Ambur Braid (born Amber Dionne Braid) is a Canadian

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

Early life and education

Braid was born in

Terrace, British Columbia Terrace is a city in the Skeena Country, Skeena region of west central British Columbia, Canada. This regional hub lies east of the confluence of the Kitsumkalum River into the Skeena River. On British Columbia Highway 16, BC Highway 16, junctions ...

. She studied at

The Royal Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM; ), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto C ...

Glenn Gould School with Donna Sherman from 2002 to 2006, where she achieved her Bachelor of Music and Artist Diploma in Voice Performance. She then went on to study with Wendy Hillhouse at the

San Francisco Conservatory of Music The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) is a private music conservatory in San Francisco, California, United States. As of 2024, it had more than 440 students. History The San Francisco Conservatory of Music was founded in 1917 by Ada ...

from 2006 to 2008, where she attained her Master of Music. She then continued her studies at Operaworks with Ann Baltz, the Opera Workshop in St. Andrews-By-The-Sea with Wendy Nielsen, the

Canadian Opera Company The Canadian Opera Company (COC) is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and one of the largest producers of opera in North America. The COC performs at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performin ...

Ensemble Studio (2010–2013) and the

Ravinia Festival Ravinia Festival is a primarily outdoor music venue in Highland Park, Illinois. It hosts a series of outdoor concerts and performances every summer from June to September in a wide variety of musical genres from classical to pop. The first orche ...

's Steans Institute (2012). From 2014 to 2016, Ambur moved to

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

to work with Marina Krilovici on a repertoire shift to roles like

Salome Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...

(

Strauss Strauss, Strauß, or Straus is a common Germanic surname. Outside Germany and Austria ''Strauß'' is usually spelled ''Strauss'' (the letter " ß" is not used in the German-speaking part of Switzerland). In classical music, "Strauss" most com ...

) and the title role in Puccini's

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

Career

After completing her Master of Music degree, Ambur made her professional debut with

Opera Atelier Opera Atelier is an opera company located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1985. The company mounts baroque operas and ballet, ballets from the 17th and 18th centuries that are presented in venues located in Toronto's Theatre Distric ...

as Diane in

Gluck Christoph Willibald ( Ritter von) Gluck (; ; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire at ...

Iphigénie en Tauride ''Iphigénie en Tauride'' (, ''Iphigenia in Tauris'') is a 1779 opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck in four acts. It was his fifth opera for the French stage. The libretto was written by Nicolas-François Guillard. With ''Iphigénie,'' Gluck too ...

in 2009. As an alumna of the

's Ensemble Studio program, Ambur has a close relationship with the company, having performed Amor (

Orfeo ed Euridice (; French: '; English: ''Orpheus and Eurydice'') is an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck, based on the myth of Orpheus and set to a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the '' azione teatrale'', meaning an ...

(2011), directed by Robert Carsen, conducted by

Harry Bicket Harry Alexander Clarence Bicket (born 1961) is a British conductor, harpsichordist and organist. He is particularly associated with the baroque and classical repertoire. Bicket was educated at Radley College, Christ Church, Oxford, where he ...

), the Queen of the Night (

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

(2011, 2017), conducted by Johannes Debus), the Greek Woman (

(2011) with

Pablo Heras-Casado Pablo Heras-Casado (born 1977) is a Spanish conductor. Early life The son of a retired police officer, he began singing with a school choir at the age of seven and piano lessons at the age of nine. He studied music at the conservatory in Granad ...

/ Robert Carsen), Semele (

Semele Semele (; ), or Thyone (; ) in Greek mythology, was the youngest daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia (Greek goddess), Harmonia, and the mother of Dionysus by Zeus in one of his many origin myths. Certain elements of the cult of Dionysus and Semele ...

(2012), conducted by

Rinaldo Alessandrini Rinaldo Alessandrini (born 25 January 1960) is a virtuoso on Baroque music, Baroque Keyboard instrument, keyboards, including harpsichord, fortepiano, and organ (music), organ. He is founder and conductor of the Italian early music ensemble Concer ...

