A distinguished mezzo-soprano, educator, and director, Edna Garabedian has devoted her life to the advancement of opera as both a performing art and an educational mission. A Fresno native and daughter of Armenian immigrants, she trained with legendary teachers including William Vennard, Lotte Lehmann, Anna Hamlin, and Rosa Ponselle.
Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1961, Ms. Garabedian made her professional debut in 1965 with the New York City Opera as Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana. Her career has taken her to major opera houses across the United States—including San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, Seattle, and Baltimore—as well as to Germany’s leading stages in Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Kassel, and Bonn. Among her many honors are top prizes from the Weyerhauser, Sullivan, and Rockefeller competitions, and a Gold Medal at the Fourth Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
In addition to her acclaimed singing career, Ms. Garabedian has directed more than one hundred productions across the United States and abroad. She has held teaching appointments at major universities including CSU Fresno, University of San Francisco, University of the Pacific, University of Connecticut, and Bowling Green State University, and has taught internationally in Brazil, China, and Taiwan.
In 1999, Ms. Garabedian founded the Fresno International Grand Opera, followed in 2000 by the California Opera Association, where she continues to serve as CEO and Artistic Director. Through these institutions, she has fostered the careers of countless young artists, bringing professional-level opera productions and education programs to the Central Valley community.
Passionate, determined, and deeply committed to the art form, Edna Garabedian remains a guiding force in ensuring opera thrives for future generations.