Larissa Kent

Larissa Kent (she/her) is a soprano from New Zealand. She graduated with First Class Honours from the University of Auckland in 2022, studying under Swedish mezzo-soprano Catrin Johnsson. She is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with renowned voice teacher César Ulloa.

Beyond performing, Larissa has a deep passion for music education and substantial teaching experience. Since 2018, she has offered private lessons in singing and violin. She currently runs her own private violin studio and serves as assistant conductor and vocal coach for the Allegro choir with the Young Women’s Choral Projects of San Francisco. Additionally, she works as a diction tutor at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, specializing in German, Italian, and French.

An alumna of the New Zealand Opera School and the New Zealand Singing School, Larissa has performed important roles including “Eurydice” in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld and “Rosalinde” in J. Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. In January 2023, she staged her first professional role as “Second Lady” in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte for Festival Opera, and she recently made her SFCM operatic debut as “Barigoule” in Viardot’s Cendrillon.

Her accolades include second place in the Brayden Coldicutt Aria Competition (2023) and third place in the Becroft Aria Competition (2021), as well as receiving the Kia Ora Foundation Patricia Pratt Scholarship and a Dame Malvina Major Arts Excellence Award in 2023. In addition to her vocal talents, Larissa is skilled in violin, piano, and flute, and she enjoys painting, drawing, baking, and jewelry-making.