), Adele (

Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original literary source for ' was ...

(2012), directed by Christopher Alden), and Vitellia (

La Clemenza di Tito (''The Clemency of Titus''), K. 621, is an ''opera seria'' in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Caterino Mazzolà, after Pietro Metastasio. Mozart completed the work in the midst of composing ''Die Zauberfl ...

, 2013) with them. Ambur made her European debut in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

in a new production of

The Rake's Progress ''The Rake's Progress'' is an English-language opera from 1951 in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings '' A Rake's Prog ...

as Anne Trulove, conducted by Joana Carneiro at

Teatro Nacional de São Carlos The ''Teatro Nacional de São Carlos'' () (''National Theatre of Saint Charles'') is an opera house in Lisbon, Portugal. It was opened on June 30, 1793 by Queen Maria I as a replacement for the Tejo Opera House, which was destroyed in the 1755 ...

(2015), and her UK opera debut at the

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...

as The Queen of Night in

Simon McBurney Simon Montagu McBurney (born 25 August 1957) is an English actor, playwright, and theatre and opera director. He is the founder and artistic director of the Complicité, Théâtre de Complicité, London. He has had roles in the films ''The Manch ...

in 2016. She made her USA opera debut with the

Arizona Opera Arizona Opera is an opera company which operates in both Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. History Arizona Opera was established in 1971 as the Tucson Opera Company, under founding general director James P. Sullivan, and presented i ...

in 2014 as Violetta in

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...

's La traviata. From 2016 to 2018, Ambur was highlighted in various productions of

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

's The Magic Flute as The Queen of the Night (

Oper Frankfurt The Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt Opera) is a German opera company based in Frankfurt. Opera in Frankfurt am Main has a long tradition, with many world premieres such as Franz Schreker's ''Der ferne Klang'' in 1912, ''Fennimore and Gerda, Fennimore ...

Calgary Opera Calgary Opera is a Canadian opera company based in Calgary, Alberta. The company has its administrative base at the Mamdani Opera Centre, a facility in the Wesley United Church, since July 2005. The company gives its seasonal mainstage productio ...

, and Canadian Opera Company). The 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 seasons also included multiple role debuts for Braid, such as Dalinda (

Ariodante ''Ariodante'' ( HWV 33) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The anonymous Italian libretto was based on a work by Antonio Salvi, which in turn was adapted from Canti 4, 5 and 6 of Ludovico Ariosto's ''Orlando Furioso''. E ...

, Canadian Opera Company), Die Königin/Queen ( Das geheimes Königreich, Oper Frankfurt), Elisabetta ( Roberto Devereaux, Oper Frankfurt), and

(titular role, Calgary Opera). All debut performances were highly acclaimed, with reviews praising her for her emotional nuance, vocal power, and strong stage presence. The 2018/2019 season saw Braid singing in productions of

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

’s

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86B, is the second of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was ...

(Helmwige) and Maderna’s

Satyricon The ''Satyricon'', ''Satyricon'' ''liber'' (''The Book of Satyrlike Adventures''), or ''Satyrica'', is a Latin work of fiction believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius in the late 1st century AD, though the manuscript tradition identifi ...

(Scintilla) at

. A highlight of that season, Braid starred in the role of Sabina in the world premiere of

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical opera ...

’s

Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

at the Canadian Opera Company (directed by Peter Hinton, conducted by Johannes Debus). The star-studded cast featured

Thomas Hampson Thomas Walter Hampson (born June 28, 1955) is an American lyric baritone, a classical singer who has appeared world-wide in major opera houses and concert halls and made over 170 musical recordings. Hampson's operatic repertoire spans a range ...

(Hadrian) and

Karita Mattila Karita Marjatta Mattila (born 5 September 1960) is a Finnish operatic soprano. Mattila appears regularly in the major opera houses worldwide, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House in London, Théâtre du Châtelet, Opéra Bastil ...

