Praised for her “infectious enthusiasm” and “charm” on the stage (BoorAboutTown Toronto), Brenna McFarland is a soprano hailing from the Washington, D.C metropolitan area. Having recently received her Master of Music in Voice and Opera from McGill University, Brenna is now pursuing a Professional Studies Certificate at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee under the tutelage of Dr. Rebecca Folsom.

 

This winter, she excited to sing Mélisande in the abridged version of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande (entitled Impressions de Pelléas) at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Additionally, in December she will be featured in Winter Harbor Music Festival's production of Die Fledermaus as Rosalinda (Winter Harbor, Maine)​. She is competing in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition as a Capital District Qualifier as well as the Dante Alghieri Society Opera Competition in November.

 

Some recent roles include Margaret Johnson in Adam Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza (Opera McGill), Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia), Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Opera McGill), Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (Winter Harbor Music Festival), and First Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Bethesda Summer Music Festival).​ This past summer, she had the pleasure of being a Portfolio Artist Intern with the Toronto-based Opera5, performing in William Finn’s Elegies: A Song Cycle and covering Big Sister in the world premiere of Ryan Trew and Rachel Krehm’s two-woman opera Come Closer.  

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Some awards Brenna has received include Finalist in the 2024 Classical Singer (CS Music) Competition, First Place in the NATS Musical Theater regionals division, and Third Place in Hal Leonard’s National Art Song Competition. She is a recipient of McGill Univerity’s 2024 Austrian Society Scholarship and 2024 Graduate Mobility Award.

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Brenna is a graduate of James Madison University with her Bachelors in Music in Vocal Performance, studying under Kevin McMillan and Brenda Witmer. Her JMU opera role credits include Sister Catherine in Dead Man Walking and Mabel cover in The Pirates of Penzance.

Demonstrating her versatility across genres, she is often seen gigging around the D.C. area anywhere from jazz lounges to Disney princess parties.