Sophie Salvesani is a young, upcoming Australia soprano who made her operatic and role debut as Violetta in Opera Australia’s production of La Traviata at the Sydney Opera House in 2022. To begin 2024, Sophie returned to Violetta in Sarah Giles’ acclaimed production. A new, co-production between Opera Australia, Opera Queensland, State Opera of South Australia and West Australian Opera. This year has also seen Sophie debut as The Governess in The Turn of the Screw with the Hayes Theatre Co., marking their first operatic production.

 

This followed both her professional and principal debut in 2019 as Maria in Opera Australia, GWB Entertainment and BB Promotion’s touring production of West Side Story, in which Sophie received praise from critics for her 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 (Dresen) and Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Berlin).

Following this success, Sophie went on to play the role of Rosina in Opera Australia’s 2020 NSW School’s Tour of The Barber of Seville. During this time, Sophie was awarded the prestigious Australian Opera Awards Committee Dame Joan Sutherland Award.

With an invitation to join Opera Australia’s Young Artist Program in 2021, Sophie has since been involved in a number of productions, a highlight being her role debut as Donna Anna in their 2023 production of Don Giovanni. She has also covered the roles of Hanna Glavari in The Merry Widow, Princess Eudoxie in La Juive, Gilda in Rigoletto and most recently, Olympia in Les contes d'Hoffmann. In 2021, she was also fortunate enough to return as Maria in West Side Story, touring to both Perth and Brisbane.

On the concert stage, Sophie has performed with the Opera Australia orchestra on many occasions, most notably for the HSBC Opera in the Gardens and Opera Gala at Uluru. She has also had the privilege of performing with Orchestra Victoria for BMW Opera for All, as well as with the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Dr Nicholas Milton AM for their A Star-Spangled Gala.

Last year, Sophie enjoyed notable success in the finals of two of Australia’s most prestigious competitions, the Sydney Eisteddfod Opera Scholarship and the German-Australian Opera Grant. Most recently, she has again enjoyed success having been awarded an Acclaim Academic Scholarship during her involvement in the Acclaim Awards Masterclass Series.

With assistance from the 2nd place Opera Scholarship from the Sydney Eisteddfod and the GAOG encouragement award, Sophie has moved to Berlin, Germany to further pursue her international operatic career. In 2025, she will also travel to Italy, undertaking her Acclaim Academic Scholarship to study intensively for four weeks with Professor Valeria Esposito.