From performing in the title role in composer Georges Bizet’s classic French opera “Carmen” to concocting scrumptious desserts in a small home kitchen, Carlsbad resident Emily Weinberg is living a life of two loves.
Weinberg, 27, is a rising mezzo-soprano vocalist boasting performances with the San Diego Opera, Lyric Opera of Orange County, Pacific Chorale and Pacific Lyric Association.
Last month, the talented prima donna’s performance of four operatic arias earned her first place at the Hawk Vocal Awards at Foothills United Methodist in La Mesa.
“I am an opera singer, that is my main and first love,” Weinberg told The Coast News. “A friend of mine recommended I take a voice lesson and I followed his advice. I was playing the violin at the time and then singing kind of took over. Since leaving school, my goal has been to expand my music career.”
Over the past year, the Cal State Fullerton musicologist grad’s burgeoning career as a coloratura has ascended the ranks much like her vocal roulades.
Weinberg has performed as Cenerentola in Pacific Symphony’s “La Cenerentola,” Mercedes in Lyric Opera of Orange County’s “Carmen,” and Miss Todd in “The Old Maid and the Thief” with the International Lyric Academy in Vicenza, Italy.
Last year, she was also featured on Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra’s Grammy Award-winning performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, recorded as part of a large choir directed by legendary American composer John Williams.
In October 2022, Weinberg was cast in her first leading role as the title character in Pacific Lyric Association’s production of “Carmen,” an opera comique inspired by an 1847 novella that follows the story of Don Jose, a naïve soldier seduced by the “fiery gypsy,” Carmen.
The four-act opera, anchored by the flirty, chain-smoking femme fatale, is the second most popular in the world behind Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” according to Operabase.
“I had the lovely opportunity of playing Carmen for the first time,” Weinberg said. “It was my first professional lead role, my dream role.”
Three years before Weinberg’s melodious star began to rise, the COVID-19 pandemic put her out of work as a professional vocalist, forcing her to find another passion to dull the malaise of quarantine.
Rather than diving into the bell jar, Weinberg started baking to distract herself from her involuntary career hiatus, whipping up everything from Portuguese custard tarts and Black Forest cupcakes to the classic chocolate chip cookie.
A natural baker, Weinberg said she developed the culinary knack from her father, whose homemade cookies inspired her journey into gastronomy.
“My dad taught me how to bake,” Weinberg said. “When I was younger, he would make chocolate chip cookies, a family recipe, and then I moved on to a cheesecake book that he bought. That, in tandem with my mother teaching me how to cook, fostered a love of food in our home.”
But the solo patissier wasn’t simply following recipes from books or blogs. She found herself experimenting with food, making adjustments to suit her personal tastes and modifying traditional recipes in a fun and playful manner.
She started taking requests from friends, priding herself on conquering challenging orders, such as a friend’s request for a yellow cake with buttercream frosting, raspberry jam filling and decorative exterior fondant depicting the Northern Lights.
Weinberg also prepared savory items, such as cheddar chive drop biscuits, cheddar and parmesan crackers with rosemary and vegan garlic knots.
“My specialities are cakes and cupcakes,” Weinberg said. “But I will bake anything I can get my hands on. I love a challenge. The easiest way to describe my philosophy: balance in every cake. I’m looking for there to be balance. There are a lot of sweets that are overwhelmingly sugary and just not worth the calories. I want to create something that is genuinely good that people can come back to.”
Soon, Weinberg was producing more desserts than she knew what to do with. Her father, Rob, a marketing columnist featured in The Coast News who benefits from the fruits of her culinary creations, started playfully calling her the “baking mezzo” as he strolled past the kitchen.
“Over time, it just kind of stuck,” Weinberg said. “It worked and it was fitting. So I ran with it.”
Weinberg brought a plate of treats to share with friends at Battlemage Brewing in Vista. The reaction was more than enthusiastic.
“A friend asked me, ‘Why aren’t you selling these?’ So I asked myself, ‘Why am I not selling them?’ And there is really no good reason — it had never occurred to me that starting my own baking business wouldn’t require having my own storefront,” Weinberg said. “I thought I had to pay for a location which could be very expensive.”
Weinberg spoke with the owners of Battlemage, who encouraged her to set up her first pop-up stand at the brewery last December. After obtaining the necessary food preparation licenses and certifications, Weinberg launched her new one-person show: The Baking Mezzo.
Based on her success at the inland brew pub, Weinberg was asked to serve as the dessert vendor for Eppig Brewing’s Frühlingsfest, where she unveiled miniature Linzer tortes and honey apple cakes to pair with Eppig’s Festbier, a traditional Weisn-style lager.
Today, the serenading confiseur runs her pop-up bakery stand on the first Wednesday of every month for trivia night at Battlemage, often pairing desserts with craft beers.
For Weinberg, food and music are two of her passions, each offering its own rewards and challenges.
And with an upcoming spring performance with Lyric Opera of Orange County, it’s likely she’ll be baking and singing for a long time.
Visit thebakingmezzo.com to learn more about The Baking Mezzo and follow her on Instagram at the_baking_mezzo.
