BIOGRAPHY
British mezzo-soprano Sophie Allen combines a versatile career as a soloist and ensemble singer with a growing focus on vocal pedagogy. Based in Salzburg, she performs regularly in concert and sacred settings while working closely with young singers and continually developing her own teaching practice.
Sophie Allen studied at the University of Nottingham and was a choral scholar at the University Church before moving to Austria. In Salzburg, she completed degrees in Music Education and Vocal Pedagogy at the Mozarteum University, where she studied with Regina Prasser and John Thomasson, graduating with distinction in both subjects in 2016. She subsequently continued her studies with John Thomasson and deepened her knowledge of Lied repertoire with Thérèse Lindquist. Further artistic inspiration came through participation in international masterclasses.
As a soloist, she performs regularly in Salzburg as well as in Bavaria and Upper Austria, including appearances at Salzburg Cathedral. She has enjoyed a long-standing collaboration with the music department of St. Peter's Abbey and its director Peter Peinstingl, both in liturgical and concert settings.
Alongside her solo work, Sophie is a sought-after ensemble singer and appears regularly as a guest with groups including Chor der KlangVerwaltung, the Collegium Vocale of the Salzburg Bach Society, and Cantus Aurumque. In 2023, she was selected as a member of the core ensemble “Bamberg 24” of the Symphonischer Chor Bamberg, working under the artistic direction of Mikko Sidoroff.
From 2016 to 2020, Sophie was a permanent member of BachWerkVokal under the direction of Gordon Safari. The intensive exploration of cantata repertoire formed the centre of their work together, and she worked on numerous projects as both a soloist and ensemble member. Her appearance as Cleofe in a staged production of Handel’s La Resurrezione was warmly received by audiences and the press; she also contributed to the recording of the ensemble’s debut CD Cantate Domino.
As a chamber musician, Sophie has appeared in recital programmes featuring settings of texts by Georg Trakl as well as songs by female composers persecuted under the Nazi regime. In collaboration with various guitarists, she has developed and performed her own recital programmes in Austria, Germany, and Indonesia. A particular highlight of her varied ensemble work was her appearance as the reciter in William Walton’s Façade at the Salzburger Winterfest 2023, presented in its original and complete scoring for speaker and chamber ensemble under the direction of Chungki Min.
Her opera chorus experience includes performances with the Salzburg Bach Choir at the Salzburg Easter Festival, Salzburg Whitsun Festival, and Salzburg Festival under conductors such as Christian Thielemann, Andris Nelsons, Antonio Pappano and Gianluca Capuano, as well as appearances with the chorus of the Bregenz Festival. She also performs regularly with the Extra Chorus of the Salzburg State Theatre.
An increasingly important focus of Sophie’s artistic work is vocal pedagogy. Over the past several years, she has built up a private voice studio and provides individual coaching in vocal technique to the Salzburg Cathedral Choristers (Domkapellknaben and -mädchen) and Salzburg Cathedral Youth Choir.
In rehearsal: "La Resurrezione"with Ensemble BachWerkVokal (2018)
In rehearsal with Ensemble BachWerkVokal Salzburg (2018)
You can download my CV and repertoire list here.