“Sparrow sparkled, spun and sung with pizzaz”

- Wanganui Chronicle

Hailing from Whangārei, New Zealand soprano Sophie Sparrow is a freelance singer based in the United Kingdom. She was Mascarade Opera Foundation 2022-2023 Resident Artist in collaboration with Teatro la Fenice in Venice.

Sophie graduated from the Royal Academy Opera Programme as a Fishmongers' Company scholar under the tutelage of Kate Paterson and Marcus van den Akker, and coach Jonathan Papp. She was supported by the Kiwi Music Trust, Royal Academy of Music, and Help Musicians Sybil Tutton Opera Award.

She also has a Master of Performance (Distinction) from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, a Bachelor of Music (First Class Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from the University of Otago, New Zealand.

Sophie performed with the Glyndebourne Festival Chorus for the 2022 season and covered Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro.

Since November 2020, Sophie has performed Sarah/Sun Witch in Freya Waley-Cohen’s new commission WITCH, Monteverdi's Madrigal "Lamento D'Arianna" for solo soprano, Tytania from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Britten), Belinda in Dido and Aeneas (Purcell), Nella in Gianni Schicchi (Puccini), and Adel in the new mini opera Behind God’s Back (Joseph Howard) with Royal Academy Opera. She has also covered the role of Despina in their production of Così fan tutte and presented opera makers duet Dorothea in Rome composed by Elliot Park with libretto by Aoife Kennan.

Sophie has performed the roles of Pamina (The Magic Flute) and Barbarina (The Marriage of Figaro) with Opera Otago, and has been in the chorus for Carmen and L’elisir d’amore with New Zealand Opera. In 2019, Sophie made her German debut performing First Witch (Dido and Aeneas) at the Maulbronn Monastery Music Festival. Opera scenes include Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Marie (La fille du régiment), Gilda (Rigoletto), Sidone (Armide by Jean-Baptiste Lully), Morgana (Alcina) and Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare).

Sophie made her Wigmore Hall concert debut in 2019 performing the world premiere of ‘Remembering the Future’ by Daniel Davis written for her and countertenor Nils Wanderer. Her first engagement at Wigmore Hall was performing in a masterclass with world renowned South Korean soprano, Sumi Jo.

Other concert performances include song recitals of Debussy and Heinrich Heine settings at Milton Court Concert Hall London, ‘Whānau Voices London: Voices of Aotearoa, far from home’ concert recorded at the Royal Albert Hall, the Guildhall School American Songbook Company, the world premiere of ‘Tell me again the music of that tale’ by Daniel Davis at Milton Court Concert Hall, and her Barbican Hall debut performing Debussy Song’s for the London Symphony Orchestra Platforms with Guildhall Artists.

Sophie was a recipient of a 2019 and 2020 Countess of Munster Trust and is currently a Kiwi Music Trust Awardee since 2019. She has received multiple awards across New Zealand placing 1st in the 2019 Dame Malvina Major Foundation Wellington Aria Competition, 3rd in the New Zealand McCormick Opera Award, and 1st in the 2018 Ronald Dellow Memorial Vocal Recital and Norah Howell Award. Sophie was also a 2016 Lexus Song Quest Semi-finalist and a semi-finalist in the 2018 IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition while training with Frances Wilson at the Auckland Opera Studio.

In 2021, Sophie was a Royal Over-seas League Annual Music Competition Vocal Section Finalist and Overseas Finalist, and a Kathleen Ferrier Award Semi-finalist.

Sophie would like to thank the Royal Academy of Music, the Fishmongers' Company, Kiwi Music Trust, the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Help Musicians, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Behrens Foundation, Auckland Opera Studio, New Zealand Opera Foundation Trust, Wallace Arts Foundation, Dame Malvina Major Foundation, and the Joan Kennaway Scholarship for their support.