Indira Mahajan

Soprano

 

Praised for her “strongly centered, richly textured soprano” by New York Magazine soprano, and “poignant soprano” for  her moving portrayals by the New York Times, soprano Indira Mahajan has gained international acclaim performing in  leading opera companies and orchestras worldwide.  

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Ms. Mahajan has performed at Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Grand Théâtre de Geneva, Opéra Comique in Paris,

Théâtre  de Caen. Semper Oper Dresden, Oper Frankfurt, Hannover Oper, Teatro Massimo Bellini, Oper Leipzig, Komische Oper  Berlin, the Grand Théâtre in Luxembourg, the Royal Albert Hall in London, New York City Opera, the Washington  National Opera, Dallas Opera, Los Angeles Opera as well as joined the roster of the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

 

Opera News wrote of her recent performance of Francesca Zambello’s production of Porgy and Bess, “the incandescent  Indira Mahajan as Bess performed an unforgettable performance. Mahajan’s experience shows, not only in her detailed  acting, but also in the exquisite way she shapes her vocal lines. It is a wonderful instrument with a sexy throbbing lower  register and a thrilling top.”  

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Operatic Highlights include the title roles in Madama Butterfly, Suor Angelica, Aida, and Lucia di Lammermoor. Ms.  Mahajan has performed Musetta and Mimi in La Bohème, Violetta in La Traviata, Gilda in Rigoletto, Nedda in I  Pagliacci, Susanna in the Marriage of Figaro, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, the title role of Handel’s Esther, Ino in Semele, Treemonisha by Scott Joplin and Saint Teresa I in Virgil Thomson’s Four Saints in Three Acts. 

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In demand as a concert artist by internationally celebrated orchestras, highlights include appearances with the New York  Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra,  Korean Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino,  Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Roma, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Gustavo Dudamel’s Simon Bolivar Youth  Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela, and Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional Costa Rica.  

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Winner of the prestigious Marian Anderson Award, Indira Mahajan performed in recital at the Kennedy Center. She is  also the recipient of the New York City Opera Debut Artist of the Year Award, Dallas Opera’s Maria Callas Debut Artist  of the Year Award, Richard F. Gold Award, winner of the Eastern Region of National Association of Negro Musicians,  Jensen Foundation Award, and a Van Lier Fellow. She is listed in Who’s Who in Black American-Classical Singers, and  Who’s Who is South Asian Women’s Network.  

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She has been seen on PBS “Live from Lincoln Center”, The Richard Tucker Gala at Lincoln Center, appeared on Iowa  Public Television as Madama Butterfly, and has recorded with the Dallas Symphony conducted by Jaap Van Zweden.  Ms. Mahajan’s performances of Mimi in La Bohème, Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, and the title role in Aida have  also been aired on Classical Public Radio.  

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Indira Mahajan was born in New York City to a South Asian father born in Dalhousie, India. and African American  mother born in Raleigh, North Carolina. She first began her musical studies at the age of 5 as a violinist and later  continued her musical studies with her mother and first voice teacher, Barbara Mahajan.  

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She holds a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College, Master of Music degree and Advanced Professional Studies degree  from Mannes College of Music, and a diploma from the Accademia Musicale Ottorino Respighi.  

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During the 2020-21 Season Ms. Mahajan adds two new roles to her repertoire: Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana by  Pietro Mascagni in a 90-minte adaptation of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci with the New Camerata Opera, New York  and Verdi’s heroine Elena in I Vespri Siciliani with New Amsterdam Opera, New York. She will also be presented as a  Guest Artis in a virtual Master class series with CAAPA, Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts  providing free Master Class for HBCU students.

 

Upcoming performances also include Porgy and Bess with Greensboro  Opera, North Carolina and performances of Porgy and Bess with St, Galen Symphony Orchestra, Switzerland as well as a  return to Greensboro Opera in performances of Puccini’s La bohéme.  

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For a more in-depth look at Indira’s life and career, visit her website at indiramahajan.com