Chinese American soprano Abagael Cheng (she/they) is an opera singer, creative producer, and activist who strives to break the boundaries of traditional performance and move audiences toward social activism. Cheng sees her role in social justice and the arts to be one and the same: shifting culture through storytelling. She aims to deepen relationships within and between communities by engaging audiences with politically relevant narratives and centering collaboration in her productions. Most recently, Cheng produced an original interdisciplinary recital at Culture Lab LIC, The Hunger & The Haunt, which explored how folks from the AANHPI diaspora reclaim connection to their heritage and discover pathways toward ancestral nourishment.

Cheng has received recognition for both her impactful productions and her skills as a vocalist. She is a 2025 grant recipient of Flushing Town Hall’s Arts Grants for Queens and Queens Arts Fund’s New Work Grant. She won first place in the voice division of the 2023 Delta Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition and was awarded the Penelope Davis Hart Honorable Mention at The Philharmonic Society of Arlington 2024 Young Artist Competition. In 2024, she was awarded grants from the Puffin Foundation and the The Anna Sosenko Assist Trust for her theatrical chamber recital, Awakening, which was inspired by the tradition of protest music and co-produced with City Lyric Opera.

An enthusiast of contemporary music, Cheng has participated in the development and premieres of operatic works-in-progress, such as She Breathes Fire by Stacy Busch with The Why Collective and The Jade Star Hotel by Stephanie Chou and Susan Kander with The American Opera Project. This past spring, Cheng performed as Joan of Arc in City Lyric Opera’s production of contemporary opera Savior by Amy Beth Kirsten. 

During the 2024 season, Cheng appeared in the Fairy Chorus of Le Dernier Sorcier by Viardot at Bard Music Festival. Previous performance highlights include her appearances as the Cabaret Soloist in the world premiere of The Final Veil by JL Marlor at the cell theatre, as Chocholka in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen at The Fisher Center at Bard, and as a soprano soloist in Messages of the late R. V. Troussova at Bard College’s annual Kurtág Festival. A New York City-based artist, she holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Oberlin College & Conservatory. She recently completed her Master’s degree in the Graduate Vocal Arts Program at Bard College Conservatory of Music.

In addition to her musical pursuits, Cheng is a world champion ultimate frisbee player and will compete this fall on the U.S.A. National Mixed Team at the World Beach Ultimate Championships in Portugal. She has won gold medals in the sport at the national and international levels.