover, she lives with three bikes, three cats, and a plethora of houseplants. (Source: University of Chicago)