About
Shira Ziv, soprano, has been celebrated as a “standout” for her “vocal prowess and acting acumen” (Daniel Hathaway, Cleveland Classical) with her singing praised for its “confidence, ease, and agility” (Pamela Hickman’s Concert Critique Blog). She is currently pursuing a master’s in Vocal Performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree in 2023.
Shira’s 2025 season highlights include her upcoming performances as Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with Teatro Grattacielo, Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Playhouse Square’s Mimi Ohio Theatre and Zina in Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters at the Cleveland Museum of Art, both with the CIM Opera Theatre. Notable past roles performed by Shira include Aloès in Emmanuel Chabrier's L'Etoile with the Westfield Studio Theatre and the CIM Opera Theatre (2024), Cleopatra in George Frideric Handel's Giulio Cesare with the Jerusalem Lyric Opera (2024), Adele in Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus with the CIM Opera Theatre (2024), Morgana in George Frideric Handel's Alcina with the CIM Opera Theatre (2023), Pamina in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with the Harrower Summer Opera (2023), Blanche in Francis Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites with the CIM Opera Theatre (2023), Papagena (cover) in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with the CIM opera theatre (2020) and Pamina in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at the Caesarea Ralli Museum Opera Production (2018). Shira is incredibly passionate about collaborating with other artists. In addition to her roles in common practice works, Shira has also premiered roles in debuting operas, where she got the chance to work directly with the operas’ composers. Recent roles debuted by Shira include Ruth in Ruth by Daniel DiMarino with the CIM opera theatre (2022), First Gossiper in She Wolf by Shlomo Omer in an independent recording of the opera backed by the Israel Composers’ League (2019), and the Young Princess in Insane Hindik by Eyal Bat in the International Zamboki Opera Festival (2018). While Shira loves all genres of operas, she especially loves experimenting with comedy, with her portrayal of comedic characters holding an extra special place in her heart.
No stranger to the competition scene, in 2024 alone Shira won first place prizes in the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Ohio chapter competition, the International Mozart Competition, Vienna (1st prize), the Paris International Music Competition (1er Prix à l’unanimité) and the Bizet International Music (Absolute first prize). Shira was also awarded the Boris Goldovsky Prize in Opera from the Cleveland Institute of Music for the most outstanding performance in opera of the school year. Shira was also one of the winners in the 2023 Mirabell Recital Competition in Salzburg Austria. There, she and two other winners gave a recital in the historic Mirabell Palace during the highly coveted Salzburg festival. One of her sets was dedicated to art songs from her home and Shira had the honor of debuting a piece written especially for her by her sister, Dana Ziv. In 2023 Shira participated in the Harrower Summer Opera Workshop where she was one of ten participants chosen to sing a solo for the program’s fundraising gala. She is also the recipient of both the Martha Bell Sanders Excellence Award and the Dr. Samuel B. Baker Fund, awarding her a near full tuition scholarship at the Cleveland Institute of Music for her studies during her Undergraduate and Master’s degrees. Other awards include 2nd place in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition (2019), a recipient of Israel’s Ministry of Education Exceptional Recital Awards (2017), an excellence award from the America - Israel culture foundation, Keren Sharet (2016), and audience favorite award from The International Zamboki Opera Masterclass Competition (2015).
Shira also greatly enjoys exploring non-operatic repertoire. She was the 2021 and 2022 singer soloist with the CWRU Klezmer orchestra. She was also invited to speak at the Music Settlement in Cleveland for their event An Interactive Look at Jewish Music: From Beta Israel to India. In that event, Shira got the chance to perform and speak about Sephardic art song along with her sister, Dana Ziv. One of Shira’s greatest loves is collaboration. She frequently collaborates with the composers in her life, with her sister, brother in-law, and friends frequently composing for her. Shira is also incredibly passionate about preserving opera as a mainstream art form and broadening opera audiences.
Press Kit
Click the buttons to download Shira’s biography, high-resolution photograph, and CV.