SYDNEY BAEDKE

Noted as a "rising star to watch" by Opera Canada, soprano Sydney Baedke has been described as possessing a voice of "exquisite lyricism"  (The Guardian) and "impressive richness" (London Unattached). Her 2022/23 season has comprised of successful role & company debuts, including her debut at London' Royal Opera House in Oliver Mears' critically acclaimed production of The Rape of Lucretia co-produced with Britten Pears Arts, for which she was praised for her "passionate & hauntingly sad" and "unmistakeably moving" portrayal of the Female Chorus (Plays to See, Opera Today), as well as her debut as Musetta in La bohème with Orchestre Philharmonique et Choeur des Mélomanes at Montreal’s Maison Symphonique , for which she was hailed as a “revelation” for her “agile & seductive voice, projected with notorious assurance, strength, & efficiency”. (Le Devoir, Atuvu.ca) Upcoming engagements include debuts with the Aldeburgh Festival, where she is honored to premiere a recently discovered work by Benjamin Britten through her ongoing young artist partnership with Britten Pears Arts, the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra as the soprano soloist in Bruckner’s Te Deum, her role debuts as Mimì (La bohème, ICAV), & Contessa Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro, Pacific Opera Victoria) and her return to Maison Symphonique as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Orchestre Philharmonique et Choeur des Mélomanes.

Named one of Canada’s top emerging musicians under 30 by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Sydney spent the 2021 summer season as a member of the renowned Apprentice Program for Singers at the Santa Fe Opera, where she covered Tatyana in Eugene Onegin and appeared as Antonia in an excerpt from Les Contes d’Hoffmann in the annual Apprentice Scenes Showcase. 2021 also saw Sydney star in the title role of Brott Opera’s digital, abridged production of Estacio's iconic Canadian opera, Filumena. She recently made her principle artist debut at Opera on the Avalon as Beatrice in Heggie's Three Decembers, followed by an appearance as the soprano soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Brott Music Festival. She made her professional debut in 2019 as La Fortuna & Valletto in Tim Albery’s critically acclaimed production of Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, where she also covered Gilda in Rigoletto as a member of the Gerdine Young Artist Program.

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Sydney is a Regional Finalist & three-time prize winner at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and was a 2019/20 member of the Royal Conservatory of Music's Rebanks Family Fellowship Program. Sydney holds degrees in opera from Rice University and the University of Toronto. She is on the roster of Dean Artists Management. Sydney is immensely grateful for the support of the Sylva Gelber Music & Weston Family Foundations.