Dr. Sara Chiesa
Special Faculty in Vocal Coaching & Collaborative Piano
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Bio
Detroit-native SARA CHIESA is passionate about redefining leadership in the classical music industry with her work as an Educator and Mentor, Music Director, and Pianist/Coach. She has performed throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. She is equally comfortable collaborating in the genres of opera, musical theatre, art song, and cabaret.
As an Educator and Mentor, Sara joined the music faculty of Carnegie Mellon University as Special Faculty in Vocal Coaching & Collaborative Piano in Fall 2024. She maintains a coaching studio of vocal performance and collaborative piano students as well as teaches courses in Graduate Diction, Lit and Rep, and Opera Workshop. In Fall 2025, Sara was the Co-Music Director/Pianist for Sondheim's Putting it Together through CMU's School of Music, and she regularly serves as the Head Coach for CMU School of Music productions including L'Étoile (Spring 2026) under the direction of Metropolitan Opera Director Gina Lapinski and Alcina (Spring 2025). Additionally, Sara will be presenting at the 2026 National Opera Association (NOA) Conference on the topic of “Musical Theatre for Today’s Opera Singer and Pianist: Practical, Artistic, and Professional Considerations.” Previously, Sara has served on the music faculties of the Wanda Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University; Utah State University in Logan, Utah; Molloy University in New York City; and the Vienna Summer Music Festival.
As a Music Director, Sara was the Head of Collaborative Piano and Music Director/Pianist/Coach for three years with La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy, musically leading Gianni Schicchi in 2025, Suor Angelica in 2024, and Il trionfo dell'onore in 2023. She has also been the Music Director/Pianist for La Navarraise with West Texas A&M University Opera, the Assistant Music Director/Head Coach/Pianist for Suor Angelica with Opera Omaha, and the Music Director/Onstage Pianist for Buddy: the Buddy Holly Story, Oklahoma!, and Always…Patsy Cline with Highlands Playhouse.
As a Pianist/Coach, Sara enjoys an enduring relationship with the beloved local opera company Resonance Works in Pittsburgh where she has been the Rehearsal/Orchestral Pianist for Jorge Sosa & Cerise Jacobs’ I Am a Dreamer Who No Longer Dreams, the Pianist/Coach for her fourth production of Rigoletto, and the Pianist/Coach for Side by Side by Sondheim. In addition, she has recently performed a Vintage Cabaret with the Ginger Bess Band at Don’t Tell Mama in New York City and a Faculty Recital with her former colleague, Autumn West, at Oklahoma City University.
As a queer artist, it is particularly meaningful for Sara to be able to share queer stories authentically on stage. Two career highlights include when she had the privilege to be the Assistant Music Director/Head Coach in 2022 for the Utah State University world premiere of Uncovered, a lesbian abortion drama in the Hasidic community written by composer Lori Laitman and librettist Leah Lax. An additional career highlight occurred when she was the Assistant Music Director/Head Coach in 2024 for the Oklahoma City University production of Rent.
During the tumultuous time for the arts in the heart of the global pandemic, Sara maintained an active musical presence producing over 40 music videos, four live-streamed recitals, and several remote opera projects. Additionally, she was honored to be the Pianist/Coach/Audio Engineer for the recording project The Black Composer Speaks – a collection of songs by black composers that were never or rarely recorded. This project was created in partnership with Thomas Hampson of the Hampsong Foundation and Louise Toppin of the University of Michigan. The recording includes selections from a new publication entitled An Anthology of African and African Diaspora Songs, and it is available through Classical Vocal Reprints.
Some additional collaborations with professional opera and musical theatre companies include the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy; the Prague International Piano Masterclasses; Virginia Opera; Arizona Opera; Fresno Grand Opera; Opera Saratoga; North Carolina Opera; Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre; Syracuse Opera; and New Opera Singapore. She has also been the Resident Guest Artist Coach with L'Opéra de Montréal, Fort Worth Opera, and Detroit Opera.
Sara holds piano performance degrees from Oakland University (B.M.) and Bowling Green State University (M.M.), as well as a Doctor of Music(D.M.) in Collaborative Piano from Florida State University.