Lara made her Pacific Opera Victoria debut in 2013 as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific in Concert. Since then she has returned for important role debuts as Amelia in Simon Boccanegra and Jenůfa in Janáček’s Jenůfa. The 2019/20 season sees Lara in the dual roles of Suor Genevieve in Suor Angelica and Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi.
Lara’s 2019/20 season also included the title role in Susannah for Manitoba Opera, Messiah for the Victoria Symphony, and The Countess in Le nozze di Figaro for Edmonton Opera. As theatres reopen, Lara takes on Three Decembers for the Little Opera Company, Musetta in La Bohème for Edmonton Opera, and rejoins Opera on the Avalon for Ours at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
Lara has established herself as a dynamic, intelligent, and moving singing-actress. Her facility for fully transforming into a character, regardless of genre, has earned her the reputation of being an artistic chameleon. Lara is also a voice instructor with the Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba. She holds a Masters in Music (Opera) from McGill University, and a Bachelor of Arts – Honours (Voice) from the University of Winnipeg. She is an alumna of l’Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program, the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center, the Banff Centre, and Opera NUOVA. She also enjoys gardening, is an avid walker, loves fabulous footwear, and is a self-professed prairie-girl forever.