The young American lirico-spinto soprano Julia Stuart made her role debut as Liù in Puccini’s Turandot at Oper Frankfurt in 2026, returning to the company as a guest artist after two seasons in its Opernstudio. Olyrix.com praised her “supple voice, whose high notes are draped in velvet,” and “great musicality.” Wochenblatt-Reporter.de called her Liù “an undisputed emotional center,” while Cult.news said her “Tanto amore, segreto… Tu, che di gel sei cinta” “already earns her a resounding ovation.”

 

During the 2026/27 season, Stuart will also make her role debut as Gerhilde in Wagner’s Die Walküre. The productions are directed by Andrea Breth and Vera Nemirova, with Simone di Felice and Thomas Guggeis conducting, respectively. Stuart is the recipient of the 2026 Richard-Wagner-Stipendium, awarded through Oper Frankfurt.

 

During the 2025/26 season, Stuart appeared as Niece 2 in Britten’s Peter Grimes, Katja in Weinberg’s Die Passagierin, and Lady-in-Waiting in Verdi’s Macbeth. In her first season at Oper Frankfurt, she made four role debuts: High Priestess in Aida, the Shadow of the Virgin in Magnard’s Guercœur, Clotilde in Bellini’s Norma, and a Flower Maiden in Wagner’s Parsifal. She also performed in a Liederabend curated by Brigitte Fassbaender and in concerts with her Opernstudio colleagues.

 

Before joining Oper Frankfurt, Stuart was a Festival Artist at Opera Saratoga, where she made her role debut as Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, conducted by Ryan McAdams and directed by Gisela Cárdenas. The Berkshire Eagle called her “the sparkling find of Opera Saratoga’s season,” praising her “pure, powerful Fiordiligi”; the Times Union named her “the standout” of the production and highlighted her interpretation of “Per pietà, ben mio, perdona.”

 

Stuart earned a Graduate Diploma in Opera Studies from The Juilliard School and received the Novick Career Grant. At Juilliard, she sang Ma Zegner in Missy Mazzoli’s Proving Up, with Opera News praising the “weight of her multi-timbered soprano” and Parterre Box noting her “seemingly limitless supply of raw and electrifying vocal power.” She also made her Alice Tully Hall recital debut and won First Prize in the New York District of the NATS Competition.

 

Stuart holds a Master of Music from the Mannes School of Music at The New School and a Bachelor of Music from The University of California, Los Angeles where she appeared as Lillian Russell in Virgil Thomson’s The Mother of Us All. Her additional training includes SongFest’s Professional Program and Classic Lyric Arts in Novafeltria, Italy.