Lydia Rae Brown

Lydia Rae Brown, mezzo-soprano, holds a B.M in Vocal Arts Performance from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, where she studied under the tutelage of Rod Gilfry. She is currently pursuing her M.M in Vocal Arts and Opera at USC under Professor Lynn Helding.  

This past summer, Brown attended the Music Academy of the West, where she covered the role of Mercédès in their production of Bizet’s Carmen. She also sang Maman/un Patre in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, directed by Mary Birnbaum, and she was chosen as a recitalist in Uprising/Rising Up, coached by world-renowned tenor Lawrence Brownlee.

Brown sang the titular role of the Owl in The Night Flight of Minerva’s Owl for USC’s digital opera scenes in January 2021. As USC, Brown performed in a number of opera scenes, singing Rosina from Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini, Chérubin by Massenet, Donna Elvira from Don Giovanni by Mozart, and Carlotta in Die Schweigsame Frau by Strauss. Other partial roles include Suzuki in Madama Butterfly by Puccini, Nancy in Martha by von Flotow, Larina in Eugene Onegin by Tschaikovsky and Maria Golovin in Maria Golovin by Menotti. 

A seasoned performer, Brown has performed professionally in several productions along the West Coast. Highlights include Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte at the Utah Vocal Arts Academy and the cover for Ruth in Pacific Opera Project’s production of The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert & Sullivan.  Recent credits include Tisbe in Pacific Opera Project’s production of A Cinderella Story, with music by Rossini, Massenet and Rodgers & Hammerstein. Upcoming credits include Il cavaliere Ramiro in La finta giardiniera by Mozart (USC, 2024), Mrs. Soames in Our Town by Rorem (USC, 2025), and Cousin Hebe in H.M.S Pinafore by Gilbert & Sullivan (Pacific Opera Project, 2025).