(Plotina) in their company debuts alongside Braid. In recent seasons, Braid returned to Oper Frankfurt to take on the titular role in

Barrie Kosky Barrie Kosky (born 18 February 1967) is an Australian theatre and opera director. Based at the Komische Oper Berlin, he has worked internationally. Biography Kosky was born in Melbourne, the grandson of Jewish emigrants from Europe. He attended ...

's new production of

(2020, conducted Joana Mallwitz) and reprise her role in Krenek's Das geheimes Königreich. Ambur Braid made her European debut as

in Andreas Kriegenburg’s production conducted by Carlo Montanaro for Oper Frankfurt, where she is a current member of the ensemble, and returned to the Canadian Opera Company as Salome in Atom Egoyan’s production under Johannes Debus. Praised as an artist ‘one would always wish for but seldom find’ (Das Opernglas), recent highlights have included Ambur Braid's role and company debuts as both Eva in Schreker's ''

Irrelohe ''Irrelohe'' is an opera in three acts by the Austrian composer Franz Schreker, libretto by the composer. Composition history Schreker wrote the libretto in a very short time (just a few days) in 1919.Christopher Hailey: ''Franz Schreker, 1878–1 ...

'' for Opéra de Lyon and Stephana in

Umberto Giordano Umberto Menotti Maria Giordano (28 August 186712 November 1948) was an Italian composer, mainly of operas. His best-known work in that genre was Andrea Chénier (1896). He was born in Foggia in Apulia, southern Italy, and studied under Paolo Se ...

's rarely performed ''

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

'' for the Bregenzer Festspiele. In Frankfurt Ambur Braid has recently given her first performances as

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) ** Norma Lizbeth Ramos, a Mexican bullying victim Astronomy *Norma (constellation) * 555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral ...

conducted by Erik Nielsen, as well as Ariadne (''

Ariadne auf Naxos (''Ariadne on Naxos''), Op. 60, is a 1912 opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The opera's unusual combination of elements of low commedia dell'arte with those of high opera seria points up one of the work's ...

'') under Thomas Guggeis. Recent concert highlights have included Schmitt's ''La Tragédie de Salomé'' with Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra under

Alain Altinoglu Alain Altinoglu (born 9 October 1975) is a French conductor of Armenian descent, and an academic teacher. He is chief conductor of both the La Monnaie opera in Brussels and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, and has conducted at international opera ...

and Beethoven's Symphony No.9 with National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa.

Other work

A strong advocate for getting younger audiences into classical arts, Ambur is a believer in all forms of collaborative art and has performed with

Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band and musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed by Kevin Drew (vocals, guitar) and Brendan Canning (vocals, bass) in 1999. Alongside Drew and Canning, the ...

The Arkells Arkells is a Canadian rock music, rock band, formed in Hamilton, Ontario. In 2006, they signed with Dine Alone Records, and have since signed with Universal Music Canada. They have released nine albums: ''Jackson Square (album), Jackson Square'' ...

Austra Austra may refer to: *Austra, Norway, an island between Trøndelag and Nordland counties *Austra (band) Austra is a Canadian electronic music band from Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalit ...

Dragonette Dragonette is the stage name of Canadian singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara. Originally an electronic music band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2005, the band consisted of Sorbara with her then husband Dan Kurtz as bassist and producer (also i ...

, and The Sam Roberts Band. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Braid began an outdoor concert festival ''Opera in the Wild'', in an effort to feature local, Canadian talent and emerging young artists. Braid also collaborated on the ''Starry Opera Night'' (2020) project with musician/producer Dan Kurtz and designer Isaac Rayment. This immersive event utilized the projection work of the Van Gogh projection installation in Toronto.

Film

Ambur is featured in the 2017 film

The Upside ''The Upside'' is a 2017 American comedy drama film directed by Neil Burger, written by Jon Hartmere. It is a remake of the French 2011 film ''The Intouchables'', which was itself inspired by the lives of Abdel Sallou and Philippe Pozzo di Bor ...

