B i o g r a p h y
Growing up in Ipswich and the Western Suburbs of Brisbane, Sophie’s love of music began at a young age when she began studying flute in primary school. Her studies shortly afterwards extended to both singing and theory of music, eventually leading to the completion of multiple ANZCA music qualifications. She then went on to graduate from the University of Southern Queensland with a Bachelor of Education with Distinction, whilst continuing private singing tuition with Douglas McRae and studies in German at the Goethe Institut.
Over the last eight years, Sophie has performed numerous leading roles within Queensland community theatre companies, most notably, Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, Cosette in Les Misérables and Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance. Other highlights include, performing with the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Dr Nicholas Milton AM for their 2020 A Star-Spangled Gala, Opera Queensland’s Project Puccini La Boheme and graduating from the 2018 Pacific Opera Young Artist Program, in which she made her Sydney Opera House debut.
Having made both her professional and principal debut in 2019 as Maria in Opera Australia, GWB Entertainment and BB Group’s touring production of West Side Story, Sophie received praise from critics for her “heavenly soprano voice” and ability to “easily navigate the demands of the score” while ensuring “Maria’s journey from…dreamy lover to broken young woman is authentic as it is impactful” (Stage Whispers, Alex Armstrong 2019). This production saw her tour not only Australia, but New Zealand and Germany too, in which she debuted in some of Europe’s most prestigious opera houses, Semperoper (Dresden) and Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Berlin).
Since then, Sophie has played the role of Rosina in Opera Australia’s 2020 NSW School’s Tour of The Barber of Seville and was also selected as the recipient of the 2020 Australian Opera Awards Committee Dame Joan Sutherland Award. In 2021, she became a Principal Young Artist with Opera Australia, covering the role of Hanna Glavari in their production of The Merry Widow, in what marked their return to the Sydney Opera House. Last year, she was also fortunate enough to return as Maria in West Side Story, touring to both Perth and Brisbane.
Continuing her role as a Principal Young Artist, this year Sophie has covered the role of Princess Eudoxie in La Juive, performed in a number of Great Opera Hits concerts and travelled to Uluru to perform amongst the Field of Light, in addition to the Welcome Dinner – Arias from Figaro. Most recently Sophie made her operatic and role debut as Violetta in La Traviata at the Sydney Opera House in July of this year. With Opera’s Australia’s 2023 season announcement, Sophie is proud to announce that she will make her role debut as Donna Anna in their upcoming production of Don Giovanni.