Soprano, Cara Gabrielson, was a 2020 National Semifinalist in The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and made her San Francisco Symphony debut in 2018 as the Soprano I Soloist in Bach’s Magnificat. Cara subsequently joined the roster of The Metropolitan Opera in Idomeneo and returned to the San Francisco Symphony as the Soprano Soloist in Carmina Burana and Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy. Recently, Cara sang Lucy (Fellow Travelers) with Opera Parallèle, and covered the title role in Florencia en el Amazonas with Opera San José. This 24-25 season she sings Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) with Livermore Valley Opera, Bach Cantatas with Marin Oratorio and the world premiere of Mortilla’s Paradisio: Weavers of Light with Friction Quartet presented by the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players.

While in residence at Opera Idaho, Cara performed the title role in Acis & Galatea, Poussette and covered the title role in Manon and covered Mimì (La bohème). She performed scenes as Contessa di Folleville in Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims at the Georg Solti Accademia di Bel Canto and as a Fellow at the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Festival she was the Soprano Soloist in Bach’s St. John Passion and Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. 

As a solo recitalist, Cara has been presented by the Oregon Bach Festival, Portland Opera Guild and Berkeley Piano Club. Her concert repertoire includes Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and Ives’ Psalm 90 conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas (San Francisco Symphony), Haydn’s Kleine Orgelmesse & Bach’s Jauchzett Gott in allen Landen (Boise Baroque Orchestra), Messiah (Handel Choir of Baltimore), Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oregon Ballet Theatre), Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (Clark College Orchestra) and arias from Mozart’s Mitridate (Amadeus Chamber Orchestra). California Bay Area operatic roles include Norina (Don Pasquale) with Pocket Opera, Parasha (Mavra) with Berkeley Chamber Opera, Elisena (Ifigenia in Aulide) and Jocasta (Le Amazzoni) with Ars Minerva.

Cara graduated with her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she sang the roles of Musetta (La bohème), Atalanta (Serse), Nerone (Agrippina), The Rose (The Little Prince), Helene (Hin und zurück) and Drusilla (L’incoronazione di Poppea). She is an alumna of Houston Grand Opera's Young Artists Vocal Academy and the Opera Saratoga Young Artist Program.

Cara grew up in Portland, Oregon and currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.