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Sophie Louise Roland mezzo-soprano
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“. . .Sophie Louise Roland’s Carmen was both powerful and delightfully seductive…In the end, Carmen proves to be a perfect mirror of its namesake, a spirited, intoxicating and seductive performance.” – Glenn Kaufmann, The Herald Times
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Hailed for her “excellence, purity of voice and emotional intensity,” Sophie Louise Roland recently sang the roles of Dido and the Sorceress in Purcell’s Dido and Æneas and as Storge in Handel’s Jeptha with American Opera Theater (Baltimore, MD), Carmen and Suzuki with Ente Concerti Città di Iglesias, Cornelia in Giulio Cesare with Orchestra London, Maddelena in Verdi’s Rigoletto with Opera York (Ontario), Madama Butterfly’s Suzuki for Pellegrini Opera (Ottawa), Madonna Capuleti and Tebaldo in the International Opera Theater’s world premiere of Romeo e Giulietta in Città della Pieve (Italy), Carmen with both American Opera Theater and Opera Lirica Italiana, Nicklausse in Les Contes d’Hoffmann with Opera Brasov, as well as the title role in Carmen with both Janiec Opera Company and Indiana University Opera Theater. Other highlights include La Prieure in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, Dame Quickly in Falstaff, La mère in Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Luna in the North American premiere of Jeppe by Sven David Sandström. Future engagements for Ms. Roland include a reprise of Maddelena, Mauyra in Vaughan Williams’ Riders to the Sea, Carmen a recital with acclaimed pianist Stéphan Sylvestre, as well as other performances in Baltimore, London, Hamilton, Québec, Toronto, Amsterdam, and Italy.
Ms. Roland’s lush voice, dazzling coloratura, engaging stage presence, and deeply expressive musicality have captivated audiences throughout North America and abroad. In addition to her operatic credits, Ms. Roland has appeared in concert with ensembles such as Orchestra London with Timothy Vernon conducting, Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières under the baton of Jacques Lacombe, the Windsor Symphony with John Morris Russell, the Guelph Chamber Choir, the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Hamilton, London Fanshawe Symphonic Orchestra, and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Ms. Roland recently was featured singing in Jean-Claude Labrecque’s film, Infiniment Québec and on the artist Jorane’s compilation CD, Jorane X. She also appeared in Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky under the baton of Maestro Erick Kunzel, was chosen to participate for the celebrations in honor of Marilyn Horne’s 70th birthday at Carnegie Hall.
Ms. Roland received her early training in piano, voice, and drama in Quebec. She holds an Honours BMus from Wilfrid Laurier University, an MA in Musicology and MMus in Vocal Performance from the University of Western Ontario, and recently completed a DM in Voice Performance under the tutelage of Ms. Constanza Cuccaro at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.
In addition to maintaining an active directing career, Ms. Roland currently holds the rank of Associate Professor of Music in the Don Wright Faculty of Music at the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Roland’s students have won National and International competitions such as Metropolitan Opera Auditions, NATS Regional and District Auditions, the NATSAA Competition, and Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation. She is the General Director of the both the Canadian Operatic Arts Academy (London, Ontario) and the Accademia Europea Dell’Opera (Italy), operatic training programs for emerging professionals featuring world-class faculties.
