About Lauren
Lauren Salazar, mezzo-soprano, is a dynamic and expressive artist whose work bridges opera, musical theater, and concert performance. A performer for more than two decades, she found her love for storytelling through music as a young girl and has built a career shaped by curiosity, resilience, and artistry.
During Ms. Salazar’s senior year of high school, she was selected for the prestigious Houston Grand Opera High School Voice Studio and studied under Dr. Jason Lester. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from The University of Texas at Austin, studying with Darlene Wiley. She later completed her Master of Music and Graduate Artist Certificate in Voice & Opera at the University of North Texas under Dr. Carol Wilson, where her artistry deepened both onstage and off.
In pursuit of her MM, Ms. Salazar experienced a pivotal turning point, making a fach change from soprano to mezzo-soprano during in her final semester. The transition opened a new chapter in her career, and in the past two and a half years since, has cultivated a vibrant mezzo repertoire, performing roles such as Carmen in both French and Spanish, Hänsel, Dido, Despina (Così fan tutte), Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Third Wood Sprite (Rusalka), Dorothée (Cendrillon), and the Witch (Into the Woods).
Her professional collaborations include performances with Wichita Grand Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Austin Opera, Opera Arlington, the Dallas Bach Society, TEXAS Outdoor Musical Company, Opera in the Ozarks, Taos Summer Opera, Miami Summer Music Festival, and Music on Site. During the 2024–2025 season, she appeared as the alto soloist with the Dallas Bach Society in Il Concerto delle Donne, Merrie England, and Vivaldi’s Gloria.
Ms. Salazar spent this past summer in the new Opera in the Ozarks theater, performing as both the Witch in Into the Woods and Carmen. This fall, she makes her Wichita Grand Opera debut as Consuelo in West Side Story and returns to Arkansas as a Guest Artist for Opera in the Ozarks, singing the title role in Lucinda y las Flores de la Nochebuena by Evan Mack and Joshua McGuire. Upcoming engagements include Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera of the Plains and a reprise of Carmen with Opera Arlington in 2026.
Her artistry extends beyond performance into arts administration and photography, where she combines her creative and organizational strengths. During her four years at UNT, she served as the Graduate Assistant for Annual Giving and Alumni Relations in the College of Music’s Office of Development, supporting donor engagement and alumni initiatives. Alongside this work, she cultivated her photography career, first as a student photographer and now as the College of Music Staff Photographer.
Ms. Salazar has captured images for organizations including the University of North Texas, Baylor University, Brevard Music Center, TEXAS Outdoor Musical, Wichita Grand Opera, and Opera in the Ozarks. Her unique position as both performer and photographer allows her to authentically tell the visual stories of musicians, productions, and ensembles. She is particularly passionate about working with emerging artists through headshot and portrait sessions designed to help young musicians present their most confident, expressive selves.