Mezzo-soprano Sarah Mesko had an epiphany a couple of years ago, right after singing Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis at Oregon Bach Festival in 2017. “I was mulling over how much I enjoy connecting with audiences,” she said, “and accepting the love they turn in my direction — but realized that, as much as I enjoy the adoration of strangers, that’s not what keeps me coming back [to the stage].”
“Performing something live on stage really sinks us—the performers and the audience both — into the deeper truths of things. The composer’s truth becomes our truth, and we realize that it was there all along,” she said. “The only way to come to this deeply personal, almost religious space is through exploring art together in public.”
“I want people to be moved by the power of the personal. I want my interpretation—which comes from my head, my heart, my entire being—to reach out and grab them in a way that continues to inspire even after they go home,” she said. “I have had some of my most cherished, private moments on stage in front of thousands of people — and those moments keep me coming back to the stage.”
Growing Up Musically
Music has always been a part of Sarah’s life. She grew up in a house with four other talented musicians, her parents and two siblings, who all “play, love, and breathe different styles of music—so I have always considered myself versatile by osmosis.”
For higher education, Sarah had two focuses for her bachelor’s degree, flute performance and vocal performance, at the University of Arkansas. She then earned a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from Rice University.
“Not getting into Juilliard was one of the best things to happen to me. I wanted to study with [Professor of Voice] Steve Smith, who was teaching at Juilliard at the time, but they only took one mezzo that year for a master’s degree, and it wasn’t me,” Sarah said.
After the disappointment, “some amazing things began to happen,” she said. She received a full-tuition scholarship to Rice’s Shepherd School of Music, she studied with Professor of Voice Stephen King, moved to Houston, a city she adores and now calls home and where met her husband.
“I still got to study with [Smith] after I graduated, so in the
Sarah is now working on recording her first album, a collection of American songs and chamber music by a contemporary American composer, Mira Spektor, on Parma Records. The album is set to be released later this year.
Happiness through Music
Sarah “really, really, REALLY loves singing.” One of her teachers at the University of Arkansas, Janice Yoes, used to tell her that singing always comes from a place of love.
“I love translating, putting texts into my own words and really digging into every layer of possibility. I love writing lyrics in my own handwriting and color-coding the rhymes to understand the structure. I love singing a melody for the first time with no expectations and just noticing the physical sensations. I love plunking out notes on the piano and seeing how it all fits together. I love finding spots that aren’t working, mulling them over, and then trying new approaches until they work better. I love making a piece personal and connecting with an audience. I love every moment,” she said.
OBF 2019
Sarah will be back at OBF this year, performing in a variety of events during our two-plus-week festival. She will be part of Bach in Motion at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 5, in Silva Concert Hall; and C.P.E. Bach Magnificat at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 9, at Beall Concert Hall.
To learn more about Sarah Mesko, visit her website.
Learn more about OBF 2019 and see our full list of events.