A Conversation with Zabriel Rivers

Gullah-Geechie countertenor, Zabriel Rivers, hails from Saint Helena Island, South Carolina. Zabriel was the Alabama Music Education Association Study/Research Grant Recipient where he participated in the Early Music Oratorio program and conducted research in vocal science. Awarded the Presser Scholar Award, he received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Alabama State University. The first-place winner of the European International Music Competition, Zabriel, obtained a Master's degree in Vocal Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music. Recent credits include Jim (Big River), Jimmy Early (Dreamgirls), and Frederick J. Loudin (Jubilee) [Alabama Shakespeare Festival], as well as Pane (La Calisto), and Orfeo (Orfeo ed Euridice) [New England Conservatory of Music].

An avid Opera and Musical Theater singer, Zabriel has recorded the world premiere composition of the opera, Cosmic Cowboy, commissioned by White Snake Projects. Zabriel was a featured soloist in Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and Handel’s Messiah Sing (Parish of All Saints, Ashmont). On May 26, 2023 he will make his debut as counter-tenor soloist in the Pergolesi Stabat Mater at Carnegie Hall in NY with Mid-America Productions.

Zabriel is a classically trained singer, who was recently a district finalist at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He was invited to perform for former President, Bill Clinton. He has toured alongside Common, Tasha Cobbs, and William Murphy. Zabriel is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Fraternity of America. Zabriel currently serves as the District Advocate for the Atlanta Chapter of the Recording Academy, the organization that presents the GRAMMY Awards.

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