Sigma Alpha Iota

6 Spring 2026 • sai-national.org Alumnae Spotlight A bigail Raiford was in high school when she knew she wanted to sing opera. "On a trip back from New York, Mom and I watched the film Becoming Traviata, which was about Natalie Dessay's production of the opera… I just remember sobbing by the end—'Mom, this is really what I want to do.'" Raiford grew up in a musical home. Living in New York City, both her parents were classical singers. Her father, Steve Raiford, sang tenor with New York City Opera and New York Grand Opera; her mother, Judith Pannill Raiford, performed as a soloist with choral, orchestral, and chamber ensembles. It was natural that their daughter Abigail fall into music as well. When Raiford was nine years old, her parents boldly decided to move from New York City to Tulsa, Oklahoma. But this was only the beginning of Raiford's journey as a musician. She was very involved in both band and choir; she served as drum major for three years in the marching band and as a flute player. In choir, she was a six-year all-state and all-district choir member. Her mother had accepted a position as music faculty at the University of Tulsa, where Raiford later applied—and was accepted—as a Vocal Performance major. It was there that she initiated into the Sigma Gamma chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota. When it came time to apply for grad school, Raiford really wanted to broaden her horizons beyond Oklahoma. After applying at eleven schools across the country, and receiving auditions at several of them, she returned to her roots in New York City. At the Mannes School of Music, she earned a Master of Music in Vocal Performance under the tutelage of Amy Burton. Within six months of graduating in 2019, her career had already taken off—she was accepted as an Apprentice Artist with the Sarasota Opera. But when 2020 hit, life completely changed. The COVID-19 pandemic cut the season short, canceling the last week of performances. But Raiford has a positive attitude about the sudden change in plans. "I appreciated having the time to just figure things out and set myself up well," she says. In that time, she built her website and social media presence, making plans for when the stage would open again. When performances began again in 2021, the Sarasota Opera invited her back as a resident artist. She returned to sing the role of Second Witch and covered the lead role of Belinda in Dido and Aeneas. In the years that followed, she sang Olympia in Davies' Pinocchio and Despina in Così fan tutte with the St. Petersburg Opera Company; she was a Bonfils-Stanton Studio Artist at the Central City Opera in Colorado; she covered the role of Giulietta in Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi with Teatro Nuovo. She started working with a new teacher during this time as well, Virginia Grasso, which she says "kickstarted such a good period in [her] career." The industry agrees—Raiford has received numerous awards and recognitions over the past five years, including the Opera Index Award from the Opera Index Vocal Competition; an Encouragement Award at the Camille Coloatura Awards; and was first place and "audience favorite" at Opera Tampa's D'Angelo Young Artist Vocal Competition. But the shining moment in her career to date was Laffont Competition National Finalist: Abigail Raiford As Elvira in As Elvira in L'Italiana in Algeri L'Italiana in Algeri, Tulsa Opera, 2022 , Tulsa Opera, 2022 Shane Bevel Photo Shane Bevel Photo

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