BHHS graduate Golda Zahra makes her debut on the big stage

High soprano voices echoed through the pews, up the altar and out the windows of St. Monica’s Catholic Church on July 1 as Golda Zahra, an aspiring opera singer, performed a stirring rendition of “Ave Maria” at daily Mass. Accompanied by a cellist and a violinist, her voice rang into the ears and hearts of the congregation and fans who had been eagerly awaiting her return from studying opera in Verona, Italy. Zahra, a Beverly Hills native whose voice is known around the world, will give her first official solo concert in the United States on July 13. At just 25 years old, the singer combines the two styles she masters best – opera and Broadway – to share her love of music with audiences.

Although Zahra has seen and performed in some of the world’s most beautiful cities, including Paris, Rome, and Tokyo, she is thrilled to return to the place where she began her career. The singer began singing professionally at age 12, but has been listening to opera her entire life. She attributes this to her parents taking her to performances as a young child. She began playing the piano at age 4, and in elementary school, she sang in the choir at Beverly Vista School (now Beverly Vista Middle School). She then joined Beverly Hills High School’s independent study program so she could spend more time practicing her voice and traveling to performances. She also appeared in musicals and sang songs from Broadway during her early childhood, but she decided to devote herself full-time to opera so she could share a style of music with the world that she feels is underrated.

“I don’t want to say it’s inaccessible, but a lot of ordinary people are afraid to watch classical music shows and operas because people don’t really see it,” Zahra told the Courier after her July 1 performance. “And they don’t know that in the 19th century, or when it was popular, opera was like going to the movies. So there’s nothing to be afraid of. We singers have a responsibility to make it entertaining.”

Although this is her passion, singing opera is also a difficult task. Even after years of vocal training, keeping her voice healthy is a full-time job, and she has to find a balance between life as a regular young adult and as a professional singer. She admitted that sometimes she can’t attend parties because she has to save her vocal cords for early performances. In opera, she explained, her voice is her only instrument. “When you’re done playing the piano, you close the lid and stop playing. You don’t play anymore,” she told the Courier. “Our voice is in our body. Our vocal cords and larynx are in our body, and we use them every single moment — when we breathe, when there’s smog, when we’re tired, when we’re sad, when we eat spicy food.”

In addition to socializing, she finds balance in her free time by listening to a wide variety of music. When asked if she listens to opera on her days off, she laughed. “Absolutely not! I listen to everything except opera. Opera is pure work for me,” she explained. “Strangely enough, you can’t find classical music on my phone – even though I love it and think it’s beautiful.”

Zahra now spends most of her time in Verona, where she studies with world-famous singer Barbara Frittoli, but she is still deeply connected to her roots. Since her mother was born in Tehran, being an Iranian-American singer is also a big part of her personality. “There aren’t many Iranian singers out there,” she told the Courier. “Actually, there are very few. I’ve never heard of any famous Iranian-American singers, and I’m really proud of my culture and I’m proud of where my mother comes from. I never forget where I came from.”

On July 13, she looks forward to giving back to her hometown of Los Angeles by performing at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica. True to her personality, she will sing a combination of opera and Broadway with the Dream Orchestra under the direction of Daniel Suk.

Zahra’s parents, who live in Beverly Hills, are extremely proud of her.

“It’s an incredible concert. Golda and Daniel Suk have created something very special that I think will appeal to all generations and all music lovers, just as they have connected opera with the Broadway classics,” said Shallom Berkman, Zahra’s father and owner of Urth Caffé, which will serve a lavish dessert buffet at the concert. “They’ve woven it together in a way that I find very exciting, and it’s a new way to experience the classical voice. I think it will really appeal to the new generation, and that’s what she wants to do. She wants to make opera and a classical voice exciting for everyone.”

“I’m really grateful and really honored,” said Zahra, looking forward to the performance. “I’m just so excited to be able to share what I’ve studied and honed for so long with the Los Angeles community, because I was born and raised here and I’ve missed home.”

Tickets can be obtained from GoldaInConcert.com, and Courier readers get 30% off when they use promo code “Angel” at checkout.