Southern California native and mixed-race mezzo-soprano Sophie Patterson is currently a2026/2028 Young Artist with the Volksoper Wien Vienna, Austria. She earned her Master of Arts from the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she studied with Raymond Connell, following two years of study in Paris at the École Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot under world-renowned baritone Vladimir Chernov.
During her final year in Paris, Sophie was awarded the Special Prize at the Ise-Shima Art Committee International Singing Competition and Second Prize at the Open de Musique du Cap Ferret Festival Competition. She also holds a Bachelor of Music from UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music. Sophie was an Alvarez Young Artist at Garsington Opera for their 2025 season.
Recent performances include Dorabella (Cosí fan tutte) with Het Toneelhuis & B’Rock Orchestra, Jo (Little
Women) with Hermes Ensemble & SPECTRA Ghent, Anna I in Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins and Sally in Barber's A Hand of Bridge with Opera Cameratina, Alto Soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Truro Choral Society, and Elgar’s Sea Pictures with the Penzance Orchestral Society. Other notable roles include Mrs. Herring (Albert Herring, Royal Academy Opera), Die Mutter and Die Knusperhexe (Hänsel und Gretel, Hampstead Garden Opera), Sesto (La clemenza di Tito, Paris), and Gertrud (Hänsel und Gretel, Berlin Opera Academy). At UCLA she appeared in several opera premieres, including Akeidah, Lost Childhood, and Juana.
Upcoming engagements include Zweite Damme (Die Zauberflöte), Die Knusperhexe (Hänsel und Gretel), Kate (Pirates of Penzance), Voice of Antonia's Mother (Les contes d'Hoffmann), Das Stubenmädchen Mizzi & Das süße Mädel (Reigen) at Volksoper Wien.
As an avid recitalist, Sophie regularly performs with pianist Siyuan Xu, including joining the Lied the Way 2026 festival, appearances at the British Library and participation in a London Song Festival masterclass with Joseph Middleton in 2025. She has also appeared as mezzo-soprano soloist in Bernstein’s Songfest and the premiere of Peter Golub’s The Gorey Songs.
Her training has been enriched by programs such as Lied the Way, Teatro Nuovo, and the International Vocal Arts Academy of Payerbach, along with masterclasses led by Lisette Oropesa, Jennifer Larmore, Michelle DeYoung, Vladimir Chernov, Will Crutchfield, and others.
Beyond music, Sophie enjoys taekwondo, salsa dancing, improvisation, cooking, and playwriting.
