Julianna Banfe is a mezzo-soprano, actress, music director, and arranger. She is currently pursuing a B.M. in Vocal Performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she studies with Paulina Villarreal. She is a recipient of the Susan Cartland-Bode and Marianne Felton Scholarships and a member of the Hutton Honors College.

Equally at home in opera and musical theatre, Julianna most recently appeared as Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel with the Hawai‘i Performing Arts Festival and Laurey Williams in Oklahoma! with IU Opera and Ballet Theatre. Operatic credits include Un Pâtre in L’Enfant et les sortilèges with IU Opera and Ballet Theater and Celia in Handel’s Silla with Chicago Summer Opera. Her recent Rodgers & Hammerstein work reflects a particular affinity for Golden Age musical theatre alongside her classical training.

Julianna also has an extensive background in choral singing. At Indiana University, she has performed with NOTUS, the university’s contemporary vocal ensemble under the direction of Dominick DiOrio, as well as in symphonic and chamber choral ensembles. In 2022, she made her Carnegie Hall debut through the Music-Fest Rising Talents Festival, performing Passereau’s “Il est bel et bon” as part of a vocal quartet. She is also an alumna of the Philadelphia Girls Choir, with whom she performed at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music and Kimmel Center, as well as on international tours throughout Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

Beyond the classical stage, Julianna is passionate about pop vocal music, arranging, and music direction. During her first semester at Indiana University, she co-founded The Bloomingtones, an all-treble a cappella ensemble, and has served as the group’s co-music director since 2024. In 2026, The Bloomingtones placed first runner-up at the ICCA Midwest Quarterfinals—advancing to the Midwest Semifinals—and received an Outstanding Arrangement award. The ensemble has also twice earned first runner-up at IU Sing A Cappella and has performed at Indiana University’s Little 500, including performances of the national anthem and “Back Home Again in Indiana.”

Alongside her musical studies, Julianna is pursuing a minor in Business through Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. She is entering her second year as a student manager with Jacobs’s Office of Entrepreneurship and Career Development, where she supports programming and resources designed to help emerging musicians build sustainable careers in the arts. Her work with the office reflects a broader interest in arts leadership and the business of building a music career.