SYDNEY BAEDKE

Named a "rising star" by Opera Canada Magazine, Canadian soprano Sydney Baedke has made operatic and symphonic debuts across Canada, the United States, and Europe to consistent critical acclaim. At once praised for her “shimmering coloratura” (Opera News) and her vocal “roundness & warmth” (Le Devoir), she has repeatedly been noted as an artist of distinction across a wide breadth of repertoire. Sydney’s recent career debuts include her “well-projected, vocally pure, and moving” Contessa Almaviva (Opera Magazine) for Pacific Opera Victoria’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Ma Zegner in Mazzoli’s Proving Up with Ammolite Opera, and the soprano soloist in Bruckner’s Te Deum with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2026, she looks forward to adding Liù in Turandot to her growing list of Puccini heroines with Orchestre Philharmonique et Choeur des Mélomanes at Montreal’s Maison Symphonique, having already debuted both Musetta and Mimì in La bohème and Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi. She also looks forward to competing in the 2025 iterations of the International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition, Paris Opera Competition, Queen Sonja Singing Competition, and the final rounds of the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition. On the concert stage, 2024/25 saw Sydney perform staples of her repertoire as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Handel’s Messiah, having sung both on numerous occasions across Canada with organizations such as Orchestre Philharmonique et Choeur des Mélomanes, Orchestre Classique de Montréal, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Brott Music Festival, and Ensemble Caprice among others. Additional concert engagements have included her Carnegie Hall debut, repeat engagements with the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, and her Aldeburgh Music Festival debut, where she had the distinct honour of premiering a newly discovered work by Benjamin Britten as part of her ongoing partnership with the Britten Pears Foundation. Sydney’s 2022/23 season began with her Royal Opera House debut in The Rape of Lucretia co-produced with Britten Pears Arts, for which she was praised for her "passionate & hauntingly sad" and "unmistakably moving" portrayal of the Female Chorus (Plays to See, Opera Today), as well as her debut as Musetta (La bohème) with OPCM at Montreal’s Maison Symphonique, for which she was praised for her “agile & seductive voice, projected with notorious assurance, strength, & efficiency” (Atuvu.ca). Sydney's 2023 came to a close with her 1st prize win at Edmonton Opera’s 2023/24 Rumbold Vocal Prize competition. Noted as one of Canada’s top emerging musicians under 30 by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Sydney spent summer 2021 as a Santa Fe Opera Apprentice, where she covered Tatyana (Eugene Onegin) and appeared as Antonia in an excerpt from Les Contes d’Hoffmann. Additional Canadian engagements saw Sydney star in the title role of Brott Opera’s digital production of Estacio’s Filumena, as well as her Opera on the Avalon debut as Beatrice in Heggie's Three Decembers. She made her professional debut in 2019 as La Fortuna & Valletto in Tim Albery’s critically acclaimed production of The Coronation of Poppea at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis while also covering Gilda in Rigoletto as a Gerdine Young Artist. In the same season she joined The Rebanks Fellowship Program at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music, through which she made concert appearances at Koerner Hall, the Canadian Opera Company, the 21C Music Festival, and the National Ballet of Canada. Additional roles include Marguerite (Faust), Calisto (La Calisto), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Tina (Miss Fortune), and Johanna (Sweeney Todd).