About Shannon Delijani
Iranian-American mezzo-soprano Shannon Delijani is a dynamic performer and interdisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles, known for her bold storytelling, genre-blending productions, and deep emotional resonance on stage and screen.
Delijani’s upcoming engagements include Meg Page in Heartbeat Opera’s reimagining of Verdi’s Falstaff and the Alto Soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Charleston Symphony. She previously appeared as a soloist in Ernest Bloch’s Avodath Hakodesh with the Charleston Symphony and Taylor Festival Choir. Her concert work has also included Ravel’s orchestral song cycle Shéhérazade, alongside performances of French mélodie, Jewish sacred music, Persian song, and contemporary vocal works.
Her 2026 season has reflected her particular affinity for adventurous repertoire and character-driven storytelling. She created the role of Ninsun—mother of Gilgamesh and Goddess of Beasts—in the world premiere of Derrick Skye and Diana Farrell’s Gilgamesh at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. She also portrayed Jane in a concert presentation of Brooke deRosa and Diana Farrell’s The Yellow Wallpaper with Lyric Opera of Orange County and joined Opera Neo as a Studio Artist, covering Lisea and performing in the ensemble of Vivaldi’s rarely staged Arsilda, regina di Ponto.
A significant highlight of Delijani’s work in Baroque opera was her performance as Arbace in the modern world premiere of Riccardo Broschi’s Idaspe, produced by Quantum Theatre in collaboration with Chatham Baroque and supported by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Appearing alongside internationally acclaimed artists Vivica Genaux, John Holiday, and Karim Sulayman, Delijani participated in the opera’s first full production since its original staging in 1730. Voix des Arts praised the dramatic specificity of her performance, observing that Arbace’s conflict was evident in “every note, word, and gesture.”
Delijani created the role of groundbreaking Iranian poet Forough Farrokhzad in Niloufar Nourbakhsh and Lisa Flanagan’s Threshold of Brightness. Presented at National Sawdust by Beth Morrison Projects as part of BMP: NEXT GEN, with Kamna Gupta leading the ensemble Contemporaneous, the opera examines Farrokhzad’s life, art, and defiance through a dreamlike confrontation with figures from her past. The project united Delijani’s commitment to contemporary opera with her interest in bringing Iranian stories and complex women to the stage.
Recent operatic highlights also include Madame Larina in Heartbeat Opera’s acclaimed contemporary reimagining of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Charlotte Perry in the world premiere of Rachel J. Peters and Leanna Kirchoff’s Welcome to the Madness with Opera Steamboat. The latter was an immersive, site-specific opera inspired by the artists and history of Colorado’s Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp.
Delijani’s original solo show Homeland explores identity, displacement, cultural inheritance, and the experience of belonging to multiple worlds. As a Middle Eastern opera singer, she draws on her Iranian-Jewish heritage to connect classical music with stories of memory and belonging. Across established works and newly created projects, she is drawn to culturally specific storytelling, underrepresented histories, and theatrically complex women.
Alongside her performing career, Delijani is an experienced voice teacher and creative producer. She maintains a private studio in Los Angeles, working with classical singers, musical-theater performers, actors, and emerging artists to develop sustainable technique, expressive freedom, and confident storytelling.