Caroline Friend is an American Mezzo-Soprano passionate about performing and producing opera for the modern audience. Her stage roles include “Hänsel” (Hänsel und Gretel), “Mercedes” (Carmen), “Zerlina” (Don Giovanni), “Presendia” (Dark Sisters), “Orlofsky” (Die Fledermaus), “Mère Marie” (Dialogues des Carmélites), “Dorothée” (Cendrillon), and “The Spirit” (Dido and Aeneas). Friend performed the role of “Cherubino” (Le Nozze di Figaro) in the La Musica Lirica Festival and at the Estates Theatre in Prague Summer Nights Young Artist Festival. She also performed in the 65th Annual Sewanee Summer Music Festival & Operafest in 2022. In addition to her stage credits, Caroline won 1st Prize of the 2024 American International Music Competition in Group I for Voice, as well as 2nd Prize for the 2023 ACPC Marcella Kochańska Sembrich Vocal Competition. Friend collaborated in masterclasses under Kirill Kuzman, Julius Drake, and Annemarie Kremer. She also sings Gregorian chant and Renaissance polyphony in Tridentine Scholas across America. Under the tutelage of acclaimed soprano Dina Kuznetsova, she completed her Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees in Music at the Cleveland Institute of Music with a Minor in Music Theory. While completing her studies, Friend continued to perform in CIM Opera Theatre’s mainstage operas, opera scene programs, and collaborative recitals.