Biography
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A native of Los Angeles, California, Talin Nalbandian is an Armenian-American mezzo-soprano.

For the current season, Talin sang the role of the Muse/Nicklausse in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Romeo in a scene from Bellini’s I Capuleti e I Montecchi at the University of Texas, Austin in her final year as a doctoral student. In addition, she received third place at The Dallas Opera Biennial Lone Star Vocal Competition.

For the 2021/2022 season, she performed the title role in Bizet’s Carmen, Der Trommler in Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis, and Ravel’s Shéhérazade in concert at the University of Texas, Austin. In the summer, she joined Chautauqua Opera to sing Mother in Kamala Sankaram’s Thumbprint as well as Anne in The Mother of us All, and she was a finalist in the Butler Opera International Voice Competition.

For the 2019/2020 season, Talin returned to Opera San Josè to perform Sandman and cover Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, resulting in three performances as Hansel. She also performed as La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi with Livermore Valley Opera. Talin was also the Second-Place winner for the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition.

For the 2018/2019 season Talin returned to Virginia Opera as a Herndon Foundation Emerging Artist to sing First Nursemaid in Street Scene, and to cover Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Olson in Street Scene, as well as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. In the Spring she debuted with Opera San Josè covering the role of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly and singing in a student matinee performance. In the summer, Talin returned to Music Academy of the West to sing the role of Ruby in the west coast premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain. Additionally. In 2019, Talin became the first prize recipient of the Henry and Maria Holt Vocal Competition, as well as the Burbank Philharmonic Kennings-Fischer Competition; and she received awards from the Butler Opera international Competition and the Mentoris Project Vocal Competition. Concert work included singing as the alto soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Symphony Silicon Valley.

Talin has also worked with Des Moines Metro Opera, Sarasota Opera, and Wolf Trap Opera. Some roles include Maddalena (Rigoletto), 1st trio member (Trouble in Tahiti), Caverna (L’Opera Seria), Bianca (The Rape of Lucretia), Marcellina (Le Nozze di Figaro), Mallika and Mistress Bentson (Lakmè), and Dorabella (Così fan tutte). Talin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pepperdine University, a Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from University of Texas, Austin.