, starring

Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor. After taking minor roles in television, he established himself as a leading actor in both comedic and dramatic Bryan Cranston filmography, works on stage and screen. He has received ...

and

Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. The accolades he has received include the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and nominations for two Grammy Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards. After winning se ...

, as well as the 2025 film

Seven Veils (film) ''Seven Veils'' is a 2023 Canadian drama film written and directed by Atom Egoyan. The film stars Amanda Seyfried as Jeanine, a theatre director who is dealing with repressed trauma as she prepares to mount a production of the opera ''Salome''. ...

, starring

Amanda Seyfried Amanda Michelle Seyfried ( ; born December 3, 1985) is an American actress and singer. She began acting at 15, with a recurring role as Lucy Montgomery in the CBS soap opera ''As the World Turns'' (1999–2001). She came to prominence for he ...

Repertory

Braid's repertoire includes: * Soprano Soloists, ''Ninth Symphony'' (

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

) * Elisabetta, ''

Roberto Devereux ''Roberto Devereux'' (in full , ; "Robert Devereux, or the Earl of Essex") is an 1837 (tragic opera) in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The opera is loosely based on the life of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, an influential member of the ...

'' (

Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian Romantic composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera ...

) * Amor, ''

'' (Gluck) * Diana, ''

'' (

) * Aci, ''Aci, Galatea e Poliferno'' (

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

) * Dalinda, ''

'' (Handel) * Semele, ''

'' (Handel) * Die Königin, '' Das geheimes Königreich'' (Krenek) * Scintilla, ''

'' (Maderna) * Konstanze, '' The Abduction of the Seraglio'' (

) * Elettra, ''

Idomeneo (Italian for ''Idomeneus, King of Crete, or, Ilia and Idamante''; usually referred to simply as ''Idomeneo'', Köchel catalogue, K. 366) is an Italian-language opera seria by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was adapted by Giambattista Vares ...

'' (Mozart) * Queen of the Night, ''

'' (Mozart) * Vitellia, ''

'' (Mozart) * Tosca, ''

'' (Puccini) * Adele, ''

'' (J. Strauss) * Salome, ''

'' (R. Strauss) * Anne Trulove, ''

'' (Stravinsky) * Violetta, '' La Traviata'' (Verdi) * Helmwige, ''

'' (Wagner) * Sabina, ''

'' (Wainwright) * Norma, ''

'' (Bellini) * Senta, ''

Der fliegende Holländer ' (''The Flying Dutchman''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 63, is a German-language opera, with libretto and music by Richard Wagner. The central theme is redemption through love. Wagner Conducting, conducted the premiere at the Königliches Hofthe ...

'' (Wagner) * Färberin, ''

Die Frau ohne Schatten ' (''The Woman without a Shadow''), Op. 65, is an opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with a libretto by his long-time collaborator, the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It was written between 1911 and either 1915 or 1917. When it premiered at the V ...

'' (Strauss) * Stephana, ''

'' (Giordano) * Eva, ''

'' (Schrecker) Ambur's full repertoire list and stage credits can be found on her website or on

OperaBase Operabase is an online global database for audiences and professionals. It lists details on opera performances, opera houses and companies, and performers as well as their agents. It was founded in 1996 by English software engineer and opera love ...

Recognition and awards

* 2013: Third Prize, Christina and Louis Quilico Awards "Congratulations to Ensemble Studio members"
''Canadian Opera Company Official Facebook Page'', 14 May 2013. Accessed 22 May 2018. * 2008: Winner San Francisco Conservatory Concerto Competition * 2006:

Palm Beach Opera Palm Beach Opera, a professional opera company in West Palm Beach, Florida performs at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts as well as other locations throughout South Florida, was founded in 1961 as "Civic Opera of the Palm Beaches." Over its ...

, Junior Division

References

External links

Ambur Braid Official Website

Harrison Parrott Artist Management
{{DEFAULTSORT:Braid, Ambur 1983 births Living people 21st-century Canadian women opera singers Canadian operatic sopranos Singers from British Columbia People from Terrace, British Columbia