Renowned for her psychologically vivid portrayals and incandescent vocal power, Canadian soprano Ambur Braid continues to affirm her place among the most compelling dramatic sopranos of her generation. The 2025/26 season marks another defining chapter in Braid’s career with two role debuts that promise to be milestones in her arsenal of dramatic interpretations – as Katerina Ismailova (Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk) in a new staging by Barrie Kosky for Komische Oper Berlin and conducted by James Gaffigan, and as Bianca in Tobias Kratzer’s new setting of Zemlinsky’s Eine florentinische Tragödie for Staatsoper Hamburg under Karina Canellakis.
Described as “born to play Salome” (Bachtrack, 2023), Braid’s portrayal of the role continues to be a cornerstone of her repertoire. Following acclaimed performances in Frankfurt and Toronto, Ambur sings Dimitri Tcherniakov’s Salome for Staatsoper Hamburg this season and will also record the work with Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria under Alexander Prior, marking her first commercial release in the role. Elsewhere, her recent debuts as Marie (Wozzeck), Die Färberin (Die Frau ohne Schatten), Senta (Der fliegende Holländer), Eva (Schreker’s Irrelohe), Madame Lidoine (Dialogues des Carmélites), Rachel (La Juive), and Stephana (Giordanno’s Siberia) have further demonstrated her vocal stamina and dramatic versatility.
On the concert platform in recent seasons Ambur has appeared at Tanglewood Festival with the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 under Hannu Lintu, and with Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alain Altinoglu in Schmitt’s La Tragédie de Salomé. She made her debut appearance at the 2025 Spoleto Festival in Rufus Wainwright’s Hadrian under Johannes Debus and makes her debut appearance at MITO SettembreMusica with a programme of Strauss and Samy Moussa.
A former ensemble member of Oper Frankfurt and alumna of the Canadian Opera Company Studio, Braid holds degrees from Glenn Gould School and San Francisco Conservatory. Her artistry continues to be defined by fearless dramatic choices, vocal brilliance, and a deep commitment to the emotional truth of every role she inhabits.